MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Greek Life at West Virginia University is looking to move forward in the months following a wide reaching moratorium, according to Matthew Richardson.
Richardson leads the school’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at WVU.
Multiple allegations made against various fraternities — including hazing, sexual misconduct, and physical violence — led WVU offcials to take action against 16 fraternities. Some of those fraternities will now work to get back to becoming recognized in what is called the “Reaching the Summit Plan.”
“We came up with something that is really specific to WVU, and, to our knowledge, we are the only university that’s engaging in this kind of process to create cultural change,” Richardson said on WAJR-Clarksburg’s “The Gary Bowden Show.”
The new plan hopes to address the various allegations made against fraternities along with issues that have been a concern within the university, including longstanding academic issues. This will include changes to pledging periods and standards to how fraternities operate at WVU. While Richardson stated that a few of the fraternities suspended from Greek Life will need to take a longer hiatus, most of the suspended fraternities will have the opportunity to get back to operations.
“We’re not looking to punish, we’re not looking to sever these groups that have a great history on our campus,” he said. “Some of our groups, by result, have been suspended for a few years and taking some time off, but we’re trying our best to keep these relationships going so that they can return and have a lasting legacy here.”
Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Alpha Mu, and Pi Kappa Alpha were among the suspended fraternities that also lost recognition by their national charters. Fraternities granted good standing at the University, along with ones currently in good standing, will have to be subject to a policy of not only more open communication, but clarity to incoming students. This will include a university provided database of fraternities and their standing with the university for students looking to join Greek Life at WVU.
“If we did anything with this process, it’s to encourage our chapters to engage in an annual sort of internal audit,” Richardson said. “Making sure the right people are members of your organization and contributing to a healthy fraternity and sorority experience.”
Richardson also stated that, even though there has been some criticism of the moratorium, most have been very receptive to the changes of Greek Life at WVU. In particular, Richardson praised the approach that they are taking to prevent hazing, which was a major reason behind WVU’s call for reform. These moves, Richardson hopes, will create a more positive experience for WVU students as a whole.
“The biggest thing is that transparency, making sure that everyone knows how to report hazing, making sure everyone knows that there is a system of accountability and that the university is proactively trying to prevent it,” he said.
The “Reaching the Summit Plan” will be enacted on August 1st.