Syracuse University selected two experts to participate in the Greek life review, an administrator announced in a campus-wide email Thursday.

Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience, said in the email the school chose Dave Westol and Karyn Nishimura Sneath, external consultants from Indianapolis, to conduct the review. The university intends to hire a third expert, Evanovich said.

The “top to bottom” Greek life review that Chancellor Kent Syverud announced shortly after Theta Tau fraternity’s initial April suspension is in its first of four phases, Evanovich said. The work currently includes research and preparing for an onsite visit in September.

The Indianapolis-based consultants both have experience in Greek life as members and investigators. Westol is a brother and former CEO of the Theta Chi fraternity and is the owner and CEO of Limberlost Consulting. SU hosts a chapter of Theta Chi fraternity. According to Westol’s LinkedIn page, he provides consulting for nonprofits, associations and men and women fraternities and sororities.

Sneath’s specialities include training employees and teams of people, primarily in higher education. She is also a sister of the Sigma Kappa sorority and serves as a Governance Committee Chairman for the Sigma Kappa Foundation, per her LinkedIn page. SU does not have a Sigma Kappa chapter.

Evanovich said the student conduct process for students connected to the Theta Tau videos has concluded, repeating what Robert Hradsky, SU’s dean of students, announced last week. Fifteen students are facing suspensions of up to two years, The Daily Orange reported.

Evanovich said the university could not comment on the specifics of the sanctions because of federal privacy laws.

SU initially charged 18 students with Code of Student Conduct violations, but at least two students accepted university-sponsored resolutions prior to the hearing, which began in May.  

SU permanently expelled the Theta Tau fraternity in April for its involvement in the circulation of online videos showing members engaging in behaviors that Syverud in an email called, “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.” The fraternity, in a statement, said the videos were a “satirical sketch.”

Other news

Faculty in the College of Engineering and Computer Science participated in a workshop for creating inclusive engineering classrooms last month, Evanovich said.

Earlier this week, the college administrators participated in a workshop co-hosted by the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services. The workshop focussed on the value of a culture of diversity inclusion, identifying and overcoming communication barriers among people with varying cultural understandings and setting examples regarding diversity and inclusion, per the email.

Along with the Greek life review, the university is conducting an audit of its disability services. Syverud first announced the audit in December 2017. The 16-member steering committee, comprised of faculty, staff and students, is now called the Disability External Review Committee. Evanovich said in March that recommendations from the review can be expected near the end of the fall 2018 semester.

The redesign of the first-year experience is also underway. Evanovich said SU is hosting Damon Williams, leader of the national Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy, this week to help students, faculty and staff redesign the university’s first-year experience.

A shared reading experience will be included in the redesign. Freshmen and first-year students will be required to read Trevor Noah’s memoir, “Born a Crime,” as part of the new shared reading requirement.

The Division of Marketing and Communications is creating an internal communications team to improve communications with faculty, staff and students, Evanovich said.

The university’s next update will be sent on July 6, Evanovich said.

Published on June 14, 2018 at 4:51 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert