10B - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - September 8, 1998 Students need to explore all options before GREEK Continued from Page 18 join any organization, including a fraternity or sorority. The Greek system, particularly at the University does have much to offer the student body and surrounding community. It overflows with active and eager student leaders, stresses academics, par- ticipates in philanthropic events and provides a nearly non-stop social calendar. But the Greek system itself would benefit from an older, more well-adjusted group of students entering their doors during Rush. Almost every negative stereotype that pre- cedes even the mention of "sorority" or "fraternity" is due, in part, to its pledges - members not yet initiated. All first-year students at any university or college are noto- rious for making mistakes - drinking too much while study- ing too little; socializing too much while skipping class too often - and pledges are no different. But after rushing a house and accepting a bid, pledges are welcomed into an environment of older and more experienced students. These differences can give pledges a false sense of security and thus perpetuate the behavior that creates a negative stereotype for the entire Greek system. Both the Greek system and its mem- bers would benefit from a later Rush, whether in the second semester or during sophomore year. There should be no debate that the Greek system has much turning Greek to offer students and those who are certain in their decision to join should pursue their plans. But not all first-year students should so eagerly rush and more important, they should not be made to feel as though rushing later is a mistake or a Greek system "faux-paus." Houses should as eagerly welcome a second-year student as they do a first-year student, and the Panhellenic Association should not allow houses to place a quota on the number of sophomores it is allowed to admit. These actions place an unnecessary pressure on first-year students to decide whether or not to rush and also discourages potential mem- bers from rushing as a sophomore. While rushing does introduce students to others and creates almost immediate social groups, it also secludes those partici- pating from the larger portion of the student body that chose not to rush. Being at the University for the first time should be a year of exploration - students shouldn't be so quick to limit themselves, especially at such a diverse university. Rushing is not the beginning of the end, nor is it the deci- sion of a lifetime. It clearly presents opportunities, but it also takes others away. First-year students should simply be aware of everything at the University before making limiting deci- sions such as rushing. Weighing all aspects of every option will serve students well, both within their collegiate experi- ences and throughout life. Code violates students' rights. CODE Continued from Page 18 member of our "academic communi- ty.") The regents must have felt left out because so many other universities had a student conduct code. The Division of Student Affairs is responsible for implementing the Code. It calls for a panel of students to serve as a jury and either a faculty member or an administrator to serve as an ad-hoc judge. Students charged under the Code cannot consult with a lawyer, and in order for any witnesses to be present at the hearing, both sides must agree to it. The logic behind this policy is that the University must push its standards higher than those in the outside world. And that's fine - as an academic com- munity, the University should have high academic standards. But imposing higher social standards is moralistic and will only lead to making Ann Arbor that much more of a sheltered environment for students. For years, students have protested and complained about the existence of the Code. But protests and speeches at regents' meetings have gotten nowhere. The administration would really prefer if students just shut up about this. Last fall, two LSA students came forward to reveal the circumstances of the Code case between them, violating the secrecy agreement they both had signed. Oh, did they forget to tell you that, too? Any charges that come up under the Code are completely private because someone in the University's legal department decided it would vio- late the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act if they aired the dirty laundry. So the only way any member of the student body found out about the case was for the two students to violate a written contract and come forward, which begs the question: What exactly is the University trying to hide? Is the administration so insecure in the sanity of its own policy that it wants to obfus- cate all of its activities? To borrow from Shakespeare, some- thing is rotten in the state of the University's administration. How else could dozens and dozens of Code cases be tried each year while the University community only gets informed about the circumstances of one of them? With different administrations come different doctrines. While former University President James Duderstadt wanted to renovate the entire campus with almost brute-force effort, as evi- denced by years of constant on-campus construction, Lee Bollinger has taken a more aesthetic approach, letting his "master plan" formulate over several years. With other sneaky dealings like under-the-table contract negotiations and oftentimes closed regent meetings, the Code was very much the brainchild of Duderstadt's administration. Lee Bollinger, however, is a dif- ferent type of animal. He's much bigger into open communication, change and other things progressive than was his predecessor. Duderstadt had his moments, but Bollinger has proven time and again that he actu- ally lends an ear to students' voices. Perhaps, then, he'll be able to realize that students are not to keen on the Code, that it does nothing to benefit the academic and social climate on the University's campus, and that more often than not, neither side of a Code arbitration comes out con- tent. Thanks to the pleadings of Regent Andrea Fischer-Newman (R-Ann Arbor), the Code will come up for review in December. With any luck, Bollinger and the voice of numerous students speaking out against the Cod4 will help sway the board and hasten the outdated policy's demise. a FN a