Yale makes a pitch for fraternity unity

Ask any of Yale's 12 fraternities about their relationship with the Administration and you will hear almost the same response over and over. Alpha Epsilon Pi President Andy Morris, BK '99, sums it up for the vast majority: "In my time, we've been pretty independent. We haven't had much to do with one another." Other fraternity presidents use words like "nonexistent" to describe communication between the houses and "autonomous" to characterize relations with the Adminstration.

Most of the fraternities at Yale are not registered undergraduate organizations, and many are sold on the independence they feel this status provides. At the same time, however, it is not uncommon to hear fraternity members complain that Yale makes them feel unwelcome. "I don't think that the University supports fraternities at all. It's frustrating, because they are such an important part of some people's lives," Sigma Nu President Dave Bercovich, ES '99, said. Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg vehemently denies this characterization, dismissing fraternity claims of administrative condemnation as "kindergarten-type whining."

Last fall, the Administration decided to take action. "We didn't have the resources until this year, or a person to act on [fraternity] requests," Trachtenberg said.

Introducing a seasoned veteran

Enter Edgar Letriz-Núñez. Appointed as an assistant dean of students in August 1997, Letriz-Núñez came to Yale from Union College, where fraternities and sororities incorporate 65 percent of men and 45 percent of women. A Union graduate and former fraternity brother himself, Letriz-Núñez was intimately connected to the school's fraternities as assistant dean. His job involved coordinating with Union's Inter-Fraternity (IFC) and Pan-Hellenic Councils on issues such as pledge education, rush coordination, and the organization of campus events.

When Letriz-Núñez arrived in the fall, he made a general assessment of life at Yale and did not hear much about fraternities. "There really wasn't much knowledge of the number of fraternities that existed [or] their membership," he said. Seizing upon an opportunity fueled by his "own curiosity," Letriz-Núñez crafted a plan of action.

With the financial support of the Dean's Office, Letriz-Núñez invited Yale's 12 fraternity presidents to dinner early in the fall. His goals were twofold. "I wanted to get a sense of what the general concerns and issues were as members of fraternities," Letriz-Núñez said. "[And] I wanted to assist them in creating their own IFC, an IFC that would function as a vehicle of communication between University Administration and fraternities."

Since that meeting, Letriz-Núñez has become Yale's point man on fraternity issues. In his attempt to create an IFC, he has organized regular inter-fraternity meetings to lay its framework and pitch to fraternities the benefits of registering. His efforts have drawn rave reviews from fraternity members.

LizOliner/YH Assistant Dean Edwin Letriz-Núñez's is leading Yale's efforts.

"Dean Letriz is a big help. He's definitely on the side of the fraternities," Keith Andrade, BR '99, president of Alpha Delta Phi, said. "It's a welcome sight to have a University administrator come to us saying `I represent the Dean's Office and I want to help you guys,'" Morris added.

United we stand?

Despite the optimism surrounding Letriz-Núñez's arrival, the road to his goals is plagued by mistrust, apathy, and frustration.

Foremost among these problems is the effort to form an IFC. Yale's fraternities have flirted with the council for years, the latest version abandoned during the 1996-97 academic year. "[Yale's fraternities] have never been successful at forming a

vital, viable IFC," Trachtenberg said. "They've tried and failed for whatever reason." While typical IFCs thrive by mediating relations with administrators and coordinating events, Yale's past IFCs have never accomplished either task.

Beta Theta Pi (Beta) member Ted Zarrow, BK '98, should know. As IFC President from January '96 to '97, he watched as attendance at meetings dwindled and the organization became useless. "We made it clear that we were here for them if they needed us. [But] we met so infrequently and had no status at all--no one used us," he explained.

But Letriz-Núñez and the fraternities joining in his efforts hope that administrative support will push this attempt at IFC organization over the hump. To Letriz-Núñez's credit, fraternities have noticed a marked difference. "Fraternities had nothing to gain from the old IFC. But in recent weeks, Dean Letriz has shown us that we might have something to gain," AE[[Pi]] IFC representative Mike Friedman, ES '99, said.

But getting most of Yale's fraternities on board will take more than a little convincing. The mistrust that fraternities feel towards the Administration runs deep, and for some, it is hard to believe that the University is really turning over a new leaf. Many fraternities trace past disciplinary action and regular police intervention at social events to what they feel is a generally negative attitude twoard fraternity life on the part of the Administration. "They say all this now, but what about what they did then? The feeling is that the Administration was out to get fraternities so that they would stick the police on us. Actions speak louder than words," Ariel Otero, BK '00, Sigma Chi's IFC representative, said of general fraternity sentiment towards the Administration.

These thoughts are also articulated by Billy Mann,
BR '97, GRD '03. Now a member of Letriz-Núñez's team, Mann was a member of Beta just a year ago. "There was definitely a feeling amongst the brothers that the Administration didn't look upon fraternities favorably," he said. "The idea behind forming [Letriz-Núñez's] committee was that there was a bad relationship. Students seem to think that the University somehow looked down on them."

Trachtenberg dismisses this characterization, and claims that Letriz-Núñez's efforts are consistent with what the Administration's policy has always been. "Fraternities groove on perpetuating the mystique of an anti-Administration feeling," she said. "We're not doing anything different now than we've done before." She insisted the difference this year is that attitude has been backed up by action.

Signing on the dotted line

Complicating matters further is the issue of registration. Only three of Yale's fraternities--Sigma Alpha Epsilon ([[Sigma]]AE), Sigma Chi, and Alpha Phi Alpha (Alpha)--are registered as undergraduate organizations. But Letriz-Núñez contends that getting fraternities to sign on as undergraduate organizations is integral to establishing a strong IFC, and a key ingredient in forming a mutualistic relationship.

