Graduating senior reflects on five years of frustration in the Ed. Dept.

Larry Clow
Staff Writer

“This campus is dead.”

It’s a common complaint heard at William Paterson. But, for every student that says there’s nothing to do on campus, there is another student actively participating in a club, athletic team, or some kind of organization. According to administrators, the problem of apathy must be solved with a concerted grass-roots effort on the part of students. And while many students feel that the WPU campus is apathetic, there is a core group of dedicated students working to make things better.

The decline and rise of Greek life

Vicious hazing, non-stop partying, blowing off class, and acting stupid—they’re all persistent stereotypes about Greek life on college campuses. While those assumptions are still prevalent at William Paterson, Greek Senate President Jess Benedetti is working to change the public perception of Greeks.

“In the 80s, being Greek was really cool, and it was the thing to do,” said Benedetti, a junior. “Then there was the big hazing scare in the early 90s, and all these stories came out that aren’t even true…and when one incident happens at one school, all of a sudden, all Greeks are (seen as) bad.”

Benedetti has been working not only with other Greeks, but also the Student Government Association (SGA), the administration, and professors to change the way Greeks are looked at.

“The SGA has been receptive to the changes we try to make, creating a new outlook on Greek Senate,” she said. “The higher administration has been working with us to project a more positive image.”

Chris Conzen, assistant director of Campus Activities and Student Leadership, agreed.
“I don’t think there’s been enough in the past of changing the stereotype,” he said. “Programs don’t happen here, people haven’t seen the positive effects (of Greek life).”
Those positive effects include a number of philanthropic programs.

“Each org has a philanthropy… they raise money for,” Benedetti said. Examples of these programs include the Alpha Phi Delta “Sweetheart Pageant,” which raises money for children with illnesses; mentoring programs in Paterson sponsored by Lambda Sigma Upsilon, and the yearly campaign for cystic fibrosis sponsored by Delta Phi Epsilon.
“We try and do things for the community,” Benedetti said.

The benefits of Greek life extend beyond school, according to Greek Senate Treasurer Jen Rencher.

“It (Greek life) also provides networking opportunities…it goes beyond school…you have friends once you leave school,” she said.

However, Benedetti said that many Greek organizations are having trouble attracting new members.

“The main thing is always getting new members,” she said. The numbers have been low because we haven’t advertised ourselves. Next year, and the following years, the organizations are going to see the changes.”

One of the challenges to getting new members is the abundance of commuter students at WPU.

“People don’t do it (join Greek organizations) just to do it. They need a reason to do it now,” Rencher said.

Schools with larger resident populations have more Greeks, Benedetti said.
“Our school is a commuter school, and we haven’t found a way to reach out to commuters and make them want to be Greek,” she said.

There are 15 Greek organizations at WPU, with approximately 200 students participating in Greek life. According to Conzen, those numbers are normal for a school like WPU.
This year, Benedetti said that she has focused on improving the public image of the Greeks, as well as their internal organization.

“Right now, to (people on) the outside, we’re small and we don’t really do a lot; to (people on) the inside, we’re still small,” she said. “In the past we’ve had problems with Greek senate…this year we’ve focused on fixing the problems and starting to look better on the outside.”

One of those problems was a split from other student groups like SGA and the Student Activities Programming Board (SAPB).

“The Greeks went through a separation, where we used to be really involved in SGA and SAPB four or five years ago, and we kind of just separated from everything,” she said. “We ostracized ourselves, became our own group…we didn’t realize by separating ourselves, it was going to hurt us eventually.”

Despite a rocky start this year, Benedetti said the three groups are working together now.
“As the year has been winding down, the relationships between the three have been really positive,” she said. “Greek Senate worked really close with SAPB for Music Fest.”

And while progress has been made, Benedetti said there is still work to do.

“(People) still have some of the stereotypes,” she said. “They don’t really appreciate what being Greek is. We’re trying to change their opinions.”

Taking a more active role

The easiest way for students to get involved is through the numerous clubs and organizations active at William Paterson. There are 55 active clubs registered with the SGA, along with non-SGA affiliated groups like the Special Education Club, and numerous departmental honor societies.

