Mustang Daily Staff Report
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Cal Poly announced changes to its greek regulations Tuesday, including the end of the deferred rush policy under which freshmen males could not join fraternities until their second quarter.
The end of deferred rush is part of a larger agreement between the greek community and the university, said Jason Colombini, incoming Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president.
In addition to ending deferred rush, Cal Poly will also require greek organizations to register off-campus parties, adopt new alcohol-management policies limiting the amount of alcohol at parties, provide new members with education in alcohol, hazing and sexual assault awareness and participate in a student review process.
Along with the regulations, the university will also look to add more chapters to its greek system.
“It is finally an opportunity for fraternities and sororities at Cal Poly to really move forward with new policies,” Colombini said. “They’re going to implement a growing greek life and a changing greek life.”
An agribusiness junior and Interfraternity Council (IFC) president this past year, Colombini said the compromise will change policies that have been “holding back” greeks at Cal Poly.
Some of those new rules, however, will bring changes that have met resistance in the greek community, Colombini said. But, he said, after meeting with Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey, who began at Cal Poly in February, he now agrees with all parts of the compromise.
“The absolute most critical reason why I’m OK with all this is there will be greek members working with administration to hold each other accountable,” Colombini said. “It’s a two-way trust line. As soon as one side breaks it, no one trusts each other.”
While some of the new policies, such as ending deferred rush, will begin this fall, others will be implemented as greek leaders work with administrators to finalize procedures. Party registration, for example, will begin an interim phase to be evaluated next winter, Colombini said.
Cal Poly formed the compromise after consulting with Aware Awake Alive, an alcohol-awareness non-profit founded by the family of Carson Starkey. The university originally implemented deferred rush after Starkey died during a Cal Poly fraternity hazing incident in 2008.
Colombini said it was one of his goals to end the policy this year, and it “feels great” now that a deal has been reached. He officially ends his time as Interfraternity Council president and begins as ASI president Sunday.
Below is a note Colombini sent to all IFC fraternity members Tuesday and the official compromise:
Cal Poly Deferred Recruitment Compromise
Sean McMinn contributed to this staff report.