More than a month after Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore pledged to strengthen university-recognized fraternities and sororities, he held an around-the-clock Greek Life competition last weekend to spearhead the effort.
It has been a tradition at BU for many years for Greek organizations to paint their letters on a rock near the BU Bridge. Elmore took that tradition one step further last weekend by challenging all of the fraternities and sororities to keep their letters painted on the rock all weekend and offered a $500 prize to the chapter whose letters were on the rock when he visited it at an undisclosed time throughout the weekend.
Elmore said in an effort to increase unity among the current chapters, he decided to stop recognizing any new Greek charters.
He organized last weekend’s contest as a small beginning step toward his goal of a strong Greek community on campus, calling it an opportunity to “encourage a sense of spirit.”
Elmore visited the rock Saturday night around 12:30 a.m. and proclaimed the Kappa Sigma fraternity as the contest winner.
Kappa Sigma President Chris Paulson, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, said the contest was a way of strengthening the current Greek system on campus.
“I think this was the first step in a great direction toward strengthening the community,” he said.
School of Education junior Laura Baez, a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority, said she thought the event was a timely way increase community.
“It was a lot of fun because it was right in the middle of a new member period,” she said. “We were able to get the sisters and new members together.”
Building teamwork within the fraternities and sororities was one thing Elmore said he hoped to achieve in creating this contest.
“I hoped that it would give the students who participated a chance to come together and make a strategy,” he said.
Paulson said teamwork within his fraternity was key to its victory. He said the prize money will be used to buy pledge paddles and other decorations for their Ashford Street house.
“Being the largest frat on campus for so long has given us many advantages,” he said. “We relied on pledges and brothers cooperating together to work on this.”
Elmore said the long-term process involves continued dialogue with each of the campus’ 18 Greek organizations, as well as alumni advisors and national Greek advisors.
“We’re trying to pull as many people within this Greek community together and try to forge ahead,” Elmore said. “I am proud of those students who are in fraternities and sororities and what they do for the university, but I think we all agree that we could be doing a little better.”
CAS junior Sarah Hentz, a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority, said there are many improvements that can be made within BU’s Greek system.
“I don’t think BU supports the Greek system very much,” she said.
Panhellenic Council President and CAS senior Blair Carothers said unifying the organizations and the campus are major parts of the process.
“There is a huge opportunity on this campus for the Greek community to strengthen itself, particularly with the increased support from Dean Elmore,” she said. “By supporting one another, recruiting wonderful new members and garnering support from the administration and other non-affiliated students, the Greek system will be able to increase in size and strength.”