Greek Revival

By Dharshani Dharmwardena

Daily Bruin Contributor

When 1981 graduate Gerald Flintoft attended UCLA, students had
turned away from the wilder days of the 1960s and 1970s.

“For some reason, hairstyles got a little bit
shorter,” he said with a laugh. “But in exchange, they
grew mustaches.”

As an alumnus of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Flintoft said he
viewed this outward change as a response against the
anti-establishment sentiment resulting from the Vietnam War.

Although Flintoft attributed declining membership in Greek
organizations during these two turbulent decades to Vietnam, he
also said the system followed a regular ebb and flow routine.

“It comes and goes whether or not it’s a desirous
way of interacting with the university,” Flintoft said.

“I believe people were fairly disenchanted with
establishment,” he added. “For better or worse, the
Greek system is viewed as being part of that
establishment.”

According to Berky Nelson, director of the Center for Student
Programming, the on-campus situation during the Vietnam War
reflected a national trend.

“In the ’60s, there was a general feeling that Greek
life was not what students wanted,” he said.

As the years progressed, however, the system, aided by a healthy
economy and growing student interest, flourished in the late 1970s
and the 1980s.

Kevin Palm, a 1986 graduate and former member of Delta Sigma Phi
fraternity, saw membership in his house grow from about 15 members
in the late 1970s to 75 in1986.

“1982 to 1986 were probably the biggest years for the
Greek system,” Palm said.

While the parties taking place during the 1960s and 1970s
attracted fewer crowds, the growth of Greek organizations during
the ’80s cemented the relationships between fraternity
brothers.

“My fondest memories have been of Monday night dinners and
date parties,” Palm said.

Sporting corduroy shorts and button-down jeans, Flintoft ““
like many fraternity members ““ said he thrived under this
renaissance of Greek life.

In addition to activities shared with sororities and
fraternities, members interacted with the university population at
large.

The annual Spring Sing concert, then a Greek-sponsored event,
and the Mardi Gras celebration, which raised money for charity,
afforded fraternity and sorority members the opportunity to
socialize with the community.

According to Flintoft, many members particularly enjoyed Mardi
Gras, when Greeks transformed the intramural field into a carnival
that lasted for about a week.

“Mardi Gras was a blast,” Flintoft said. “It
brought the entire system together.”

Intermural sports, now played by a variety of different groups,
remained almost singular to fraternity members.

“The Greeks basically dominated intramural sports,”
Palm said.

To Flintoft, participating in sports gave him the chance to meet
non-Greeks at UCLA.

“It wasn’t a totally insular experience,” he
said. “People really got in to the intramural sports and that
was a great way to know guys outside of the Greek system.

Despite the good times shared by fraternity members, hazing
incidents and theme parties caused rifts between the national
chapters, current members and the university ““ which, unlike
today, had no authority to discipline Greek actions.

In 1981, for example, a hazing incident involving a Beta pledge,
who was found lying unconscious near a Palos Verdes road,
instigated harsh disciplinary actions by the Interfraternity
Council.

House members, who claimed that former members had staged the
incident, said they should not be held responsible.

In an interview with the Daily Bruin, Nicholas Kahrilas, Beta
president during the incident, emphasized the house’s
innocence.

“This was not a house-sanctioned activity, but rather
individuals acting on their own accord,” he said. “This
type of activity is against the policy of the Beta
house.”

At about the same time, an altercation between members of two
different fraternities also fueled the fire. Although neither the
university police nor the Los Angeles Police Department filed any
violations regarding the event, the situation only worsened the
tension.

According to Nelson, parties advocating alcohol and sexism also
angered members of the UCLA community. Many celebrations featured
themes like slave auctions and Tequila Sunrise.

The Latina/o population, particularly, felt insulted by
Beta’s 1984 Tequila Sunrise celebration, which began in the
morning instead of the evening.

Protesters resented the implications of the early-morning party,
which they said hinted that Latinas/os drank too much and were
lazy.

“People camped out six days and nights in front of the
house to protest,” Nelson said.

Although some fraternities caused controversy, most stayed out
of the turmoil by hosting more innocuous theme parties.

“Our fraternity was able to keep our noses clean,”
Palm said.

Such friction between the community and the fraternity
organizations spurred university officials to take action.

“(University officials) were not acting as parents over
students,” Nelson said.

Then-Chancellor Charles Young said that UCLA would not claim
responsibility for violations committed by Greek members unless the
Interfraternity Council transferred authority to university
officials, according to Nelson.

In 1986, UCLA established the Office of Fraternity and Sorority
Relations, a part of the Center for Student Programming.

A UCLA organization, the board required all fraternities and
sororities affiliated with the university to register to receive
recognition.

In Nelson’s opinion, university involvement helped thwart
the negative light shed on fraternities during that time.

“If (the Greek system) was to survive there needed to be
reform,” Nelson said.

Flintoft agreed with the need for change.

“I think university involvement has been a good thing and
something we welcome,” Flintoft said.

As a result of the turmoil, Flintoft said that Greek
organizations have tried to reinvent the system by moderating
social activities and further encouraging scholarship.

“It forced them to look inward and reflect,” he
said.

Despite mistakes, Flintoft said that the recent improvements
reflect Greek respect for the university community.

“As much as they are members of the house, they are also
members of a community called UCLA,” he said.

Although participation in Greek life waned at the end of the
decade, due to reasons ranging from economic decline to an increase
in tuition and students focusing more on studying than social
activities, former members said they relished the years spent as a
UCLA Greek.

“We all walked away with a wonderful four-year
experience,” Palm said.