Cornell Greek life

Solar Flashback: It’s All Greek To Me — A History of Greek Life Policies at Cornell

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Greek life is one of the oldest and most controversial systems at Cornell. The current structure of Greek life that we’re familiar with has been decades in the making, and in this week’s Solar Flashback, we wanted to take a look back at some of the most significant policy changes involving social Greek organizations. As Greek life reforms come into the spotlight once again, it’s important to understand its history in order to gain insights for future change.

antonio tsialas

Cornell IFC Fraternities Ban Social Events for Fall Semester

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Cornell’s Interfraternity Council canceled nearly all regulated fraternity events for the rest of the fall semester Friday night, citing safety concerns. The ban — which will run until Jan. 1, 2020 — cited recent events as a catalyst which had made “inherent safety hazards” apparent within the existing Greek life social system.

Opinion

GUEST ROOM | Proposing a Freeze on Mixers in Greek Life

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I urge members of the Panhellenic community to consider the power we yield in regard to changing unsafe party culture on this campus. I ask that Panhellenic’s 13 chapters unanimously vote to stop attending mixers at fraternity houses until the following demands are met by the Interfraternity Council President’s Council and Executive Board:

An action plan demonstrating tangible ways they will cease dirty rushing, including forms of punishment for chapters that engage in dirty rush events. A commitment to make their events safer in the following ways:

Scanning IDs of every individual in attendance and fully marking over or under 21 years of age. Having Cayuga’s Watchers, who are students trained in both bystander intervention and sober monitoring,  at every event hosted by a fraternity. At least one sober monitor at every exit of the chapter house to check that individuals leaving the house are able to arrive home safely, and have sober people offer rides for those who need transportation home.