Feature Friday: Eric Rizzi, Theta Chi

Here is Eric's perspective on "Balancing First Years and Fraternity Life"

Being an Orientation Leader is the best decision I have made at Lehigh thus far. It is an experience like no other on campus, and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It strongly mirrors the experiences I have shared with brothers of my fraternity, which is another aspect of my campus life that I deeply cherish. The camaraderie between me and my fellow staff members is something that closely parallels that inside the Theta Chi house. 

One concept that immediately became apparent to me in orientation that mirrors that of Greek life is being a part of something greater than yourself. Orientation gave me the opportunity to step back and really see what sort of people make up Lehigh’s campus. Whether it be in the lens of major, class year, Greek vs. non-Greek, or even where someone came from originally, we all had to come together to make the orientation experience the best it could be. All barriers of campus life were dropped at the door, which gave all staff members an equal opportunity to freely participate, contribute ideas, and ultimately grow as individuals. This sort of “open to being open” mentality is something I see benefiting our Greek community on a large scale. There is so much that we can learn from one another, and the letters on our houses don’t have to be a divide for intellectual or charismatic growth.

               

Once the brothers in my house started to move back in during the orientation training period, I quickly remembered how special the bonds I share with my brothers really are. I took that idea to heart, and applied it as much as I could throughout the orientation experience. To my benefit, I was able to make deep and personal connections with several staff members, and they are now some of my closest friends who I can say hello to anywhere on campus.

                

Orientation was a very fulfilling experience, and I would highly recommend doing it to anyone who is even remotely considering it. It showcases some of the best personalities Lehigh has to offer and offers the ability to effectively grow as a student, a leader among the community, and a better person on the whole. I look forward to applying as a returner in the near future.

Feature Friday: Gaby Montes, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.

Huge thanks to this week's Feature Friday, Gabriela Montes!  

Community service, social justice, education, and sisterhood. Through my involvement in both the Community Service Office and my sorority, these themes remain at the core of my daily experiences and complement one another well. I love being both a CSOer and a member of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated. Both positions have taught me so much and made me into a stronger leader and better individual. It is great to bring what I learn in the CSO back to my sorority and the Cultural Greek Council.

The Community Service Office has helped me become a better leader and has helped me to fully understand and know how to share with others the value of meaningful service and the grandiose importance of working together with one’s community. Meaningful service calls one to be in communication with their community and to know their needs at that point in time. This communication allows them to know how they can best work with their community. Working in the CSO has also allowed me to understand how important the connections we have with our community partners are because in the past they did not exist. The community and Lehigh used to not work together at all and it was as if there was a large barrier between the two. I find it important to remember this historical context and not take the partnerships for granted.

My membership in Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated has also honed my leadership skills and with the emphasis on the principles of unity, love and respect, allowed me to continue my passion for service and spread it to even more people! I have the ability to not only teach my sisters about meaningful service, but to carry lessons about communicating well with partners, ensuring we work “with” people rather than “for”, and many others to our chapter and council. I have also been able to use my frame of reference from my work in the CSO to bring ideas out into the community and foster those relationships.

It is my goal to always continue to learn from my involvement in these amazing organizations and share such lessons with others and our community in impactful ways.

IFC Open Houses

This Wednesday September 20th , from 4:30-7pm,  IFC chapters will be hosting open houses. This is a great way for potential new members to get to know what it’s like to live in a fraternity house, and a
chance to get to know some new people. Formal spring recruitment will be a shorter period than in
years past, so it’s especially important to start to find organizations that interest potential new members and fit their values! Subscribe to the IFC Recruitment mailing list using this link for more information and to receive important updates about upcoming recruitment events, dates and deadlines:

https://goo.gl/forms/pnSvZWXtVEHHDn142

Come check out some of our chapter houses, and learn more about what our organizations are like!

**Please note that the following chapters will not be participating due to temporary suspension: Delta Chi, Phi Kappa Theta and Pi Kappa Alpha 

Feature Friday: Evan Chansky, Theta Chi

Check out our first student Feature Friday of the fall semester...Evan Chansky from Theta Chi!  Thanks Evan for sharing your experience!

