Baruch Extends Moratorium on Pledging for Three Years

May 5, 2015

Dear Baruch College Students,

After careful consideration and consultation with the Undergraduate Student Government, members of the existing social Greek clubs on campus, the Office of Student Life, and the College President and his cabinet, Dean of Students Art King and I have come to the difficult decision to extend the moratorium on pledging and rush activities in all Baruch social fraternities and sororities for a period of three years, effective June 1, 2015. Our overriding interest is in ensuring the safety, well-being, and development of our students; while we know this outcome is not what the members of our fraternities and sororities had hoped for, we firmly believe this course of action is in the best interest of the aforementioned goals.

Dean King and his staff will continue to work closely with the 94 students who currently are still active members of Greek social organizations, both to ensure strict compliance with our policies governing student organizations and the terms of the moratorium, and to guide students in developing the leadership skills to contribute productively to a healthy and safe campus community.

All social Greek organizations on campus must comply with three important rules during the moratorium:

Submit accurate rosters of all current members to the Office of Student Life. Once submitted, no new members can be added to these rosters without the written approval of the Dean of Students.
Participate in mandatory training programs on anti-hazing, anti-bullying, and prevention of sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Conduct all activities of Baruch social Greek organizations on the Baruch campus, unless a specific, prior exception is granted by the Dean of Students.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to grapple with the issues associated with Greek life on the 21st century college campus, as so many other colleges across the nation are also doing.
Best wishes for a successful end to the spring semester.

Sincerely,

Dave Christy
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs