President Zingg's latest speech to Greeks at Chico

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Text of President Paul
Zingg's speech to the Greek
community


Good evening.

We have to stop meeting like this. Truly, we must.

But I will meet with you every day if this contributes to
accomplishing the message that I delivered to you in
February. And in case you have forgotten, let me remind you
what the two main elements of that message were:

First, with respect to behaviors that are dangerous, illegal and
harmful to yourself, your fellow students, your organizations,
and your university, you are either part of the solution in
addressing them -- collectively and every day -- or you are part
of the problem.


Second, being part of the solution involves being true to whom
you say you are -- value-centered associations that help
develop members into exemplary students, leaders and
citizens; organizations which serve their university and
surrounding community; and individuals who uphold and act
in accordance with the loftiest of behavioral expectations. You
are either who you say you are, or you are frauds. And there's
no room for you here if you ignore your responsibilities or deny
your promises.

Since we last assembled here, there have been signs of a
positive response to my message. The IFC, for example,
agreed that there will be no events with alcohol at their houses
beginning the week before classes start in the fall and lasting
for several weeks thereafter. The IFC houses went dark for the
Cesar Chavez holiday weekend. Lambda Theta Nu brought
over 1! 00 young people to the campus for their Latina Youth
Leadership conference. And six national Panhellenic chapters
at the university held a strategic planning conference where
they set goals and made commitments geared to improve their
chapters and the system as a whole.

These are encouraging indications that many of you wish to
effect changes in order to survive as part of the solution.

Nevertheless, problems with the Greeks continue:

We have been treated with the revelation that one of our
nationally recognized fraternities decided to become part of
the porn industry and that decision has brought scorn and
derision upon the university, embarrassment and ridicule to
the members of that fraternity.

We have not seen the end of medical transports to Enloe
Hospital for members and/or guests of the Greek system
needing emergency assistance as a consequence of alcohol
or other substance abuse.

Formal charges of manslaughter and hazing have been
brought b! y the Butte County district attorney against eight
individuals -- four of them Chico State students -- for their
involvement in the hazing death of Matthew Carrington.

The police of both the university and the city continue to keep
busy dealing with noise violations, fights and minors in
possession at the houses of both national and local
fraternities.

To be sure, it is not just members of the Greek community
who have engaged in this kind of behavior. But, rightly or
wrongly, fairly or not, the burden of responsibility and the price
of notoriety fall squarely on your shoulders. You set the tone,
not exclusively, but in large part, for perceptions of what kind
of institution we are regarding student behavior, socially and
academically.

Let me share with you evidence of how this is the case. I want
to read you one letter from among the hundreds of e-mails,
letters and phone calls that the university has received from
alums, students, parents, and citizens of th! e state of
California over the last two months. Amidst the many scores of
these that express shame and embarrassment, outrage and
dismay, about the events and behaviors that necessitate our
meetings, this one stands out. For it reveals all too sadly and
profoundly the consequences of your actions:

The letter is written by the father of a prospective student:

"I have followed with sadness the news about Matthew
Carrington's death at the Chi Tau fraternity in Chico. My son
David was offered admission to Chico State as a freshman for
fall 2004. We were thoroughly impressed with the university
from the start. Just two weeks after submitting his application,
David received a letter of acceptance, as well as a personal
letter welcoming him to the (academic department of his
intended major). Our family attended an information night in
(our hometown) and visited Chico in spring 2004. We came
away impressed with the dedication of the faculty and staff,
the character of the you! ng pre-med student who was our
tour guide, and the beauty and welcoming atmosphere of the
university. We were all excited about the possibility of David's
enrollment at Chico State. David expressed that other schools
were going to have to try pretty hard' to convince him to turn
Chico State down. Each representative of the university with
whom we came into contact made us excited about the
possibility of sending our son to Chico.


"But in the end, David chose (another college), reasoning that
he'd be able to concentrate better (there).'

