Time to Clean Up: A Look at the Fraternity Cleaning Initiative
by Kyle Trusgnich ‘08
The Fraternity Cleaning Initiative began back in May 2006 when the Board of Trustees began to express maintenance concerns with the administration of the college. The Board’s simplest concern was the proper upkeep of their housing investments, fraternities, in which after the construction of the new Kappa Sigma house, will exceed forty million dollars total. Over the course of the next year, during the numerous meetings of the Trustees, the members began a continuing discussion as how to address their concerns in the fraternities. The initial move by the college was to monitor and observe the cleanliness in the fraternities over an extended evaluation period.
When the college reported their findings this past summer to the Board of Trustees, it became evident to the alumni that an initiative was needed. Dean Raters said that “for the members of the Board and staff that went through the houses during or just prior to this past January’s Board Meeting, the phrasing that was used was ‘there is a clear difference between the level of cleanliness and structural care that was seen and felt while walking into residence halls as compared to walking into our fraternities.’” After these observations, the Board began to discuss immediate measures to help improve the quality of living in the fraternities. The Board awarded a one-year improvement and evaluation period to the college. It was at this point that students of the college started to become aware of the situation facing the fraternities and general concern began to grow. The college created a new position, the Fraternity Cleaning Supervisor, to act as a liaison between the fraternities and the college. This position is now occupied by Charley McCormick, a member of the Campus Services’ staff for six years.
According to Dean Raters, this new position has three fundamental tasks. First, and most importantly, to create a “trusting, mutually respected relationship with the house managers especially and the critical mass of each fraternity.” This fundamental task is necessary to be successful in the other goals of the position. The second task that the administration has given to Charley is to get everyone on the same page. He is charged with the task of explaining and actively displaying the standard of cleaning that needs to be met by all fraternity houses this semester. Finally, the third task is to help assist, through various means, the houses that are below the standard, to achieve a new level of success deemed satisfactory. Dean Raters said that he believed Charley has successfully created the respectful relationships with the fraternities that are crucial to the success of the Fraternity Cleaning Initiative.
When Charley McCormick was asked whether these relationships had been established, he felt that he has indeed connected with the house managers from each fraternity house. Throughout the interview, Charley continued to stress his care for the men of this college and the important space that they occupy in his life. He commented “One thing scares me, I love all you guys and it makes me feel bad when I have to say bad things to you, but I do not want the fraternity system to be lost. They are great places with great guys and we just need to get together to conquer these issues. Help your neighbor to succeed.” Repeatedly, during his interview, Charley reiterated his sentimental feelings towards the men of this college and wanted to see us succeed as a whole. His care and attention can be seen through the multiple programs that he has established to help the fraternity men succeed.
Charley has offered to walk through each house inspection with the house manager, an upperclassmen, or anyone who wants to help. He has offered a number of cleaning seminars but only one house on campus has elected to utilize this program. In these seminars he offers, Charley, himself, goes into the fraternity that has requested help, and demonstrates personally, how to clean a certain area of the house and to the level of standard that is being expected. Charley also admitted that he welcomes positive criticism from the men in the fraternities as well. To create the respectful relationships needed to make this initiative successful, he feels the need to have a reciprocal and open dialogue between him and the fraternities. Charley, when all is said and done, believes that the fraternity men will prevail and that we shall be successful come May’s evaluation. He said that “we are making great strides now.” The improvement that he has seen so far into this semester gives him a great sense of achievement and hope that the cleaning responsibilities will stay in the fraternities next fall.
Charley has put into place the tools that we, the fraternities, need to combat and defeat this challenge presented to us by the college. On the same note, Dean Raters shares the feelings with Charley. The willingness of the administration to stand up to the Board of Trustees and tell them that we are able to resolve this issue together shows their support for us. Dean Raters shares the same sentimental outcome that Charley does in that he believes we will be successful come May.
We have been given the opportunity to succeed from the defense of the Deans and the tools and assistance being given to us by Charley, but now it is up to us, as a Wabash community and combined fraternal brotherhood to display our ability to prevail.
———————————————————————————————————————
This portion of the article is littered with numerous rhetorical questions for personal intellection. The questions concerning the structural form of, what might become, the new cleaning service are simply logistical inquiries. On the other hand, the questions that begin to outline the effects this service may have upon the culture of fraternities and its members will include a degree of personal speculation based on my thoughts and experience. Take them for what they are worth and ponder them for yourself.
No one truly has answers or actual responses to these following queries because of the current state of the cleaning initiative. And as the author learned in the interview with Dean Raters, the administration is not willing to speculate on these conditions because if they do, they believe they will have already accepted the defeat of the fraternity men. However, it is my conviction that there is an absolute and unfaltering need to consider the ramifications that could arise following the college’s decision at the May board meeting.
