Office of Greek Affairs apologizes for Vespers
Chander Wilkens, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council; Mike Poggemiller, president of the Interfraternity council; Kara Rasmusson, president of the Collegiate Panhellenic council; and Rachel Ramirez, president of the Multicultural Greek Council appeared on stage at Vespers to give awards to Iowa State’s fraternities and sororities. Vespers was held Sunday night at Stephens Auditorium.
April 12, 2017
More than a week after the annual Vespers awards ceremony for Iowa State’s greek community, the Office of Greek Affairs has released a statement — available on their Facebook page — expressing its apologies for the “racially charged interactions at Vespers.”
In its statement, the office apologized to alumni, current members and prospective members, and detailed that what took place on April 2 is “not tolerated in the Greek community at Iowa State.”
It encourages anyone with information about the events to come forward to either its office or the Office of Equal Opportunity so those responsible may be held accountable.
They recognize in the statement that “there is more work to be done to align the Greek community with our own core values… to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive campus” and that they are dedicated to doing better.
Moving forward, the Office of Greek Affairs sees the events and response to the events as a “call to action.” Throughout the process, it will focus on being transparent and keeping the community up to date on changes.
The office plans to lead its community and the campus toward inclusivity, creating a “… safe environment for all ISU students.”
