Lehigh taking fraternities to school

Now this may be a way to improve housing conditions in fraternities and sororities on campuses where there is a problem. Not a bad idea. Maybe they should go one step further and give members a transcript grade that affects their GPA. Maybe Sig Ep should start giving a discount on insurance or chapter accounts based on the quality of housing and the other factors we feel are important to quality operations. That way, we would just run the bums out for financial reasons rather than all the hoopla it takes to close a crappy chapter.
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Lehigh University will start grading its fraternities and sororities this summer on how well students maintain their houses, keep up their grades, make positive contributions to university life and follow the school's rules about alcohol and parties.

The report cards, which will be available on the university's Web site in a few weeks, are part of a new accreditation process and overhaul of Greek life that includes a $6 million to $8 million cash infusion by Lehigh to restore fraternity houses.

Model chapters will receive a gold rating and could be eligible for certain benefits, such as not needing to hire outside security to check IDs at fraternity parties. Below gold are four other rankings — silver, bronze, a satisfactory rating and the lowest, an unacceptable rating, which could eventually lead to a fraternity or sorority losing its house.

President Gregory Farrington said the ratings will tell incoming freshmen and their parents more about the social organizations their children plan to ''rush,'' and hold fraternities and sororities to the highest standards.

''Our new motto is: Be great or be gone,'' Farrington said. ''We'll help you with either, but the choice is yours.''


Lehigh taking fraternities to school