First of all, logistical questions arise concerning the composition of the cleaning service itself. Will the college simply expand the existing custodial staff to cover the new cleaning responsibilities or will the college hire an outside cleaning service? What will the cleaning schedule be in the fraternities? Depending on when the service comes to clean, how will it affect the daily routines of fraternity men? Will the fraternity men not be able to move inside their house for an hour each day while the staff is cleaning as to not interrupt their work?
What will these staff members think about cleaning a fraternity house on Sunday following a three-house joint fraternity party? All of the fraternity men know what condition a fraternity house is in following a social event and what do you think the cleaning service will think when they see the bathrooms? One can only wait to hear the complaints being filed in the Dean’s Office by the cleaning staff.
The logistical details of the new program do not serve the most important part for this article. The most significant questions, however, are those that begin to outline the greater changes in fraternity culture and how it will affect Wabash men and the college as a whole. This section of the article is not intended to serve as a scare tactic, but rather to illuminate the greater consequences of this program that should be central in the minds of all fraternity men. How will the culture of the fraternities change with the adoption of this new system? To begin to address this question, let us first outline one of the desired outcomes the administration wants to see before our three month deadline expires.
The college, through the means of this initiative, wants to see a shift in the personal responsibility and care of the men in fraternities. They would like to see more guardianship coming from the Greek men but also more emphasis on personal responsibility and cleaning habits. If the College elects to hire and switch to a cleaning service, will that not just systemically and effectively destroy all of the personal responsibility, in respect to cleaning, currently standing and being developed in the fraternities. The college wants the fraternity men to take better care of their houses by improving their own personal cleaning habits.
I agree that each man should and does have a great responsibility to himself, his house, and his brothers to clean up after himself in an effort to alleviate extended cleaning. But how will the college instill the need of personal responsibility to clean up after themselves if the men are aware that someone else, not related to the fraternity in any means, will take care of that cleaning for them. This argument defines the exact attitude that is affecting the cleaning initiative in the most negative way but removing all need for personal responsibility by hiring a cleaning service will not solve this problem. It will only assist in the further dissipation of the personal cleaning responsibility in its men the college holds so dearly to the success of this initiative.
By keeping the responsibility of cleaning in the fraternities, the college will, at the very least, be leaving a chance to change these attitudes which are greatly affecting the upkeep of the fraternities. The specific and individual occurrences which are being labeled as the root cause for the poor cleanliness of the fraternities can and will be dealt with within the brotherhoods. Whether it be through behavioral consequences inside each fraternity or through a ‘brother’s keeper’ campaign, the personal cleaning responsibility will change for the better if left in the hands of the fraternities.
But cleaning responsibility is not the only personal characteristic that would be negatively affected by bringing cleaning services into the fraternities. One of Wabash’s numerous unadvertised benefits is its innate ability to teach helpful and successful life skills. It is true, I have seen it with my own eyes, that some young men who come to this college have no idea how to cook, clean, or even do their own laundry. As much as someone may wish to argue otherwise, an active role in the cleaning of a fraternity house teaches its men how to clean, a domestic skill that will be very helpful during a student’s time here and especially following graduation. These life skills are important to the success of anyone in the ‘real world.’ By removing the cleaning responsibility from the willing and able hands of the fraternity men, the college will be denying to teach a crucial life skill to its men that will no doubt help them to succeed in the future.
The effect the cleaning initiative will have on the personal characteristics of the fraternities is only one issue within the broader cultural consequences facing the fraternities. Most fraternities place the responsibility of daily cleaning on the shoulders of our freshmen. If the cleaning responsibilities are removed from our duties, most, if not all, fraternity pledgeships will have to be greatly restructured and redesigned only increasing the work needed to constantly adapt to the changing society around us.
To the fraternity men, let us take this tough scrutiny and evaluation period as an opportunity for us to change it for ourselves. The aims and goals of the college are only going to make fraternity life better than it already stands. We have failed in the eyes of the Board of Trustees but let us learn and grow from out mistakes. To the college, do not abandon us nor the values that you yourself, Wabash College, holds, so loftily and rightly so, as your mission statement. Let the fraternity men ‘think critically’ to evaluate our situation and develop creative solutions to absolve the cleanliness concerns of our alumni. Give us a chance to redefine and raise our standard to ‘act responsibly’ within our fraternities and on campus. Let us ‘live humanely’ and continue to develop the pride and love for our fraternities that we may have lost sight of in recent years. Finally, allow your students to ‘lead effectively’ the charge to a higher standard of cleanliness and set an example for the younger men of Wabash for years to come.
Related posts:
