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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFAQ FSL 101524Fraternity & Sorority Life FAQs October 15, 2024 Does Cal Poly own the fraternity or sorority houses? • No, Cal Poly does not own any of the fraternity or sorority houses. Most organizations do not have a main lettered facility. Those that do are owned either by their chapter housing board, inter/national headquarters, or they rent from an independent landlord. Does Cal Poly approve fraternity and sorority parties off campus? • Fraternities and sororities are required to notify us about their events off campus, which includes events with and without alcohol, at their residences or off-site facility (i.e. a restaurant, Vet’s Hall, etc.) In the notification process, Cal Poly reminds the event organizers about their obligations for safety, and that they must also ensure they are in compliance with city ordinances around noise and zoning. Cal Poly does not approve or deny parties – we approve/deny the registration. Which fraternities are illegal? • “Illegal fraternity” is an inaccurate colloquialism. The Constitution of the United States of America is clear about the 1st Amendment right to freedom of association. In addition, the organizations in question are recognized at the state and/or federal level as 501(c)(3) organizations. o You could mention here that every fraternity currently listed on our greeklife.calpoly.edu website is recognized by the university. How does Cal Poly hold fraternities and sororities accountable for misconduct? • Developmental approach o Educational and remedial sanctions are typically included as part of OSRR’s sanctioning process. These sanctions may include, but are not limited to, social risk-management training, seminars/presentations, community service, and other programming specific to the incident that gave rise to the investigation. o OSRR also collaborates with (inter)national Headquarters staff to provide supplemental training/programming for an organization, specific to the organization’s needs. o OSRR may also recommend that an organization conduct a member review to ensure that member actions align with institutional and organizational expectations • Title 5 (Student Code of Conduct) & RSOCC (Recognized Student Organization Code of Conduct). o Students reported for behaviors may go through an individual conduct process (through Title 5) and their behaviors may also subject the organization to an organizational conduct process  Example: Hazing, lead by a New Member Educator, may undergo an RSOCC and Title 5 process for the specific student hazing • Judicial Boards – OSRR may make a Judicial Board referral for a report that does not rise to the level of a potential RSOCC violation. o Example: Two years ago fraternity members, while wearing their letters, held signs objectifying women during move-in. • No, a misconduct violation does not mean the organization’s recognition is removed. Does Cal Poly hold students accountable for noise violations? • Title V does not address noise as a factor for student conduct. For repeat offenders in the fraternity and sorority community, we do meet with residents to have developmental conversations. • Note: I don’t think this is what they are looking for, but sometimes we have IFC Judicial Hearings for excessive noise citations. This is a student process where peers determine the outcome, but it is led by the IFC Advisor. Sanctions typically include forbidding that chapter to have events at that location for a period of time. What is Cal Poly’s stance on future growth or reduction of fraternities and sororities? • Cal Poly is actively seeking to grow the number of fraternities and sororities on campus. The effects of this effort help to keep down large numbers per organization as demand increases. We expect the overall membership to remain consistent at around 18-20% as the student body grows. What are Cal Poly’s plans to develop a Greek Village on campus? • This item for student organization housing remains in the campus master plan, and the timeline is unknown at this time as efforts are focused on other projects. Of note, it is not realistic to expect all fraternity and sorority chapters, houses, or members to then live on campus when this opens. As new chapters continue to join the community, we do not expect to build a new house on campus for each organization. We also expect there are some organizations who are excited and willing to support an on-campus facility, and others who will not be ready to do so for a variety of reasons.