The purpose of this organization is:

• To conduct fair and equitable hearings for Greek social fraternities and sororities at Rockhurst University (Greek organizations).

• To promote and program events that foster the ideals of Greek life.

• To encourage continued membership growth of Greek life at Rockhurst University.

Welcome to the Greek Council! Our members want to make the Greek community at Rockhurst University a better place to be. As a member of the Greek Council, you will be exposed to an excellent learning experience. As a result of your participation, you will learn about fairness and due process. You will learn how to analyze and evaluate information. You will develop relevant questions, evaluate the answers and make sound decisions.

On many campuses, the University administration responds to problems within the Greek community. At Rockhurst University, we have the opportunity to have a peer judicial system among the Greeks. Surveys and sociological studies of students suggest that peer influence is equally, and often more, effective than influence which is based upon designated authority. Some students respond more positively when confronted by a peer judicial system rather than a University administrator. Also, the students who comprise the judicial board tend to be highly invested and have a close relationship with the students and chapters involved.

The purpose of the Greek Council is to help students receive feedback about their behavior and to make objective assessments about their behavior. If the students’ behavior is found to be inappropriate, it becomes the responsibility of the Greek Council to educate students as to the expectations of the Greek community, to determine a sanction which will encourage the group to change its behavior, and to indicate the consequences of not changing the behavior. Students and staff share the responsibility for the administration of the Greek Council. The Council is selected through appointment by each Greek organization on campus. A minimum of five and a maximum of seven Council members will be required to hold a hearing. The Assistant Director of Student Activities will serve as advisor to the Greek Council.

The consistency of the Greek Council process rests upon the participation of the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council Vice Presidents and upon the participation of fraternity and sorority Justices. All hearings will be comprised of both men and women. The only exception may be with recruitment violations, where the Council reserves the right to have a single-gender hearing.

The Greek Council will be chaired by one of the two Vice Presidents (alternating hearings) and either Vice President may conduct a hearing. These two positions carry responsibilities beyond those of regular board members. The Vice Presidents, with the assistance of the Assitant Director of Student Activities, are responsible for the pre-hearing, hearing and post-hearing logistics as well as the documentation and facilitation of the hearing.

Incidents addressed by the Greek Council involve activities by a fraternity or sorority chapter. Alleged violations are referred to the Greek Council in a variety of ways including: receiving an formal written report by a member of the Rockhurst or Kansas City communities; receiving a police report; through a referral from the Student Welfare Committee; or violations of fraternity or sorority standards of conduct or University standards of conduct. Typical violations include but are not limited to: violations of recruitment rules; hazing; noise complaints; defacing or decorating public or private property; complaints about inappropriate sexual behavior; violations of state or city laws; or violations of University standards of conduct (refer to the Rockhurst University catalog).