Being an Orientation Leader was easily the most exciting, rewarding, and impactful thing I have done here at Lehigh. I learned more about myself, leadership skills, and intrapersonal relations than ever before, and I am so excited to bring all of that back to both Theta Chi and the entire Greek community.

Not only that, I made 80 amazing, unique, fun friends – some of who I might not have interacted with normally. The OLs are not only the coolest, funniest, and silliest people I have ever met, they are perhaps one of the most representative groups of Lehigh’s campus. Out of about 80 OLs, at least 10 of the Greek chapters were represented, as well as pretty much every club and organization on campus. 

Being an OL was a great way to escape the sometimes-restrictive Greek bubble, and it was refreshing to start off the school year with a group of such varied people. I think often by the end of the academic year we become so rooted in our own microcosms of Lehigh. Starting off the year not only with this representative group of Lehigh students but the first-years as well set the tone for re-imagining the Lehigh culture in a more positive light. All the OLs looked to see the bigger picture of the Lehigh community while drawing from their own personal experiences. As for the first years, they enter Lehigh with a genuine excitement for everything and their own idea of Lehigh culture. All in all we have way more in common than different and it was amazing to see everyone working together to give the first-years the best experience possible.

I am so excited to start off this year with a fresh energy and perspective on our Lehigh community, and I can’t wait to keep building my friendships with people both in and out of the Greek community that I made from this amazing week.   

Definitely apply to be an OL when applications come out in the winter!!!

Off Campus Conduct Updates

See below for conducts updates regarding off campus behavior that resulted in organizational sanctions.  Please remember that students living off campus are in residential neighborhoods and should behave accordingly such as cleaning up trash and keeping social events at a reasonable volume, especially on weeknights.  Many of the folks living on the southside have been in their homes for years.  Let's respect our Bethlehem neighbors and be good community citizens!

Pi Kappa Alpha

On August 27, 2017, your behavior violated the Lehigh University Code of Conduct. During your meeting you were informed that you were charged with the following violations:

CHARGES:
Respect for Community (General)
As members of the Lehigh University Community, students are expected to serve as ethical
representatives. They are expected to know and follow the Code of Conduct, and show respect for the
faculty, staff, community members and administrative processes that are in place to maintain and support our community standards. Students are expected to hold themselves and others accountable and report violations of the Code of Conduct or other violations to the University.

Respect for the Law 1
Lehigh University expects that its student members will act in accordance with all applicable federal,
state, or local laws.

INCIDENT SUMMARY:
The student was hosting a large party. He is a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.

You took responsibility for the following charges, any other listed charges were dropped
Respect for Community (General) and Respect for the Law 1

As a result of this behavior the following sanction(s) will be imposed:
This letter will serve as a Disciplinary Warning that any future violations of the University Code of
Conduct may result in more severe sanctions.


Phi Sigma Kappa

On August 25, 2017, your behavior violated the Lehigh University Code of Conduct. During your meeting you were informed that you were charged with the following violations:

CHARGES:
Respect for Community (General)
As members of the Lehigh University Community, students are expected to serve as ethical
representatives. They are expected to know and follow the Code of Conduct, and show respect for the
faculty, staff, community members and administrative processes that are in place to maintain and support our community standards. Students are expected to hold themselves and others accountable and report violations of the Code of Conduct or other violations to the University.

Respect for the Law 1
Lehigh University expects that its student members will act in accordance with all applicable federal,
state, or local laws.

INCIDENT SUMMARY:
LUPD addressed a party at this location.

You took responsibility for the following charges, any other listed charges were dropped
Respect for Community (General) and Respect for the Law 1

As a result of this behavior the following sanction(s) will be imposed:
This letter will serve as a Disciplinary Warning that any future violations of the University Code of
Conduct may result in more severe sanctions.


Sigma Phi Epsilon

On August 26, 2017,  your behavior violated the Lehigh University Code of Conduct. During your meeting you were informed that you were charged with the following violations:

CHARGES:
Respect for the Law 1
Lehigh University expects that its student members will act in accordance with all applicable federal,
state, or local laws.