According to junior Jason Richardson, his involvement with Brothers For Awareness (BFA) has been especially rewarding.

“When I went to college, I wanted to get every possible experience,” he said. “I wanted to be in a position to motivate other people.”

Richardson, president of BFA, said that membership in his organization is growing.
“There’s about 20-25 (members)…it’s definitely up since last year,” he said. “We lost a lot of members (due to academic commitments)…but this semester, a lot more people are coming back.”

Service is a big part of BFA, according to Richardson. The group recently held its semesterly “Against All Odds” drive to benefit the residents of the Alexander Hamilton Development in Paterson. BFA collected a dozen bags of clothing for the residents, along with toys for the children in the development. Richardson said BFA also invites local politicians and political groups to speak on-campus.

“What we specialize in is cultural awareness and educational type events, balanced out with community service,” he said.

According to Richardson, a better public relations campaign may increase student involvement, but students must also reach out to organizations.

“It’s like a 50/50 thing…some organizations can work harder to put their names out there, but when it comes down to it, it’s up to the students,” he said. “Sometimes, organizations should go that extra mile and try to get people to come out and get involved…but there’s more to getting involved than joining a club.”

Meghan Murray, president of the Feminist Collective, agreed.

“We need to work even harder to really get the word out about everything we're all doing to reach the rest of the campus community and broaden all our movements and activities,” she said.

Murray said she got involved with the Feminist Collective because of her major.
“I'm a women's studies major, but I'd always been very shy and anti social as far as being active with campus activities,” she said. “But activism is a big part of the Women's Studies program, and the Collective needed new officers so I sort of was just pulled into it, and now two years later, I'm the president.”

According to Murray, clubs and organizations need to take a more active role in advocating change and involvement on campus.

“You can't just wait for an organized group to come to you and give you an assignment,” she said. “You have to be the group and decide what action to take by actively communicating with other students.”

Bringing political activism to WPU

Protests, marches, and rallies weren’t an uncommon sight at William Paterson thirty years ago. The late 60s and early 70s were a time filled with political and social activism for a number of causes, ranging from the Vietnam War to the burgeoning feminist movement. And while students no longer take to the streets en masse to protest, the political involvement of WPU students is growing. Recent events, such as the March 5 anti-war teach-in and the April 15 “Support the troops” rally, are examples of the heightened activism on campus.

“I’ve seen more political involvement and action this year than I’ve seen in many years at WPU,” said political science professor Steve Shalom.

According to Shalom, the increase in political involvement occurred before the war in Iraq. Shalom said that the United States government’s advanced announcements of its intentions, as well as an increase in alternative sources of media, spurred political activism.

“Before Vietnam, the general attitude of the public was ‘If the government says something, its true,’” he said. “…People have seen through it, because of the internet and increased access to information and alternative media sources.”

Mytheli Sreenivas, professor of women’s studies at William Paterson, said political involvement at WPU is growing.

“Many of our students juggle multiple commitments -- school, work, family responsibilities, et cetera,” she said. “Therefore, I think students' commitment to activism is all the more inspiring.”

One of the most political active groups on campus is the Peace and Justice Coalition (PJC). According to PJC member Andrew Shantz, the group has a growing membership.
“There are anywhere from eight to 15 people at our meetings, and a lot more on the mailing list,” he said. “Our biggest and most successful project was the March 5th anti-war teach-in.”

According to Shantz, PJC is working to build up activism on campus.
“I think activism simply needs to be built from the ground up. That’s what the PJC is about,” he said. “Once there is a solid base for activism, more people who would like to become active can find opportunities that suit them.”

According to Shalom, the university is supportive of political activism and recognizes its value.

“The administration understands that the goal of the university is to provide education in the classroom and an environment in which students think for themselves,” he said.
Shalom would like to see even more activism and involvement.

“My goal would be for WPU to become the center for critical, dissident political activity, and everyone views their college education as training in those critical skills,” Shalom said.

May 8 , 2003 Issue