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Issue date: 4/21/06 Section: Opinion

Some of our biggest critics chide us for only covering the Greeks in a negative light. This is not true; we often feature many of the positive activities and fundraisers the Greeks organize.

But when the organizations break rules and compromise the integrity and safety of this University, it is our responsibility to report that. This is especially true when a fraternity, currently the Triniteers, finds itself facing a permanent revocation of its charter.

Few people know what exactly the Teers did to receive this punishment, but the community would be well-served if those being tight-lipped would stifle the rumors by admitting the extent of the wrong-doing, regardless of its embarrassing nature. At this point, the campus does not know if this was a case of boys being boys or Abu Ghraib.

But the problem of the Greek system goes beyond the Teers.

The issue here lies in the fact that these organizations are not taking the Greek system seriously. In the past three years, there have been major issues involving fraternities, yet both the administration and the Greeks continuously return each year with refreshed attitudes that these were problems of the past and this year will bring more responsible and University-worthy actions.

By this point in our lives, at which we always report to and obey someone, these groups should recognize that if they cannot follow the rules set by the University, they should abandon any ties with Trinity.

Campus & Community Involvement (CCI) buzzed with excitement as Bid Day approached earlier this semester, firmly believing that this year's Greek organizations would follow the new regulations and rules set to help them maintain a more positive reputation on campus.

Part of this seemed to come from the CCI's naive belief that all Greeks felt the same way about new changes. But for organizations that revolve around secrecy, saying one thing can often mean doing something different. We hope CCI has now realized that many of these groups do not care about what the administration says and will continue on their respective paths.

Along with the CCI staff members, the administration is continuously finding itself struggling to avoid lawsuits and liability issues caused by Greek hazing. Trinity has a reputation to maintain, and these actions certainly do not enhance that reputation.

The administration and President John Brazil need to recreate the Greek system. Get rid of all sororities and fraternities and start over.

Don't get us wrong: Some Greek organizations do very good things. The Phi Sigma Chi fraternity's Jackson-Keller Field Day comes to mind. But the rampant and dangerous hazing involved in the "orientation" period often overshadows these positive contributions.

Trinity should allow groups to reapply to be a Greek organization, and, rather than just hope to amend the process with new rules, it needs to create an entirely new process. The current one just doesn't work.

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