Respect for Community (General)
As members of the Lehigh University Community, students are expected to serve as ethical
representatives. They are expected to know and follow the Code of Conduct, and show respect for the
faculty, staff, community members and administrative processes that are in place to maintain and support our community standards. Students are expected to hold themselves and others accountable and report violations of the Code of Conduct or other violations to the University.

INCIDENT SUMMARY:
LUPD reported a large party at this residence.

You took responsibility for the following charges, any other listed charges were dropped:

Respect for the Law 1 and Respect for Community (General)

As a result of this behavior the following sanction(s) will be imposed:
This letter will serve as a Disciplinary Warning that any future violations of the University Code of
Conduct may result in more severe sanctions.

Sigma Chi  

On August 26, 2017 your behavior violated the Lehigh University Code of Conduct. During your meeting you were informed that you were charged with the following violations:

CHARGES:
Respect for the Law 1
Lehigh University expects that its student members will act in accordance with all applicable federal,
state, or local laws.

Respect for Community (General)
As members of the Lehigh University Community, students are expected to serve as ethical
representatives. They are expected to know and follow the Code of Conduct, and show respect for the
faculty, staff, community members and administrative processes that are in place to maintain and support our community standards. Students are expected to hold themselves and others accountable and report violations of the Code of Conduct or other violations to the University.

Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized Consumption, Distribution, or Possession)
The unauthorized or illegal consumption, distribution, or possession of alcohol.

INCIDENT SUMMARY:
LUPD reported a party: kegs around and no bartenders.

You took responsibility for the following charges, any other listed charges were dropped:

Respect for the Law 1, Respect for Community (General) and Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized
Consumption, Distribution, or Possession)

As a result of this behavior the following sanction(s) will be imposed:
This letter will serve as a Disciplinary Warning that any future violations of the University Code of
Conduct may result in more severe sanctions.

The following educational sanction is being imposed. Sigma Chi must report the following to Holly
Taylor prior to hosting an off campus event: the address and home owner/renter responsible for the event, as well as the member(s) who will be sober monitors, bartenders, front door monitors, back door monitors, and sober drivers.

Message from Vice Provost of Student Affairs to Greek Community

Please see the message below that was shared with Greek Leaders on Friday September 1.

Fraternity and Sorority Leaders,

This is a message that I ask that you forward to the members of your respective chapters and/or discuss openly as we enter the weekend

I've not had the opportunity to meet many of you, but will attend the opening of the Base Camp retreat next Friday.  In the meantime, I wanted to briefly share some initial observations.

Based on the increased number (versus last fall semester) of police reports, citations, and arrests, as well as alcohol-related hospitalizations, it's clear that fall semester has gotten off to a fast start.  To be clear, all of the incidents - mostly off campus - that have occurred during the past 7-10 days have not been Greek-related, but several of them have been.

As a direct result of recent incidents (i.e. off-campus parties), no less that two fraternity chapters face the very real possibility of suspension. This is surprising (to me, at least) considering an IFC chapter was suspended just weeks ago. 

It is well within your individual and collective power to either live up to the high ideals upon which our fraternities and sororities were founded, or live down to the often negative stereotypes that dominate the local and national perceptions of fraternities and sororities.  As a fraternity man, I know that you are/we are much better than the negative stereotypes.  I am, though, genuinely concerned that the recent pattern of fraternity/sorority involvement in alcohol-related incidents will erode any goodwill and benefit of the doubt that your chapters have earned via true Greek Life efforts (leadership, scholarship, service).

While I cannot, and would not, expect that you and the members of your organizations refrain from enjoying yourselves this or any other weekend, I do remind you that your chapters are all expected to comply with the the student code of conduct and Bethlehem laws.  I also ask that while socializing/partying, you and the members of your chapters simply use the same sound judgement and good sense that you demonstrate at all other times. We will, I'm sure, talk more on this and other topics during Base Camp.

I look forward to meeting you in the weeks and months to come.

Sincerely,

Ric Hall