Cheyenne Lazarus

Cheyenne Lazarus

By Lily Engel (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Greek organizations are as much about rules and discipline as they are about partying on the weekends.

“There are specific responsibilities that each Greek organization has to fulfill on their own, but overall we represent Wesley College.” said Cheyenne Lazarus, president of the student activities board and member of Alpha Phi Omega.

Each organization has to follow their constitution and bylaws.

“Constitutions are what the Greek chapter is about and the bylaws are the rules and regulations on how the chapter is run,” said Raymond Lewis, member of Alpha Phi Omega.

Depending on if a members breaks a bylaw, he or she would hear from Carol King, director of campus life and the advisor for the Greek Union, which oversees all Greek organizations on campus.

“The Greek Union is like an umbrella organization to keep us in line with the standards,” said Pat Aruta, senior member of Alpha Phi Delta.

Greek life chapters have responsibilities that they must follow, like attending meetings and performing charity work. If they fail to do so, it could result in a penalty.

“Each Greek organization must have a representative at each SGA meeting,” said Stephanie Holyfield, academic advisor for Alpha Phi Delta. “If they don’t go, they can get on probation and the organization could be suspended, which could put a cramp in their plans.”

Hazing is frowned upon among Greek organizations.

“We do not know of any hazing but one of the requirements for the organizations is to go through hazing training,” Carol King said.

If an organization chooses to haze or any other activity that breaks a rule, it could lead to serious penalties including suspension.

“If we Greeks act up, for example take part in hazing or something extreme, it puts the college and the organizations in a negative light,” Lazarus said. “Suspension means that the chapter will be kicked off campus and will not be able to come back until they are allowed by the college.”

Three years ago, Theta Phi Alpha was suspended for five years for hazing.

Although each organization has a lot of responsibilities, they still know how to have fun with their brothers and sisters.

“Being in a fraternity made me come out of my shell,” Aruta said. “I met new people which was nice since I was really shy coming into Wesley.”