LSU President F. King Alexander’s Task Force on Greek Life is set to make its recommendations regarding the future of Greek organizations at the University by early January. The task force was formed after University freshman Maxwell Gruver died as a result of hazing by Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.
Members of the task force met Monday, Oct. 16, to discuss the overall timeline for the task force, their goals and the formation of subcommittees to review specific aspects of Greek life and hazing at the University.
There will be three subcommittees for the task force, which will be assigned within the next few days, according to chairman Rob Stuart. One will focus on reviewing University policy regarding Greek organization-sponsored activities, while another will review the internal policies of specific chapters and the campus councils. The third committee will review guidelines given by the University to non-Greek organizations including intercollegiate athletics.
“If we get this right we can be a model for other schools,” Alexander said. “We can be leader for people to turn to when dealing with these issues.” 
Alexander said there is no “return to normalcy” for Greek organizations on campus, and these organizations must be “better than the way it was.” 
“I’m asking you guys to make recommendations that set up new expectations for our Greek culture,” Alexander said. “At the end of the day if we need to have an effect on the peer-to-peer attitude about [hazing], it’s our students who know about this.”
Alexander estimated the recommendations given by the task force could impact 45 percent of University students who are involved in Greek life, athletics and other student organizations. He said hazing is not just a Greek issue, citing hazing incidents with Baylor University’s football team and Florida A&M’s marching band.
“I just got back from two days at Baylor where this went on for four years,” Alexander said. “It was football, it was rugby, it was an accepted part of the culture. I’ve never seen anything so egregious.”
On Thursday, Oct. 12, the University lifted the ban on Greek students attending events where alcohol was served. Both fraternities and sororities were required to attend risk management training to participate in these events. All Greek organizations have signed the risk management policy and attended the re-education risk management training. Six fraternities have not met the requirements for new member education and will not be allowed to resume new member meetings or activities.
Stuart is also the chairman of the board of the LSU Foundation as well a University alumnus and former Sigma Chi chapter president. Sigma Chi was suspended in 2015 after a series of hazing and drug-related incidents. Stuart is working with the national Sigma Chi organization and other University alumni to decide whether or not they will bring the organization back in 2019 when their suspension is lifted.
During the meeting Student Government president Jason Badeaux urged the committee to keep the focus on Greek organizations development practices.
“Development is a chance for Greek life to build up students rather than tear them down,” Badeaux said. “As great as recruitment and social events are, I think development needs to be our focus.”
Other committee members recommended the task force look at the best practices of other universities. LSU Executive Vice President and CFO Dan Layzell said the task force should look at other universities, large and small.
Stuart said the task force will be giving their recommendations to President Alexander in early January, which gives the subcommittees a narrow time frame for making their decisions. The subcommittees will meet weekly, with some members serving on multiple committees, but there will be no joint meeting until mid-November.
“There’s nothing in these fraternities’ objectives that say hazing is a good idea,” Stuart said. “All of these organizations have strong ideals and really have the desire to make their students better people, better students, better professionals. We need to understand how to take away those activities that don’t contribute to that.”
Stuart said he hopes the culture can be changed, or the latest hazing-related incidents may be the beginning of the end of Greek life.
“There are a lot of really good people, and there are some number of bad apples that bring the good ones down,” Stuart said. “We need people who aspire to the ideals their organizations have set up and have them take leadership roles and be adamant at keeping those who do not really espouse the ideals of the organization out.”
All task force meetings are open to the public with the exception of the executive meetings which are confidential.

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Isabella Allen

The Greek Life Task Force meets for the first time on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 in the LSU Student Union.