The Student Affairs office is constantly in search of ways to improve student satisfaction, an issue that has become increasingly urgent with rising concerns about student retention. Student Affairs has regularly conducted surveys to assess student attitudes. What they noticed was a direct correlation between student involvement and student satisfaction, which was especially true of students who were active in Greek organizations. This led the College to consider expanding the Greek system on campus.

Monmouth College has a strong Greek tradition.  Fraternities and sororities have come and gone almost since the College’s founding. So, when the school resolved to establish another fraternity on campus, it started by extending invitations to fraternities that had a history at MC. The overall response was enthusiastic, and the school followed up with a general mailing to students to gauge interest for the new fraternity.

Senior Ben Sauer, a political science major, expressed his interest in the project and has since worked closely with the administration to recruit other students to the project. The administration has relinquished much of the control in the developmental phase to the students who will serve as the founding members of the new organization.

Sauer campaigned to individuals who he thought would be interested in an alternative, value-centered fraternity. These individuals now form the current executive board of the future organization; they are: Ben Sauer, president; freshman Alex Rolling, vice president; freshman Craig Maher, secretary and historian; sophomore Joseph Moran, duty and morale officer; sophomore Demarkco Butler, recruitment and public relations.

These men have participated in many of the decisions leading up to this point. Most importantly, they narrowed the list of potential fraternities to four: Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Psi.  In doing so, they considered creeds, symbols, values, strength of the national chapter and length of colonization period. From the beginning, the new fraternity was intended as a more traditional organization. It will focus on community building through philanthropic activities and scholarship. The length of the colonization period was important because the men would like to be chartered and active as soon as possible. The group has already committed to membership in the Monmouth College Political Action Committee (MCPAC) which would make them the first Greek organization on campus to do so. This is in line with the group’s aim to “set a new tone” for Greek life at Monmouth.

The executive board has personally contacted men for membership who they believe exemplify values that will complement and benefit their organization. They have also invited these individuals to attend an interest meeting in the upcoming weeks. The timing will allow potential members to participate in the selection process. The four fraternities will send representatives to campus during the last weeks of November and early December to present to this core group of members as well as members of the administration, including President Ditzler, and the already existing fraternities and sororities. The fraternity will be opened to general interest once the initial members have agreed on one of the four organizations.

Michelle Merritt-Gilbert, assistant dean of students, says she believes the new fraternity will be a rejuvenating force on campus. She is also excited about what this portends for the rest of the Greek system at Monmouth.

Return to Home -- Return to News