"I think it was a good decision. David is a mature young man
and not the sort to get into trouble, but his instinct in choosing
(the other institution) over Chico State was an
acknowledgment that he was not immune to the lures of
Chico's party school' reputation.

"When I read the negative press about Chico State following
Matthew Carrington's death, I sympathized with those good
people -- administrators, faculty, staff and students -- who
worked so hard to represent Chico State as my son was
making his college decision. I have nothing but praise for them
and their efforts. I would have entrusted my son's education to
those good people."

David should be here with us. But he is not, and many other
Davids are not, because they are! victims of the consequences
of the actions we're here to address. We need to eliminate
reasons for prospective students to decline our offer of
admission, and a concern that they will "get into trouble" here
is one of them.

Now, you may not care or think about the consequences of
your behaviors, but I do, your professors do, the alumni of this
university do, the leadership and residents of this city do. And
now you must, too. Again, let me be clear. The university's
concerns about student behavior are not solely concentrated
on those in the Greek system. In many respects, your behavior
is symptomatic of larger patterns and issues. But your visibility
and the concentration of disturbing events in your world
requires singular attention and corrective action.

When we met in February, I announced the establishment of a
task force to examine all aspects of Greek life at the university.
Forty percent of the membership of this task force is from the
Greek organizations. I ha! ve since broadened the scope of
that review to a President's Commission on Campus Life with a
charge to look at all student behavior and the conditions that
are necessary to keep students safe and healthy, productively
engaged in their studies, and succeeding in the classroom
and beyond.

With regard to the Greeks, the task force has provided me with
a preliminary sense of its direction. It is tackling all the major
issues, including alcohol policies and whether or not we will
continue to have a formally recognized Greek system at Chico
State. Although I will wait for the final report of this group
before deciding upon all of its recommendations, I have
received enough guidance from the task force, the faculty and
academic and student life leadership of the university, many of
your alumni, representatives of some of your national offices,
and a national expert on Greek matters which the university
has engaged to direct some concrete actions now.

So what I am about to la! y out is a set of minimum terms and
conditions that you must meet in order to be considered to
maintain your recognition and continuation. Let me make sure
that you have understood what I've just said. These are terms
and conditions -- a pre-test, in effect -- that if fully met, will
enable you to be considered for ongoing recognition by the
university. How you meet these requirements will influence the
ultimate question of your recognition and continuation, as well
as other matters such as recruitment practices, membership
criteria and alcohol policies.

These terms and conditions are aimed no less at the
transformation of the Greek system at Chico State University,
so that, if we continue to have one, it will be one of the premier
Greek systems in the country. This transformation seeks to
accomplish, in particular, a strong, shared understanding
between the university and the CSU-Chico Greek community
about the values, goals and purposes of a Greek system. We
should not seek! or be satisfied with less. This transformation
will be guided by several unequivocal goals:

To the extent that you are now, you will no longer be drinking
clubs masquerading as fraternities and sororities.

To the extent that you are now, you will no longer be outcasts
on the edges of irresponsibility and excess.


To the extent that you do now, you will no longer endanger
your own membership and anyone else who risks their safety,
reputation and status as a student of the university in
associating with you.

To the extent that you are now, you will no longer be an
embarrassment to yourselves, your national organizations,
your university, and your host city and neighborhoods.

These are the initial, non-negotiable elements of this
transformation:

1. These terms and conditions apply to all chapters -- IFC,
Panhellenic, locals and ethnic Greek groups.

2. All Greek organizations will be expected to meet
significantly higher academic performance levels than is now
the case. Although I am not ready this evening to designate
specifically what these expectations are, they will reflect the
fact that academics are a central tenet of all chapters at! the
university and there is no integrity or credibility for these
chapters when their academic performances are significantly
out of line with overall university averages. Demonstrable
progress in raising chapter GPAs, regardless of the target
levels that are established, must be seen by the beginning of
classes in spring 2006.

