The 2003 Greek Assessment scores are in, and while some University organizations are doing well, some have received unfavorable scores.
Eleven organizations received a “gold” rating, or accreditation with praise. Among these organizations were sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Zeta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha.
Cynthia May, Kappa Kappa Gamma president, said she was “very excited” when she heard her sorority’s score.
“I think it was a whole chapter goal all year long,” May said. “It showed that our hard work for a year had paid off.”
Two University fraternities, Delta Sigma Phi and Tau Kappa Epsilon, were placed on probation based on their Greek assessment scores, while the assessment team recommended fraternity Omega Psi Phi leave campus.
All three fraternities received modest ratings the last two years, scoring on the higher end of the previously used five-point scale.
Twelve organizations received a “silver” rating, or accreditation with recommendations. Some of these organizations are Acacia, Delta Delta Delta, Pi Beta Phi and Theta Xi.
Pi Beta Phi president Jaime Gele said she thought her sorority would have received a higher score, and she was waiting for more information about the results.
“I thought we had covered all our bases, and I just want to wait and see what they have to say,” she said.
Eight organizations received a “bronze” rating, meaning they have provisional accreditation with recommendations for improvement. Among these organizations are fraternities Alpha Gamma Rho, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta and sorority Sigma Alpha.
Victor Felts, Greek Affairs director, said while all chapters have room for improvement, those with a bronze rating have more to do.
“Obviously the assessment team feels the bronze chapters have more to work on,” Felts said. The team is made up of five faculty members appointed by Chancellor Mark Emmert.
While University Greek organizations used to be assessed on a five-point scale, Felts said it was sometimes difficult to make distinctions between organizations.
“Both students and members of the assessment team would complain about how it was hard to make a defining point,” Felts said. “People would ask things like ‘what’s the difference between a four and a five’?”
This year, the chapters were assessed on a 100-point scale, with different criteria areas having a pre-determined point value. Some of the criteria include campus involvement, community service, hazing prevention, multi-cultural activities, member grade point averages and parental involvement.
Despite some unfavorable scores, Felts said he was pleased with the overall results.
“We’ve got good chapters that are competitive in the Southeast and the nation,” Felts said. “I think the assessment process helps chapters get where they need to be.”