Despite an often strained relationship between Greek students and College administrators and faculty, members from each group joined together yesterday at the Hanover Inn to initiate honorary members into the Order of Omega Greek honor society.
Honoring Greek students at Dartmouth based on scholarship and leadership for eleven years, the Lambda Rho chapter of the Order of Omega is now inducting members of the Dartmouth community outside the Greek system as honorary members.
Yesterday's honorary initiates included Dean of the College James Larimore, Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman, Director of Alumni Relations Nelson Armstrong '71 and Dean of the Class of 2002 Carolynne Krusi. Also inducted were Linda Fowler, government professor and Director of Rockefeller Center Charles Stinson, religion professor and adviser to Phi Tau fraternity and John Engelman '68, adviser to Alpha Delta fraternity.
Order of Omega president Carl Gieringer '03 said the organization selected honorary members based on their willingness to positively contribute to undergraduates' academic and personal lives at Dartmouth.
The seven new members joined the ranks of previous years' honorary initiates Assistant Dean of Residential Life Deb Carney, Dean of the Class of 2002 Sylvia Langford and Director of Community Relations Kate Burke.
Since the announcement of the Student Life Initiative in February 1999 and with the advent of such unpopular policies as Safety and Security walkthroughs, recent relations between Greeks and administrators have been tense. And for years in a row, the faculty have voted unanimously and near-unanimously to end the Greek system.
According to Gieringer and Vice President Justin Johnson '03, the Order of Omega is working to mend the rift.
"Although there is sometimes a perceived tension between us, our intent is to incorporate faculty within the Greek system in an academic setting," Johnson said.
Former co-president Vanessa Green '02 concurred. "Sometimes I feel like you're only perceived by your Greek letters, and you're so much more than that," Green said, adding she views the Order of Omega as a way to show faculty and administrators that members of the Greek community are active in all walks of campus -- writing theses, playing on athletic teams and assuming non-Greek leadership roles.
The newly-inducted members expressed their respect for the 50 student members of the Order of Omega -- making up approximately three percent of the Greek population -- who strive to facilitate interaction between faculty and Greek students.
"I'm delighted to be honored," Krusi said, "especially by a society that's moving in the direction" of alleviating tension between Greeks and College administrators.
"It clearly is an organization of leaders," Engelman added.
Redman said he sees the Order of Omega as "trying to make things better for other students and for Dartmouth." Redman also noted that several members of the group have taken the initiative to visit his office and voice the concerns of the wider Greek community.
Gieringer said that although the organization's efforts are just small steps toward forging a stronger relationship between Greek students and faculty members, they are steps in the right direction.
"We would like to open the door to talk to 'anti-Greek professors,'" he said. Gieringer hopes this would entail discussions in which both sides of controversial issue could be shared.
Cara Kinsey '02, a member of the Order of Omega, said that she views past efforts of Phi Tau fraternity to reach out to "anti-Greek" professors as successful.
"By attending Greek events, faculty members can get to see us as people, even though we're representing the Greeks," Kinsey said.
This term's student initiates included juniors John Herlihy, Adam Kaplan, Matthew Pressman, Tim Whelan and Johnson, who together represent a range of fraternities.
