After a pledge from Temple’s chapter of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity allegedly told a student worker that circumstances in the fraternity were “hard,” Temple and the fraternity’s national headquarters began to conduct investigations into possible hazing practices.
Joesph Rosenberg, the executive director of KDR’s national headquarters, interviewed 15 members for two days and found no evidence of hazing. The university’s investigation remains ongoing.
In light of this investigation, it is concerning that the university does not currently have a program coordinator for fraternity and sorority life. The former coordinator left the university on Jan. 5, and the position has yet to be permanently filled.
The Temple News fears that when few people are monitoring fraternity and sorority life at the university level, instances of hazing are more likely to occur. Although we hope our fellow students will not haze their peers, we recognize that fraternities and sororities have a history of doing so.
The responsibilities of the Greek life program coordinator include advising Greek chapters and councils. Ideally, this faculty advising could help prevent or address instances of hazing like the ones investigated at KDR.
Lauren Eckel, a graduate student extern overseeing Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Adriane Reilly, assistant director of Student Activities, have temporarily taken over the coordinator’s responsibilities.
Senior Associate Dean of Students Chris Carey told The Temple News he hopes to fill this position by the end of the school year, but it could take until the summer.
The university should work swiftly to replace Hernandez to ensure that students in Greek life are safe and able to fulfill the missions of their organizations.
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