Like all standards and rules, the 47 standards and expectations within Select 2000 have to be enforced. This has led administrators to say that the University will work with greeks toward accomplishing most of those standards, but will have a zero tolerance for violations involving alcohol and hazing.

Select 2000 is a nine-part initiative for the greek system that includes maintaining high grades, making chapter houses alcohol and substance-free, and requiring hours of community service. It also details other standards like being a good neighbor or requiring an annual fire drill.

Nancy Hunter Pei, director of Student Development, said the majority of the standards will be enforced by the Select 2000 Evaluation Committee. The committee will evaluate greek organization’s progress yearly and work with greeks to help them to comply with the standards.

She said that greek organizations suspected of violations of hazing and alcohol will face administrative hearings.

In an administrative hearing we invite both parties to come forward and respond to allegations that may or may not have occurred, Pei said. Any Registered Student Organizations are subject to abiding by the rules and regulations of the institution, and when an RSO doesn’t do that and we get word of that, they are subject to an administrative hearing.

Pei said hearings can be scheduled after Student Development witnesses an infraction or is told of a violation through a phone call, a letter, word-of-mouth or rumors.

Katie Sermersheim, assistant director of Student Development, said administrative hearings have already been scheduled for Select 2000 violations.

Select 2000 makes all chapter houses on and off campus substance-free by fall 1998. This year fraternities cannot sponsor or conduct social events that include alcohol, but members of legal age may drink in their rooms.

We have roughly three cases pending at this time, she said. They would all three be in reference to possible alcohol violations.

Sermersheim would not expand further on the cases because they are pending.

Pei said the alleged violations are not completely related to Select 2000.

I would suggest that it’s possible that they are in violation of the University alcohol policy regardless of Select 2000 being involved or not, Pei said. There is a time, place and manner in which you can drink if you are an RSO.

The policy states among other things that bulk containers of more than 2 1/2 gallons of (alcohol) are not permitted in any University housing except as authorized by the chancellor or an appropriate designee.

The policy also states the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited by state law on campus except when approved by the University. It further states that University may approve events and locations on campus in which alcohol is served only at times and places which will not interfere with the academic functions of the University.

Harvey Welch, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said the three pending hearings and others will be decided on a case-by-case basis by an administrative hearing officer.

We want to look at each incident without bringing in innuendo and past history, he said. Frequently in these instances it is extremely difficult to validate what allegedly happened, and not having the wisdom of Solomon, if we don’t have the evidence or documentation that something happened we have to assume it didn’t happen even though we think it might have.

In my belief, if there is any doubt, go with the student if you can without bringing harm to anyone else in the University.

The Select 2000 alcohol policy states that each chapter house and any annex will be substance and alcohol-free.

Greek leaders and members have questioned what constitutes an annex.

Sermersheim said an annex could be any house that greek members live in. She said houses in which greeks dwell should not try to disguise a fraternity party.

We want to look at what your intentions are, Sermersheim said. If your intentions are to get around the rules, then you are probably doing something you shouldn’t do.

Jean Paratore, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, and other administrators have said that they will determine what an annex is by using the duck test.

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck, Paratore said.

Nick Dodd, Interfraternity Council president, said conducting hearings on a case-by-case basis is not fair.

Your setting yourself up for a problem in the future because in one case you did this and another your doing something different, Dodd said. With this program there has to be guidelines as far as what is and isn’t acceptable, and if this happens this is the punishment.

Sermersheim said the penalties for alcohol and hazing could include probation, loss of social privileges, loss of participation in University sponsored activities or suspension or revocation of recognition by the University.

Sermersheim will be the administrative hearing officer and Pei will handle appeals. Welch said his office will oversee the decisions.

Certainly anything that happens in our unit I will review to determine that we have been fair and given due process and those types of things, Welch said.

Administrative hearings could also be imposed on those groups that consistently fail to comply with standards other than the substance-free and no hazing policy, said Ed Jones, director of University Housing and a Select 2000 evaluation team member.

Well, I think somewhere along the line if someone refuses to cooperate there has to be some type of consequences associated with that, Jones said. If there’s no consequences or rewards, I don’t know how the program is going to work.

Jones said, however, that the central focus of the committee is to work with greeks to attain the Select 2000 standards.

The evaluation team will come in to see if those standards are met and measure them accordingly, he said. We want to look at how to improve various areas of greek life.

It’s more of a helping goal than a gotcha’ role. I don’t perceive the role of the team as being mainly disciplinary because believe it or not we were all young once. We want to help people avoid a sense of regret.

He said one such regret is the damage to property that often occurs as a result of alcohol parties.

There is damage and destruction to houses, and that’s an issue we have to address with or without Select 2000, he said. I’m not a prohibitionist, but my concern is damage that occurs afterward.

Jones said a recently vacated house on Greek Row requires major repairs.

The old Phi Sigma Kappa house will cost $400,000 to fix up, he said. We went into the house at the beginning before the year started and at the end of the year, and a lot of things happened over the year.

Jones said housing officials are now beginning to inspect rooms for damage because that is where much of the damage was in house 103 on Greek Row.

So we were saying we wanted people to have freedom, but when we gave them that freedom we saw the result of it, he said.

Jones could not say for certain but said that he speculates that on-campus housing is monitored more then off-campus. He said there are maintenance people and inspectors who go in and out of the house.

He said, that among other things, these inspectors look for Select 2000 alcohol violations. He said inspectors also look for many alcohol bottle or cans in the garbage.

We receive reports for on-campus housing every week, and I don’t know that they have to look hard to find 32-gallon trash bags full of beer cans. he said. When they see a lot of beer cans they start to wonder what’s going on.

So I guess we are noting those things.