Greek Letter Organizations Guidelines
See the message below from Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students, Art King, for further details.
June 14, 2021
Extension of Moratorium on Greek Life at Baruch Until 2024
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
To continue ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of our students, the College has determined that it is necessary to extend the existing moratorium on pledging and rush activities in all Baruch social fraternities and sororities through May 31, 2024. This decision was reached after consultation with senior College administrators and the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). In addition, the USG conducted an open forum and voted to recommend that the administration extend the moratorium for three years.
In deciding to extend the moratorium, we continue to bear in mind that first-year Baruch College student Chun Hsien “Michael” Deng died needlessly in December 2013 as a result of a hazing ritual that occurred during an unsanctioned, secret fraternity event held in the Pocono Mountains. This senseless tragedy resulted in serious criminal charges being filed against a number of Baruch students, which led to guilty pleas, convictions, and upended lives and futures.
We announce this decision to extend the moratorium until May 31, 2024, with Michael in our thoughts and the safety of all our students as a priority.
Sincerely,
Art King
Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students
Updated 2020-2021
The mission of Greek Letter Organizations at Baruch College is to create a safe and respectful community for students while fostering the development of strong relationships, life-long leadership skills, and civic engagement. These values of leadership, service and community function as the pillars of Baruch College Greek Letter Organizations.
In order to be a registered organization at Baruch College, all Greek Letter Organizations are required to do the following:
1. Submit a Letter of Support
All Greek Letter Organizations must submit a letter of support from their governing body verifying the eligibility of the existence of the Baruch chapter for the 2020-2021 academic year. The letter of support must be on official letterhead and clearly indicate the following:
- That the governing body will monitor all activities of the Baruch chapter.
- That the governing body permits the Baruch chapter the use of the organization’s name.
- The contact information for the representative from the governing body.
- Agreement to release any archived documents or communications that relate to the development of the organization at Baruch College.
Please note: If the Baruch organization does not have a national governing body, the letter of support must come from the governing body of the operating chapter and include the original constitution or charter.
2. Register with the Office of Student Life
The organization must be registered as an active organization with the Office of Student Life. In order to maintain active status, all organizations must register with the Office of Student Life on MyBaruch by September 16, 2024. The organization must have completed all below steps by September 30, 2024. For student organizations that OSL identifies as Greek-lettered, there are additional guidelines that must be followed in order to remain active. Note that only previously chartered Greek-Letter Student Organizations are eligible to register with the Office of Student Life. In order to successfully register:
- The organization must submit current membership rosters (noting all active and inactive members) to the Office of Student Life in MyBaruch. Once submitted, no new members can be added to these rosters without the written approval of the Dean of Students.
- The Office of Student Life will conduct a disciplinary check on the organization’s members and its activities in consultation with the Dean of Students Office.
- A letter of support must be provided by the National Affiliate on organizational letterhead.
- All members of Greek-Letter Organizations (Honor, Business, Service, and Social) must participate in mandatory training programs on anti-hazing, anti-bullying, and prevention of sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Following the registration period, Greek-Letter Organizations must adhere to any and all established Greek Letter processes and protocols including, but not limited to, conducting all activities of Baruch social Greek organization on the Baruch campus, unless a specific, prior exception is granted by the Dean of Students.
There will be no new membership intake process for social Greek Life Student Organizations until at least May 31, 2024 as noted in the “Extension of Moratorium on Greek Life at Baruch Until 2024” letter issued by Baruch College on June 14, 2021.
3. Sign Baruch Greek Letter Membership Agreement and Assume Responsibility for All Members
Sign the Baruch Greek Letter Membership Agreement by all members. Assume responsibility for all members (active members, inactive members, visiting members, and alumni included).
It is highly encouraged that organizations schedule a meeting with their respective advisor in the near future to discuss these updated guidelines as well as to ensure a successful 2024-2025 academic year. Thank you for your organizational contribution to fostering a safe, healthy and empowering student community at Baruch College.
Anti-Hazing Agreement of Understanding for Greek Lettered Organizations
