Greek system changing with times

With Black Sunday permanently abolished, one fraternity on a
two-year hiatus and another losing its house, some members of the
Greek community are disappointed with where they see UCLA’s
Greek system heading.

But others, including the president of the Interfraternity
Council, the fraternity system’s governing body, say this is
all part of helping the Greek system shed its reputation for
trouble.

Last spring, the IFC passed legislation that effectively
outlawed Black Sunday, the traditional day for fraternities to
throw parties before the beginning of fall rush.

The university had placed a two-year ban on Black Sunday in
2003, but it would have returned this year if the IFC had not
stepped in, said Chris Hatfield, IFC president and a fourth-year
business economics student.

“It was tough, but it did pass close to
unanimously,” Hatfield said. “The (fraternity)
presidents realized that something like Black Sunday wasn’t
going to happen again, because of the threat that is posed to the
Greek community and our reputation, as well as the safety of
everyone on campus.”

Black Sunday will be replaced with Bruin Bash, a carnival,
concert and dance party combination that will kick off the fall
quarter.

But some students who still remember Black Sunday say the new
event will not be a satisfying substitute for the old parties.

“It’s going to be nothing like Black Sunday, where
every house has a party,” said Matt Datlow, a fifth-year
psychology student.

“That was the coolest thing our school did. … It’s
pretty sad not to see it come back.”

Datlow also said he is disappointed that Theta Xi, of which he
was a member, will be shut down at UCLA for the next two years.

According to a statement from the fraternity’s national
chapter, the UCLA chapter of Theta Xi has been placed on dormant
status for the next two years because of “the failure of the
UCLA chapter officers and members to abide by the
fraternity’s policies and guidelines in numerous
areas.”

“The chapter has had some violations over the
years,” said James Vredenburgh, executive director of the
fraternity. “We felt that if we were going to truly change
the culture there, we had to halt the current operations, wait for
that generation of members to pass and restart the
chapter.”

Theta Xi President Stephen Demaranville, a fourth-year business
economics student, declined to comment on the specific reasons for
his house’s two-year hiatus.

Datlow said he did not know what infractions the fraternity was
in trouble for, but that the university “didn’t like
the fact that we were the only people left that had a good time on
campus.”

“It was not a big deal at all,” Datlow said.

“Some girl shows up to one of our events with no shirt on
and we get in trouble for it. She had stars over her nipples. …
It wasn’t even a bad thing.”

In addition to Theta Xi’s closing, Sigma Phi Epsilon will
be moving out of its house on Gayley Avenue this year so that the
owners can make some major repairs, said Hatfield, who is a member
of that fraternity.

The house was damaged when a tree fell on it during a storm last
spring.

Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon will be living in apartments in
small groups this year while the fraternity looks for a new house
for next year, Hatfield said.

Datlow said he was frustrated with the way the Greek system is
changing this year, and attributed it in part to a change in the
UCLA student body.

“(UCLA) is getting a lot harder to get into, and people at
our school are getting a little more intellectual, if you
will,” Datlow said. “People aren’t as
social.”

Hatfield also said he believes the student demographics are
changing the Greek system, but he sees it as a positive change.

“The people getting into UCLA are becoming more and more
career oriented, and they want to be academically
challenged,” Hatfield said. “The Greek community as a
whole is realizing this and kind of changing toward that attitude,
putting more emphasis on their study groups.”

Hatfield said that he was troubled by the Greek system’s
reputation for partying and drinking, which doesn’t reflect
what he sees as the most important parts of Greek life.

“I don’t believe that perception covers what the
Greek system represents, or the majority of the Greek body,”
he said.

“People like to think of things in terms of sensationalism
… so those are the things that are going to stick in their
minds.

“They’re not going to be looking for the person
who’s down at Sunset staying sober to drive all their friends
home.”

Hatfield said he hopes that reputation will begin to fade as the
Greek system changes to fit the UCLA student body.

“(We’re) kind of highlighting the right parts (of
Greek life) now, and hopefully that will start to change Greek
perception,” he said.