I'm somewhat surprised that OSL is taking such a harsh stance against recent Frat craziness, as they're smack in the middle of personnel changes. Tom Durein, in charge of all Fraternity-related management on the University's behalf, has resigned to go somewhere else. He had a pretty far-ranging job, but a lot of it was to mediate between Fraternities and the University or Neighbors. That meant that if your Fraternity messed up massively, you could count on a stern talking to from Mr. Durein and some form of punishment. But he knew the community, he knew how hard to push, and in general you could count on the personal touch.

This means that Tina Barnett, OSL's Panhellenic person, will be handling the Fraternities along with other OSL people for the time being. That 'time being' could be substantial, too-- the University is in the middle of a hiring freeze. So for awhile the Frats will be dealing with -- gasp -- a woman. More importantly, they'll be dealing with someone without much personal experience in handling Frat Boys. Or in how each House is run. Does she know what sets apart Kappa Sig from Alpha Delta Phi? I should hope so.

Maybe it shouldn't be surprising, then, that the University is reaching for the big gun instead of concentrating on these problems case-by-case.Email This Post!