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The greek community has received a fair amount of media coverage since school started. So far, articles on vandalism, the new city council noise ordinance and the sanctions placed on Pi Kappa Alpha have mostly defined campus perception of Greek Row. Although this is unfortunate, it is apparent that we still are not talking enough about the real issue in the greek community: neighborhood relations. In fact, this key issue is responsible for almost all of the conflict on Greek Row during the past 10 months.
Let’s face it, there have been conflicts between the greeks and their neighbors for the past 100 years, and we aren’t going to solve them all in a day. But we can take steps now to begin the process of reconciliation so that those who come after us can enjoy positive relations with the neighbors who surround Greek Row. For this détente to occur, however, both sides must come to understand each other.
In this pursuit, I invited Beth Arnett, one of Greek Row’s neighbors, to eat dinner with my chapter Monday night. For the past several months, it has been apparent that Arnett and other neighbors are tired of certain kinds of behavior on Greek Row. In fact, she and other neighbors have organized a neighborhood council, filed an enormous number of complaints with the Dean of Students Office and routinely call the police for what they consider to be ordinance infractions. This naturally has led to dissatisfaction on the part of the greeks, and so here we sit in an increasingly tense stalemate. My goal of inviting Arnett to dinner was to break the stalemate so that we can begin to solve the real problems. After all, being mad and simply complaining is not going to solve anything.
Arnett spent more than two hours with my chapter, and we are pleased with what we achieved. More than just getting to know one of our neighbors as a person, we came to understand some of the issues that drive her and other neighbors to act as they do. Loud parties interrupt Arnett’s dinner. Screaming sorority sisters wake her family up at night. Blatant disrespect directed at her by fraternity brothers makes her feel as though she is not a part of her own neighborhood.
After hearing Arnett’s concerns, some members of my chapter and I expressed our own. We believe that the neighbors harass us when they make calls to the police for issues that do not violate city ordinances. We have the perception that the neighbors’ endgame is the unjustified dismantling of Greek Row and our way of life. Because of much of the neighbors’ behavior, we feel as though we are not welcome in our own neighborhood.
For me, Arnett’s willingness to meet with Sigma Phi Epsilon was a turning point. She came to the dinner with a specific list of the things that she feels can be fixed, and I did the same. We clearly outlined some of the steps that we will take in the coming weeks to alleviate much of the past conflict that has come to define greek-neighbor relations.
Together, we are going to communicate better to identify the specific sources of ordinance-violating noise so that we can address it without involving law enforcement. We are going to show each other more respect so we can develop good relationships that last. We SigEps (and hopefully all greeks) are going to more carefully consider our behavior because we understand that what we do affects the quality of our neighbors’ lives. In return, we hope to get the support of our neighbors when it comes to police and university and city relations.
As president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, I made a commitment to be a better communicator when it comes to neighborhood relations. Arnett made the same commitment with regard to the neighbors. We hope that during the next few weeks, we can create a model for future interaction between the greeks and the rest of the neighborhood. I know Arnett joins me in hoping that such a model will represent a real and lasting change in how our greek community interacts with its neighbors.
During the past several months, it has become clear that both sides have major issues. We have done a good job of making demons out of each other, but we have not done a good job of dedicating time to finding solutions. That ends now.
It’s time for both sides to step up and start acting like the adults we all are. It’s time to stop simply talking and start walking. It’s time to realize that the current situation is hardly one conducive to learning or living. The time to improve greek-neighbor relations has arrived, and Sigma Phi Epsilon is excited to lead the way.
Members of the Greek system absolutely need to take individual responsibility. And the chapters need to take responsibility for improper behavior when it occurs. No question about that. Just don't brand the entire Greek System for those incidents.Further, most outsiders read of an incident and form their entire opinion of the Greek System on that. But many chapters are working to evolve, to be involved on campus and in the community, to develop mature, balanced, educated alumni who possess employable teamwork and leadership skills. Countless extremely successful business, political, and professional leaders have come out of the University of Utah's Greek System. And many more are being shaped right now. Many Greeks are involved in philanthropic efforts and civic involvement. But those kinds of efforts aren't "news", so they don't get recognized. Part of the problem, frankly, is that most fraternities and sororities are rotten at public relations. They are not good at bragging about all of the positive things that they accomplish. (An open-minded reader could learn more about Sigma Phi Epsilon's values and programs at www.sigep.org. I'll bet that Mr. Beech would also welcome sincere inquiries about his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.)So there are three important points here:1. Greek System members clearly need to be more responsible. Their leaders need to consistently enforce the internal rules that most of them have in place. If Greeks want to be treated as adults, they need to ACT like adults. And if they screw up, they need to be punished. They need to understand CONSEQUENCE.2. People outside the Greek System should recognize that not all Greeks are alike. And that generalizations are counterproductive if you are truly trying to understand other people. 3. Whether you are in the Greek System or outside of it, you can choose to treat the other side as enemies. That's the easy approach, and the least productive. It is easy to remain steadfastly closed-minded, not so easy to reach out. Not so easy to try to make things better. The harder approach is to sincerely invest some time and effort, to try to learn more about each other (and yourselves), and grow. Heck, you might even be able to get along one day. But only if you try.I commend Cameron Beech and his chapter on trying to build a bridge from their organization to the neighborhood. I encourage them to continue their positive efforts, and for other Greek leaders to take similar steps. It is a newsworthy, positive approach. I also encourage Greek alumni from all fraternities and sororities to get involved with their chapter's alumni organizations, to be good role models for the undergraduates, to help ensure they have enjoyable, productive college careers. In my opinion, alumni owe that involvement with their chapters at some point in their lives - it is the best way that they can give back. Finally, I encourage neighbors around the Greek properties to work with Greeks who are willing to work with them. Build bridges, not barriers.