We are writing in response to a front-page article of The GW Hatchet published Nov. 22 entitled GW considers fraternity housing.

As members of the executive board of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), it is our responsibility to represent the member fraternities in bringing questions, suggestions or petitions of grievance to the attention of the University community.

For years, fraternity members have had frustrating experiences when dealing with the University’s administration. Recent events described in the article illustrate one such experience and reflect moves by an administration out for its own self interest and with little respect for any student or group.

The article explains how University officials failed to ask or tell GW fraternity homeowners of plans to take over Greek-letter property and turn it into academic and/or administrative buildings. While rumors about this plan became widespread following a previous Hatchet article, this was the first time fraternity members were made aware of the University’s intentions.

During the past year and a half, the IFC has made considerable efforts to include the University in discussions related to fraternity issues, including expansion, self-governance and new member recruitment. In many cases, we have written memorandums and letters to administrators, including President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, providing updates on IFC happenings. It is rare, of course, that we get a response to our correspondence or even an update on plans the administration has for the Greek-letter community.

The plan presented to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission is just another example of the administration failing to inform fraternity members about issues that directly affect them. Until The Hatchet article appeared, the IFC, fraternities and their members were neither told about nor asked for input on the plan. According to the article, Trachtenberg said, I just started thinking aloud. Well Mr. Trachtenberg, maybe you and the administration that answers to you should start thinking and acting a little more carefully. We find it noble that officials eventually would like to sit down with the fraternity members to discuss these issues, but this is something that should have been done well before a plan was issued and proposals were presented in a public setting.

The IFC also finds amusing the efforts of the University to coax Greek-letter members into believing that this new student village will provide fraternities and sororities with townhouses. In reality, all this new superdorm across from the Health and Wellness Center likely will do is provide small chapter rooms with little, if any, live-in space.

Since the inception of all of these ideas, members of the Greek-letter community have never been asked for input nor told about it ahead of time. If the University really wants to improve communication and relations with fraternities, maybe it should start to discuss Greek-letter issues with the people it affects. Trying to side step fraternities or mislead them into believing something that is not true creates backlash and only makes fraternity members further distrust the University.

-The article was written by the Executive Board of the Interfraternity Council, which consists of Seth Greenberg, Brian Schoeneman, Charles Phillips, Maroun Allam, Salomon Singer and Scooter Slade.