Recently, in an anthropology class, we discussed the issues of globalization abroad. Arguably, the effects of globalization and culture loss can be compared to demobilizing an individual, then giving them a wheelchair for movement. And yet, the expectations are that they should be appreciative for the wheelchair, and not upset about the loss of leg function.

In lesser severity, this can be compared to the Department of Residence’s relationship with the greek community. As policy issues change constantly, greek chapters persevere with dedication and devotion to maintain recruitment numbers and chapter sizes. Unfortunately, we have seen three chapters leave our campus in just the past couple of years. A number of problems face the greek community, such as negative media portrayal and changes in internal policies, but one issue that has hit recruitment the most has been the penalties for breaking residence hall contracts. Greg Myers’ Oct. 8 article, “Housing contract change may affect greek recruiting,” compared the residence hall rates at Iowa’s three public universities. The dynamics of the communities of Iowa City, Cedar Falls and Ames as well as the dynamics of the greek communities of the three universities are all different.

Residency choices in Ames cannot be made equivalent to those in Iowa City and Cedar Falls where the options are not as abundant, convenient, or affordable. Similarly, each respective university’s greek community cannot be put on the same level, as the majority of chapters at Iowa State have chapter houses, not all the chapters at the other university have dwellings to reside in. Ames is a different community, and the structure of our greek community is unique. These set our campus apart and make them incomparable to other Iowa universities.

Greek residences abide by the same policies that apply to university housing. In reality, it seems that the rules and regulations are held more firmly for greek houses than residence halls. If the residents of a residence hall floor were to collectively break policies, disciplinary actions would be taken upon each person individually. If the same problems were to occur within a greek dwelling, the entire residency would feel the effects.

A chapter could be removed from campus temporarily or permanently, while a residence hall would be able to remain on campus, deemed a separate entity than any individual members who may have broken the rules. Chapters follow the regulations of the city of Ames, their local chapter policy, the regulations of their national headquarters and bylaws of their respective governing council, not to mention the base set of regulations that are applied to university-affiliated housing. Iowa State was not the only university I applied to. Every one of the universities I applied to had a greek community on campus. Although I was not thinking about “going greek” at the time, the universities retained and advertised it as an option. Admissions viewbooks listed all available chapters chartered at the university, campus tour videos included tours of sorority and fraternity chapter houses, admissions applications included a check box to indicate interest in greek life, and housing application packets included information on greek living. Few of these options were replicated in my admission to Iowa State.

While the greek community faces issues of recruitment, I know the same happens for residence hall life recruitment. The effects that the university feels in losing students to apartments and houses are also felt by fraternities and sororities. The university’s current policy to adjust fines to move into a greek dwelling is beneficial because students remain active on campus and continue to play an active role in campus traditions, such as Homecoming and Veishea.

Rather than rivaling each other, university housing and greek chapters can provide each other with valuable input, such as addressing why students prefer to live off-campus, why students choose not to join a fraternity or sorority, looking at the myths and misunderstandings that each respective residency may have against the other.

Addressing the issues of policy concerns as well as misconceptions will be valuable in creating new goals and plans for recruitment and retention for all parties involved. There has been open communication between all sides, and hopefully the respect and cooperation will continue to help us achieve new policies that will improve recruitment for residence halls and greek housing alike.