Spanier to sign Greek 'dream statement'; summit to build upon Greek Pride

University Park, Pa. -- The dream of transforming the experience and image associated with Greek life at Penn State is about to take a step closer to becoming reality through the signing of a commitment to the future of fraternities and sororities at the University.

Penn State President Graham B. Spanier and other University community members -- including students, alumni, advisers, staff, faculty and local residents -- will sign a collective Greek Pride "dream statement" in a public event at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, in the Old Main foyer. The statement, developed last August by the Greek Pride steering committee after almost one year of dialogue and benchmarking, represents a new positive, collective vision for the Greek community.

A student summit will follow at 6 p.m. in Heritage Hall in HUB-Robeson Center, where more than 250 attendees will join forces to create future goals. The summit, "Engage the Future," is part of the Greek Pride initiative that aims to identify and expand the positive aspects of the Greek experience at Penn State.

Last April, approximately 250 people participated in two summits designed to discover the core values of the Greek system and determine strategies for realizing the vision. This year’s summit hopes to build upon the ideas hatched last year and implement action.

Approximately 4,000 students comprise 88 chapters of fraternities and sororities at Penn State, making it one of the largest Greek systems in the nation. With Greek life a significant factor in the lives of many students, faculty and alumni, the Greek Pride steering committee -- composed of 23 students, administrators and Greek advisers -- hopes to re-engage the core values within each chapter and strengthen relationships across the community.

"Instead of focusing our energies on what is wrong, we are trying to help all of our stakeholders focus on what we look like when we are at our best -- and to help us to do more of those things,” said Vicky Triponey, vice president for Student Affairs, in an informational report to the Board of Trustees on Jan. 21. "It is apparent that in order to succeed, our various stakeholders -- our students, student leaders, alumni, national representatives, staff and University leadership -- must all re-engage and work collaboratively for the betterment of the Greek experience at Penn State."

More information about the Greek Pride initiative can be found online at http://www.sa.psu.edu/greekpride/

For a recent story about the Greek Pride initiative appearing on Penn State Live, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/9825