3. Each chapter shall have a faculty adviser approved by the
office of Greek life to emphasize the chapter focus on
academics. In addition, chapters must have a similarly
approved staff or alumni adviser to assist with chapter
operations and development. The Greek Life adviser in the
Student Activities Office will no longer be solely responsible
for advising individual chapters.

4. Each chapter shall have an active alumni board consisting
of members who fully support the need for reform and these
terms and conditions.

5. Each chapter shall develop programs of leadership
development and hands-on community service that will be
exemplar! y for the entire university in terms of participation
and impact.

6. Each chapter with a house shall have an annual fire and
building code inspection with a written report that all these
codes have been met satisfactorily on file with the Student
Activities Office. Chapter houses will abide by all city
ordinances dealing with noise, cleanliness, etc. The name and
contact information of the owner of the house will also be on
file with the Student Activities Office.

7. Only currently enrolled Chico State students are eligible for
membership in Chico State social Greek organizations. All
members who are not Chico State students must be removed
from the chapter.

8. Each chapter must develop a membership recruitment
program that seeks members who support and promote the
positive aspects of Greek life as a whole.

9. All recruitment events, both formal and informal, must be
totally alcohol-free.

10. Hazing will not be tolerated in any form by any student
organization. The broadest definition of hazing will be used,
that is, any action that involves the abuse, humiliation or
embarrassment of another. We will draw no distinction
between minor and major hazing. It is all forbidden and
disciplinary action will be taken against both the organizations
and individuals who engage in it. Furthermore, all new
member activities and/or events must be totally alcohol free.

You have between now and the start of the fall semester to
begin to put into place policies and practices to address each
of these mandates. I urge you to do this collectively at IFC,
Panhellenic and the Ethnic Greek Council and individually
with your alumni, nationals and university advisers.

As you consider your responses and actions, let me make one
other point very clear. If you think you can choose loss of
recognition by the university and continue your ugly ways as
rogue organizations, think again. As never before, the
university and the city are w! orking together to align and
strengthen our cooperation, to enforce ordinances to protect
the health and safety of the residents and citizens of our
community, to expand the jurisdiction of campus discipline
authority to behavior occurring off-campus, and to improve our
neighborhoods and the quality of life for those who live here.

This alignment reflects a compelling, even unique, relationship
between the university and the city of Chico. We are a true
college town in that there are no boundaries, no barriers, no
distance between the university and the city. We share
avenues and aspirations, sidewalks and citizenship, a history
and an identity. We are proud of all of this.


We prosper together. We define the elements of the good
community together. We are mindful of the responsibilities we
have to each other.

I don't expect all newcomers to the university to grasp
immediately the significance of the special relationship
between the university and the city. But I do expect you to
appreciate and accept the responsibilities of being a good
guest and citizen of our connected communities.

Contribute positively to our community, and respect it, or leave
it.

You have within your own self-professed values in your
chapter charters all that we would hope for. You have an
opportunity to affirm who you say you are. You now have
some specific guidelines to this effect to get started. As I
mentioned earlier, others will come from the Greek life task
force, assuming they recommend continuan! ce of a Greek
system here and I accept that recommendation.

As I said in February, I expect that you will choose a path to
enrich student life, to support the mission of the university, to
earn the respect of the city, and to enable Chico State
University to build a future that soars on the clarity of our
values and the integrity of our promise.

A Greek system is not vital to the fulfillment of that promise.
But it is not incompatible with it either. It remains for you to
demonstrate and for the university to determine whether or not
you are relevant to the university's future. You can only be so
if you are true to your own promises and obligations.

I hope you will choose the path of truth. And in so doing
provide the kind of leadership of which you are capable to turn
something corrosive into something positive.

Thank you again for your time and attention. Good evening.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The exact wording of Zingg's speech
Tuesday evening may have v! aried slightly.