Press Clipping: University of Colorado - Greeks get the vote

Greeks get the vote

August 14, 2009
By Brittany Anas

Fraternity and sorority members make up about 10 percent of University of Colorado undergraduates — but hold half the seats on the student government's legislative council.

The large Greek presence — which is top-heavy, with two of the three student-body presidents also belonging to chapters — gained attention this month after a bill backing fraternities threatened to shut down the university's health, student and recreation centers. That legislation has now been scaled back and directs student legislators and administrators to instead clarify a two-decades-old "autonomy agreement" that draws their lines of authority.

Greeks say they've fairly used the democratic process to get elected, and some were motivated to become involved after fraternities split from the university in 2005. Others say this session has been dominated by special-interest legislation.

Capitalizing on low voter turnout

Greeks can get out the vote.

Voter turnout in the range of 10 percent to 15 percent is considered good at public universities the size of CU, said Butch Oxendine, executive director of the American Student Government Association.

The number of fee-paying students who vote at CU fluctuates — in fall 2005, it dipped to 3 percent. In spring 2006, when students chose their tri-executives, more than 20 percent of students voted.

Fraternities and sororities are motivated and organized, Oxendine said, and by simply having a large voter turnout within their organizations, the election system can work in their favor.

"It's no different than national politics," Oxendine said.

But what is different is the online voting system used at CU and many other universities.

Typical election rules that prevent campaigning near polling places are lost when voting happens online, he said. Candidates can set up laptops in their highly trafficked chapters' houses or at Greek-sponsored events, he said.

Disproportionate representation of Greeks is common at public universities, Oxendine said.

Greek bill sparks controversy

Scott McEachron, a student legislator and Sigma Pi member, said being a fraternity member doesn't mean he doesn't look out for all students.

His roles have overlapped on some projects, including partnerships with the Environmental Center to increase recycling in fraternity houses and a campaign with the Women's Resource Center to reduce domestic violence.

The "Fair and Equal Access Bill" he co-sponsored with the InterFraternity Council president had Greek interests in mind, but he said it attempted to set a precedent all students should care about.

The CU Student Union proposal aimed to stop student fees from supporting the University Memorial Center, Wardenburg Health Center and Recreation Center unless university officials allow fraternities to pay the same rental price as other groups to access them for functions.

Fraternities now pay higher commercial rates to rent the buildings because they lost their affiliation with the university in 2005 when they refused to agree to a series of reforms.

"This could happen to anybody," McEachron said. "Next week, it could be a totally different student group the administration doesn't agree with."

CU officials say the centers would have to shut down if the student-fee money was cut off.

Several students said the Greek legislators, with the original measure, were attempting to hold the centers hostage and accused them of using their near-majority to push special-interest legislation.

Jessica Bralish, a senator from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said the disproportionate representation can take away from the interests of the broader student body.

Bralish — who is not in a sorority — has served on the student government since 2002, when she was a freshman.

"I think that it's important to represent all students," she said. "There has been an influx of fraternal issues. Being on the board right now, I feel like I'm on the governing board for a fraternity."

Student-government leaders expect there will be more Greek-loaded tickets in the upcoming spring election.

Ironing out the rules

Ron Stump, CU's vice chancellor for student affairs, sent a letter earlier this month to student leaders alerting them to inaccuracies he saw in the original "Fair and Equal Access Bill" and alerting them to an apparent violation of the school's 1985 Autonomy Agreement.

"In deliberating on this bill, I encourage UCSU to consider what is in the long-term, best interests of all students as well as the UCSU and IFC fraternities," he wrote.

As directed by the new, softer measure they approved this week — which no longer threatens to pull fees from student centers — the student-government leaders will meet with Stump and other administrators about the Greek reforms and the autonomy agreement. The agreement spells out the authority student leaders and school officials have in running the campus.

Its original intent may have been lost in the inevitable turnover in the student government, officials say.

Stump said the agreement sets up a system in which the student government and administration "ultimately have to work together," with the chancellor having ultimate authority over the campus.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at (303) 473-1132 or anasb@dailycamera.com.