At most schools, fraternities are required to register with their university, and it is this link which gives the IFC its mandate. Without registration, Letriz-Núñez said that a fraternity union "clearly would not function as a typical IFC," and doubted that "it would be very strong."

Registration entitles fraternities access to Yale's facilities, potential Undergraduate Organization Funding Committee monies, and other University resources. For [[Sigma]]AE, that support provided the opportunity to purchase the current High Street residence.

Letriz-Núñez understands the fraternity's apprehension. "You'll always have fraternity men that have some reservations about the efforts we're making. I didn't expect any less," he said. "It's such a complete paradigm shift that some of them don't know what to make of it. I can't expect to change that
overnight."

Letriz-Núñez makes no secret about his intention to require fraternities to register. While he will continue to work to form an IFC, his help is predicated on fraternities taking the first step. "My absolute word is I will not work with fraternities who refuse to register--I will not allow them to reap the benefits [of registered organizations]," he said. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

But this is precisely where the two sides are stalemated. Letriz-Núñez contends that fraternities will not gain much from an IFC until they register; fraternity representatives say they won't register until they see concrete benefits from an IFC.

"At this point, our organization has the feeling that we're not completely closed [to registering], but we need to see that we're going to derive some benefit," Morris said. Many of Yale's fraternities echo Morris's sentiments. "I think the reason the fraternities are not registered is that they fear the Administration," Andrade said. "Our alumni as well as alumni in other fraternities are against registering--they don't trust the University at all," Bercovich added. "From our perspective, a strong IFC needs to come first."

For some fraternities, the decision is more cut and dried. Delta Kappa Epsilon President Ken Gawrelski, TC '99, put it simply: "We've been asked to register as an undergraduate organization. It's not in our plans. We want to remain as autonomous as possible."

The Administration hopes to dispel these fears. "There's a wall of misperception about what it means to be registered. It doesn't make you any more prone to disciplinary action," Letriz-Núñez said. "We don't want to run any organization, whether it is a fraternity or a bird watching club.... The paranoia is simply incredible. They're as neurotic as they could be on this subject," Trachtenberg added.

The Administration can point to [[Sigma]]AE, Sigma Chi, and Alpha as registration success stories. All three are recognized as undergraduate organizations, and none complain about administrative intrusion. Alpha Phi Alpha President Rawn James, TD '98, reported "an excellent relationship with the Administration." [[Sigma]]AE's leaders have also had smooth relations since they registered two years ago. "We didn't lose personal freedom, we didn't feel like we were giving up anything. It was definitely the right decision," [[Sigma]]AE President Tod Sacerdoti, TC '99, said.

Comparative politics

Strong fraternity councils and mandatory registration are the norm at other schools. At Dartmouth, all fraternity and sorority presidents sit on the Co-ed Fraternity-Sorority Council (CFSC). The CFSC coordinates interfraternity relations, communicates regularly with Dartmouth's administration, and even has self-punishment powers.

"What [the CFSC] provides us is one voice--you're a lot stronger collectively than you are individually," Dartmouth [[Sigma]]AE President Paul Killebrew, Jr. '99, said. While Dartmouth's administration has the power to lay down ground rules, Deborah Reinders, who coordinates college-fraternity relations as assistant dean of residential life, said that communication is what makes the system successful. "The reason it works is because we make an effort to involve students in decision-making and policy making," she said. "Student leaders know that, and they trust that their thoughts and ideas are going to be taken seriously."

At Pennsylvania, where fraternity and sorority members account for approximately 30 percent of the student body, fraternities and administrators communicate through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. According to director Scott Reikofski, while the office has the power to discipline, it does not play the role of adversary. In fact, he said that his office has even stood up for Pennsylvania's local chapters in disputes with their nationals. Because Pennsylvania has strong fraternity councils, Reikofski said "[fraternities and sororities] have developed the strong leaders we've been able to really move forward with."

The state of the union

Yale's fraternities do not stack up to Pennsylvania's or Dartmouth's in size. But both schools prove that administrators and fraternities can forge a solid working
relationship.

Reinders emphasized that "if you don't have a core group to represent fraternities," communication cannot occur.

Whether this type of relationship will establish itself at Yale is yet to be seen. But it's clear that many of Yale's fraternities do see something to gain through a strong IFC and more communication. "[An IFC] gives us a lot more legitimacy and a reason for the University to take us a lot more seriously," Morris said. "Without it, we're not going to get anything improved." Many fraternities predicted that a strong IFC could lead to registration. "I'm sure down the road we will if an IFC is going to work--we'll all hop on the same boat and register," Andrade said. "If an IFC [had] some strength, we would definitely register,"
Bercovich added.

But neither side will get anywhere if the IFC doesn't draw more support. According to Letriz-Núñez, attendance has fallen off recently. When the two sides met on Mon., Feb. 23, only four fraternities were represented.

"There's been a lack of attendance at these meetings, so we can't present a united front. If fraternities don't come out and make an effort, there only so many calls [Dean Letriz-Núñez] can make," Otero said. "It's essential to get more fraternities on board--there's no point if half are represented," Friedman added.

Letriz-Núñez sits and waits. "We've reached out because people have requested it--if they don't want to have these meetings any more, that's fine.... I have far too many responsibilities to spend the next couple of years trying to convince [fraternities]," he said. "By the end of the year, we will have worked with fraternities for an entire year.... I don't want to hear fraternity men say the Administration doesn't like us, doesn't work with us."

"Now it's their turn to come to the table. If you don't want to work with me, I don't want to hear complaints," he continued. "The ball is in your court."

Graphics by Melanie Schoenberg. Front design by Patrick McGarvey.

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