SGA approves new frat
Misgivings aside, 16-5 vote accepts university's Delta Upsilon as a non-funded organization
By: Brittany Whitlow
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News
"There will obviously be stereotypes. There's nothing we can do," McWilliams said. "We're not asking for funding. We're just asking for an opportunity."
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Ted Hoef said the administration is open to having some Greek life on campus but not a full Greek system.
"Students come to Webster with the reasonable assumption that they will be able to associate with a group of their own choosing," Hoef said. "One or two groups will not change the student culture at Webster. That would then avoid the stereotypical, negative aspect that can happen with a full-fledged
Greek system."
Because Delta Upsilon is all male, gender exclusivity was another topic of concern. Hoef said "single-sex groups can be positive," like West Hall's all-female floor.
Some SGA members, like Arts and Sciences Senator Johnetta Cunningham, a sophomore political science major, saw exclusivity as a defining characteristic of the Greek system.
"A fraternity is all men. A sorority is all women. There are all-black fraternities, and there are all-white," she said. "What can you do? Nothing."
Business and Technology Senator Jeff Royer, a sophomore finance and accounting major, compared the situation to a gender-exclusive
sports team.
"There's no boys' volleyball team. My friends and I got together and started a boys' volleyball club, which was very difficult to do," Royer said. "Maybe this will force some girls to get together and start a sorority."
McWilliams and other Delta Upsilon members went to all the dorm halls on campus Jan. 21 with two petitions relating to female students. One was for women in support of an all-male fraternity on campus, and one was for women in support of an all-female sorority on campus. Each petition garnered about 70-80 signatures, McWilliams said.
But for some SGA members, gender exclusivity was enough of a reason to vote against having the fraternity on campus.
"If that word 'male' wasn't in the constitution, I would raise my hand," said At-Large Senator Josh King, a senior social sciences major. "This school started out as a Catholic all-women's school. Something had to change to allow males to be here."
Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Ted Hoef said the administration is open to having some Greek life on campus but not a full Greek system.
"Students come to Webster with the reasonable assumption that they will be able to associate with a group of their own choosing," Hoef said. "One or two groups will not change the student culture at Webster. That would then avoid the stereotypical, negative aspect that can happen with a full-fledged
Greek system."
Because Delta Upsilon is all male, gender exclusivity was another topic of concern. Hoef said "single-sex groups can be positive," like West Hall's all-female floor.
Some SGA members, like Arts and Sciences Senator Johnetta Cunningham, a sophomore political science major, saw exclusivity as a defining characteristic of the Greek system.
"A fraternity is all men. A sorority is all women. There are all-black fraternities, and there are all-white," she said. "What can you do? Nothing."
Business and Technology Senator Jeff Royer, a sophomore finance and accounting major, compared the situation to a gender-exclusive
sports team.
"There's no boys' volleyball team. My friends and I got together and started a boys' volleyball club, which was very difficult to do," Royer said. "Maybe this will force some girls to get together and start a sorority."
McWilliams and other Delta Upsilon members went to all the dorm halls on campus Jan. 21 with two petitions relating to female students. One was for women in support of an all-male fraternity on campus, and one was for women in support of an all-female sorority on campus. Each petition garnered about 70-80 signatures, McWilliams said.
But for some SGA members, gender exclusivity was enough of a reason to vote against having the fraternity on campus.
"If that word 'male' wasn't in the constitution, I would raise my hand," said At-Large Senator Josh King, a senior social sciences major. "This school started out as a Catholic all-women's school. Something had to change to allow males to be here."
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
ashley
posted 1/24/08 @ 11:31 AM CST
Sad, Sad little boys must buy their friends.
josh
posted 1/25/08 @ 10:29 AM CST
No, what said Ashley is close minded people like you that will never understand what being part of a brotherhood/sisterhood really means. I pray for people like you who will always criticize when not knowing anything on the topic. (Continued…)
d
posted 1/26/08 @ 3:14 AM CST
I think the idea is great! It is good diversity.Women don't have to be apart of everything that is said to be for men. I am for equal rights and all but I mean God! Sometimes genders do need things for themselves and the same stance for a man. (Continued…)
allie
posted 1/28/08 @ 12:11 AM CST
I think that the frat will be good for Webster. It's different, but I think that their student organization will only promote good things for the university. (Continued…)
DS
posted 2/25/08 @ 10:47 PM CST
As a Webster Alum and former member of SGA I think Greek Frats are the greatest idea I've ever heard. I love the idea of buying my way into a social group and then blindly supporting a group of people I don't know, calling them my brothers when I've never met any of them. (Continued…)
Garry
posted 2/25/08 @ 11:00 PM CST
I am a recent Alum from Webster and I loved Webster for what it was and what it wasn't. I purposely did not apply to certain other schools (which will remain nameless with the exception of the one with the Tiger mascot)for a reason. (Continued…)
Stew
Stew
posted 3/01/08 @ 10:44 AM CST
Folks,
I ask that you give it a chance, I was a member of a Fraternity at my previous school. It was a great bonding experience, and I knew everybody in my chapter, and several other chapters for that matter. (Continued…)
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