Members of the University of New Hampshire's Greek system were spurred to protest last week after the discovery of a passage in the undergraduate Whittemore School of Business and Economics' "peer advisory manual" urging students not to join Greek houses.
At a time when the University of New Hampshire administration has been working with its Greek system to revamp its public image, a recent misunderstanding on the campus has highlighted the Greeks' growing sensitivity to outside criticism.
The incident began at a freshmen orientation event last month, when an associate dean warned incoming students to be careful in deciding to pledge to a fraternity or sorority.
Greek students then found a passage in the undergraduate Whittemore School of Business and Economics' "peer advisory manual" -- a pamphlet distributed to all first-year Whittemore students -- that also cautioned students against Greek life, citing the possible effect that the time commitment can have on a student's academic career.
"It was the combination of the two things," said Chris Black, the UNH Interfraternity Council President. "The whole Greek System basically flipped out and we went straight to the dean. In literally half a day everyone found out and was really angry."
Black said the dean of Students was "receptive" during the meeting, that he apologized for the incident, and that the upper administration had not been aware of the statement in the Whittemore peer advisory manual.
At a school where roughly nine percent of the student body belongs to a fraternity or sorority, the discovery had little noticeable effect on non-members of the Greek system, according to several people interviewed by The Dartmouth this week. The number of students rushing this fall, for example, has not dropped this year from the numbers of recent years.
The language of the Whittemore peer advisory manual was changed immediately after the Greeks' reaction. Whereas it initially singled out only the Greek system as a time-consuming activity, it now advises students to exercise caution in choosing any freshman year activity.
The paragraph warning students not to join a Greek house had been published in the Whittemore manual for seven consecutive years, though it was only noticed this year by Greek business students.
"I think a big reason we got upset is because there are so many Greeks in the business school," said Black.
According to Vice President for Student Affairs Leila Moore, the statement "is now back to where we wanted. It no longer singles Greeks out."
She said a lesson learned from the recent controversy was that "the challenges at our institution lie with quelling rumors involving the students in the Greek system. This came at a more sensitive time because the school has been working with the Greeks to help them understand where their negative reputation comes from and what they can do to change that perception."
In addition to protests coming from the IFC, alumni of the University registered their complaints with the administration through letters to the University newspaper.
