Wednesday, August 24, 197
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University Daily Kansan
Report focuses on rush practices
By PEGGY SPENCER
Staff Writer
Although sorcerors on the University of Kansas campus don't open practice discrimination against minority students, the membership rush program may have the effects of discrimination by disciple. In 1972, a state law, officially said recently,
The official, Hobart Jackson, assistant professor of architecture and urban design and chairman of the University Senate Human Relations committee, said the committee began its investigation last spring.
His remarks followed the release last month of the committee's recommendations to aoristrion regarding changes in
THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS call for changes in the manner in which rush is conducted.
The committee conducted a series of hearings with sorority representatives to determine if any changes in rush procedures could be made to avoid a discrimination problem in the future, Jackson said.
Jackson said that when, where and how the information about membership driver was distributed had the effect of encouraging people to use the service.
Jackson said the information programs conducted by the Panhellenic Association before rush avoided the residence halls on Daisy Hill, an area where many minority students live.
Most sorority activity centered on GSP and Corbin Halls, he said.
However, Mary Turney, Panhellenic membership effort to reach the residence hall on Daisy Hill.
"WE HAVE FOCUSED mostly on GSP and Corbin because those are the full Freshman classes she said. "Freshmen are the most open."
Jackson said the individual hearings also focused on security member selection procedures. The report on safety was released in 2018.
Jackson said, "We're recommending changes in procedures that will be performed without the sororites having access to the information."
Turned say that in-house policies on membership votes are never released.
Another committee recommendation calls for all sorbites to plan charters, constitutions and by-laws in the Department of Justice.
"SOME HOUSES CLAIM their charters are already on file," Jackson said.
Turnered she thought most of the by-laws were on file at the Dean of Women's office.
"If we don't have it, it's because the national chapter doesn't allow the rules to be made public," she said.
Jackson said that if the charters remained secret, recognition of secrecy by the University as official parts of the university would be possible.
"There is no place within the administrative framework of the University for arouses with secret charters," he said.
ALTHOUGH MANY SORORTY charters do not list a specific race as a qualification for membership, Jackson said, none of the sororites at KU has ever had a black member.
"And, only a few could indicate that they had had any minority student as a member," he said.
Jackson also said the reaction of sorbitors to the hearings on racial bias varied from house to house.
some groups and panhellenic were very much involved in
their conversations, he said, and have already organized to correct
effective
"Others were a little more defensive. They insisted that there was no problem and that the University has no authority to insist that they implement any changes." Jackson said.
HOWEVER, JACKSON SAID he thought that because the University gave legal recognition and support to sororites, they would be considered part of the University and come under its jurisdiction.
He also said he didn't think there had been an effort made between some scrierly members and minority students to get the text published.
Turney said that black sororites and fraternities had been invited to participate in Greek Week last spring and that the three black sororites had been invited to join Panhellenic as associate members.
She said that run procedures for black sororities differed from the membership drives of current Panhellenic mem-
PANHELLENIC DID NOT hear from the three black sororites about whether they would join, Turney said, because their members had not met since the invitation was given.
Jackson said that Panellienke didn't have any authority to execute its members to comply with the committee's recommendations.
An answer is expected this fall. she said.
However, he be thought Panhellenic could choose to reject a particular house's affiliation and not allow it to take on his property.
He said he was not overwhelmingly optimistic about the possible compliance with the recommendations.
Turney said the authority of Panhellenic had never been tested or questioned. However, the association is undergoing some reorganization that will spell out its exact authority, she said.
THE COMMITTEE ALSO recommended that the black sororites and fraternities on campus be given guaranteed representation in Student Senate. Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council are recognized by the Senate.
Jackson said, "The black groups need to be included or the others should be eliminated."
"some sororites have been resistant and I expect they will continue to be so," Jackson said.
In the future, individual complaints could be taken to a court of law, be added.
Greek system enjoying upswing in popularity
The popularity of fraternities and sororites has increased since the early '70s, according to Jack Barker, an officer of the Interfraternity Council.
544
Barker, vice president of membership
for the council, said interest in Greek
basketball was growing.
"Last year the houses were 85 per cent
well off. This year we hope to fill
them to about W7".
Barker said the anesthesil movement in the late 1950s and early 78s was detrimental to fraternity. But they are gaining in popularity again, he said, because students are more interested in a good education now.
Mary Turney, Panhellenic Association membership chairman, said that although membership figures at sorority houses didn't vary much from year to year, there was a move toward a more structured type of life style.
MONTE NIGHSWONGER, vice president of the Interfraternity Council, said that people had relaxed since the Viet Nam war ended.
Secrettions can provide this structure for students, after said, as well as offer a home-based program.
"You really do have a home there," she said. "And are people there you are really close to."
BARKER AND TURNEY said that
Barker's decision to become involved in
the opportunity to become involved in
leadership and that the houses emphasized academics.
"It's helpful to have someone around who has already taken a class you're in," Thea said.
There is a push for academics, she said because other people are around to remind students that they missed class or didn't do well on a test.
Barker said that although academics were important in fraternities, such a living group also provided individual growth. T.LS growth begins, he said, by forcing the fraternity member to see good points in people.
"YOU LEARN TO get along with a lot of different types of people." Barker said.
Nighswanger said this was because living in a fraternity was different than living in a residence hall, where a student would live. Fraternity members live along with moving out in a short time. Fraternity members live with the same people for two or three years, he said.
Because members spend so much time with the other students in their house, Barker and Turner both said they enjoyed looking at several houses before alighting.
"There is a great diversity between houses," Barker said. "There are different types of academic ventures and different people."
Open rush is year-round for any house that is not full, Barker said.
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