Carleton’s students may soon be funding fraternities and sororities, after the Carleton University Students’Association (CUSA) approved a Greek funding committee Feb. 25 which will be set up at a future meeting.
The committee will make recommendations to CUSA council about funding fraternities and sororities.
“It’s one step forward to making [Greek organizations] more legitimate on our campus and in our community,” said CUSA vice-president (finance) Michael De Luca, who moved the motion to set up the committee.
Most of the committee’s seats are for representatives of Greek organizations. The committee’s recommendations, while decided by majority vote, do not “bind” the full CUSA council, De Luca said.
The committee will include four CUSA executives, two CUSA councillors, Carleton’s Greek Council president, and one representative from each of the 13 fraternities and sororities represented on the Greek Council.
Debate on creating the committee began with a request by public affairs councillor Alex Watson that anyone sitting on a Greek organization recuse themselves “on the grounds they could financially benefit.”
“We’re trying to start something legitimate, a funding process for a huge group on campus that yes, I am a part of, and I am proud of,” said CUSA vice-president (student issues) Hayley Dobson, who is listed as a member of the Tau Sigma Phi sorority at Carleton on their website.
“This student association should represent students, and act on their behalf and forward their interest,” De Luca said.
He said funding Greek organizations would be no different than funding other clubs and societies.
“We’re not being inclusive towards all organizations on campus,” he said.
Not all councillors were happy with the motion.
“The point of CUSA’s clubs and societies is that anyone can join,” Food Centre co-ordinator Sarah McCue said.
“Why do you think this legitimization should come at possibly a huge cost to students’ pockets, who have nothing to do with Greek life on campus?”
De Luca said the committee will discuss this issue, as well as the amount of funding and what that funding would pay for.
“We’re not sure where we want the money to go,” said Tau Kappa Epsilon Greek Council representative Mathew Clancy. He said the decision will be made by the entire Greek council, but that his organization would like to see funding go towards philanthropic causes.
Clancy said membership at his fraternity is open— “We have people of every race, every religion”— but acknowledges that after the rushing process “membership associates” gain full membership at the discretion of the existing members.
He said fraternity membership costs around $475 annually.
Funding Greek organizations was a platform promise for the A Better Carleton slate, which swept the 2013 CUSA executive elections.
Some councillors called the timing of the motion into question, saying De Luca introduced the motion to gain Greek support for his election to the university’s Board of Governors as an undergraduate representative.
A proposal by public affairs councillor Sean White to postpone the decision to create the committee until after the Board of Governors elections failed.
“If this was something campaigned on during the elections, why are you doing it now? Why not let the next council and next executive do it?” he asked.
“This has been a long time coming,” De Luca said.
“Regardless of my Board of Governors campaign, over the next two weeks, I’m going to continue pushing for this issue . . . because I care about this issue, not because I’m running for Board of Governors.”
