University of Nebraska Omaha - Tomahawk / Gateway Yearbook (Omaha, NE)

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Incoming freshmen sign fraternity pledge preference cards to indicate the group of their choice. In an intra-mural exhibition football game, Alpha Epsilon Pi takes the Gateway into overtime. Fraternity members donate blood during a ROTC-sponsored blood drive held each semester at UNO. FRATERNITIES Interview by MIKE RISSIEN Tomahawk: What is your chapter doing to aid social reform on the UNO campus? This includes the topics of class boycotts and Vietnam issues, as well as racism and discrimination. Vail: Every chapter has guidelines, in our national there are blacks. 1 think this speaks well for our chapter locally, too. If you pledge a black and he can't make the pledge program after he is accepted, we are caught in the middle and lose both ways. In Lincoln there is a forced pledg- ing of minority groups, I can't see it here. Hawkinson: We are not interested in tokenism; we are not interested in pledg- ing someone along this line, just so we can say we have someone who is a member of a minority race. We are interested in the content of a person's character, not the color of his skin. Tomahawk: Do you have any blacks in your fraternity? Hawkinson: No, we don't. Tomahawk: Have any blacks come through rush? Hawkinson: Not for the last four years that 1 know of. Kniewel: The Vietnam issue is pri- marily an individual matter, the chapter doesn't have an official stand. We would be naive to think 60 guys are all going to feel the same. As far as the race issue or accepting blacks in our fraternity is con- cerned, our charter provides that any- body who would like to join and who is a male student over 16 years old may pledge. We have pledges who are Jewish and a Hawaiian boy, too. We don't discriminate against anybody. If they would like to join and think they can endure our training program to become a brother, that's up to them to decide. Eirenberg: We don't have any dis- crimination because you don't have to be Jewish to be in the fraternity. In fact it is possible for an Arab to join; there are a 17

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know, unless you wore your pin or they found out by talking to you. I've never encountered it. Davis: No, I've found that teachers will cut down Greeks in passing remarks, b ut I've never had any trouble because I'm a Greek. There's been none so far as I know in our sorority; there may be in some of the others. Ganem: On UNO's campus, no. But some girls from other places, like Boston, said it was really a problem there. Tomahawk: It has often been noted that the Gateway is anti-Greek. Do you feel there is unfair coverage of Greek activities in the Gateway? Rowe: I used to, but I think it's getting better. The current editor claims that if the Greeks do something worth- while it'll be in there. Gould: It's up to each group to get newsworthy items to the Gateway, but after that it's out of our hands. It's up to the staff. If we do anything newsworthy, they'll probably cover it. Christensen: Yes, I do. I don't know why, but it seems the Greeks do a lot; maybe they don't want the recognition. I think the Greeks could be covered more to give the campus a view of what they do. Davis: I do, too. When I was a fresh- man there was a little column about the Greeks. It was just a list of activities, but now it takes a lot to get anything printed. I know Student Senate and some other organizations have had trouble getting things in. I think coverage is inadequate. Sports gets a lot, and that's good; I don't know where their big coverage is now. Possibly more space could be devoted to newsy things of interest to the whole student body. Ganem: Not this year. The editor has been pretty fair. He's put things in about Panhellenic, the candy sales and some of the other things we've had. Tomahawk: What does the sorority do with the dues it collects since there is no Sorority girls race toward a stack of watermelons during the on-campus Watermelon Bust contest. worry about the upkeep of a house? Gould: We save a lot of money hoping for a house some day, and quite a bit goes to pay for bills — paper, stationery, refreshments, phone bills. The doughnuts and cider we provided at Homecoming cost quite a bit, and then a part goes for ourselves for our get-togethers and parties. A percentage will go to the national organization, and there are pledge and initiation fees. Davis: A lot goes to the national chapter. We have a budget which shows how much we can spend on social func- tions. We also put $3 a month into a housing fund in case we ever do get a house. But a real house for actual resi- dence wouldn't come until dorms were built on campus and more out-of-town students were here to use a house. We could use a lodge or combined house — a place to hold meetings that all the soror- ities could use. Ganem: Some goes to a building fund in case we ever do get a house, and, of course, a part goes to the national offices. We have an endowment fund which goes to the American Farm School program and a part goes for the maintenance of the seacoast mission. We have our own money for bills, pledge manuals, flowers and things like that. We have given some money to schools for the mentally re- tarded and to the Indian reservation. Tomahawk: How many pledges do you have this year and how does this compare with previous years? Rowe: We've pledged 24 girls this year; there were 37 or 38 last year. When I started in 1968 we had 40. I think it's because fewer girls are going through rush, and I think it's good. It allows for more individualized attention. Gould: We have 18 pledges now. There were 25 when I pledged. The next year there were 28, and we had 24 last year. Christensen: We have eight pledges this year. We just started last year and now have 24 members. Davis: We have 22 pledges this year, 32 last year, and 37 the year before. We usually pick up more in open rush, too. Ganem: We have 17 this year, 20 last year, and 25 the year before. There were a lot fewer going through rush. Maybe that means something, 1 don't know. Tomahawk: Do you think sororities are on the way out? Rowe: They could easily. It depends on what kind of leadership they get in the next few years. I feel there will be something about a sorority that will always attract girls. It's something to get you active rather than just coming to school and going home. I'm really opti- mistic, but it depends on proper leader- ship. Gould: I don't think so. Rush figures and pledges have gone up. People are looking for a group of people caring about each other. Christensen: I think maybe on the coasts, but it hasn't hit the Midwest yet. At the national conference they talked about it, and the trend was that sororities may have to get more liberal on the coast. Davis: No. But I think values change and what people want change. On a big campus they aren't emphasized as much. Different things have sort of taken their place. Ganem: They're not declining. In fact, we have more belonging, and new chap- ters have been started. ■ 16

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couple of Lebanese fellas on campus we have invited to visit the fraternity. Tomahawk: Have you received any response from them as yet? Eirenberg: The invitation was ex- tended a couple of weeks ago and as yet we have had no reply. On the national policy scope, our fraternity doesn't take an official stand on anything, but we do have our own opinions. For instance, even in the Mid-East situation we all have our own views and beliefs. Eairleywine: We don't have any dis- crimination clauses in our national con- stitution or local by-laws. When we rush, we try to pick out good men, and we talk to individuals who are blacks because we think they are good men. On the other question, I doubt if the chapter will ever take an official stand on any issue. We have a very wide range of political views, and we think that's good. We feel diversity promotes growth. We want everybody in the fraternity to be an individual, we feel if an issue is worth boycotting classes for or organizing a demonstration against, that's fine. Those involved can come to the chapter and solicit help, but the chapter itself will take no official action. Tomahawk: As a president of a Greek organization, how far would you go before taking action if a member became a hippie type or indulged in the use of marijuana? Eairleywine: The chapter has so far taken the position that it is important to stay in good standing. We don't want to do anything that is contrary to the law that we can be called on the carpet for. We don't want to be raided and caught with minors in possession, or with pot or pills. We have been more lenient with the liquor aspect because the police are. We have had the police drop in on occasion and had no problem. What the member does outside the chapter is his business. We just don't want him doing anything that will endanger the chapter. We're not too concerned about everyday dress. All we ask is that for an occasion he dress appropriately. We don't have any hippie types, even though some fellows have longer hair, but we're not condemning that. Eirenberg: Pot is our main concern. As long as he smokes it on his own personal time it's not our business. But if he does it at a chapter function he would be asked to leave. If he refused and caused trouble we would have to take action either as a fraternity or as citizens. Clark: We have no dress code. The national constitution leaves it up to the individual chapter. However, we do dress in a sport shirt and slacks once a week, as opposed to jeans. Drugs are against our national constitution, too, and we would take action against the user. Tomahawk: What specific action would be taken? Clark: We would pull his pin. Hawkinson: We don't condone break- ing the law, and smoking pot is. But until a person has violated others' rights, he can do what he wishes. Vail: There is always social pressure. If a guy does this, the brothers become concerned and talk with him to see what his problems are. It really isn't a problem of dress you are looking for, it's what's inside; that's what makes him a brother — not his appearance. Kniewel: You go down to the Ouampi Room right now and you will see some of our guys dressed just like they belong to a hippie group. The only restriction we put on them is the use of drugs — that is absolutely not condoned. Once you be- come a brother you can go to functions naked as far as we are concerned, we have no dress code. Tomahawk: Do you think Greeks are too powerful? Pedersen: The only power we have is that we are the only group involved in things. If an independant wanted to run for something and get involved, he would. Non-Greeks have made inroads into government and SPO, and I think they should. It's their school as well as ours. Hawkinson: I don't think Greeks should be condemned because of involve- ment and participation in activities which elevate to a position of power. Tomahawk: Are they condemned? And by whom? Hawkinson: It is possible for someone to put them down. 1 don't think that the Greeks are all-powerful the way they used to be. When i was a freshman there was only one non-Greek in the student government. Therefore, whatever con- demnation exists results from that time. Vail: I think in some ways they have dominated things they shouldn't, like the government system. But that's because they are more oriented to school than independents. By nature the Greek insti- tution is select; not everyone can be a Greek. In any system people are different and what makes them different is organi- zation. Hawkinson: In our case I wouldn't say we have any better people. Our fraternity is a voluntary organization, and we want to associate with others of like intelli- gence on campus. Vail: A Greek by the fact that he is a Greek is above average in total involve- ment in the university. Usually on a college campus the Greek grade average is above the independents, also, according to some statistical literature I have read. Tomahawk: Can you quote the source of your information? Vail: It was either our pledge book or a magazine somewhere. Pedersen: Opportunity is here for organizations to take advantage of group study periods in which students in trouble can seek help from those in the fraternity who have had the course and are in a position to help. Clark: I don't think Greeks are too powerful. I think we do control most of the student senate offices, but nobody 18