GThe
UILFORDIAN
Guilford Student Begins Sigma Chi Alpha Chapter
Courtney T. Roberts
News Editor
Chris Tigani is on a mission. He is trying
to build a foundation for the possibility of
Guilford accepting the Greek system of
fraternities and sororities.
"This is something I have always wanted
to do at college," said Tigani. The estab
lishment of Sigma Chi Alpha is Tigani's
goal. "Some students feel a need for the
Greek system," said Tigani. "Guilford
needs to adapt to some of the students'
needs."
Tigani's efforts have allowed him to
successfully establish his own fraternity,
complete with Greek letters and numbers
but without sponsorship from a national
chapter or Guilford College. Sigma Chi is
a Greensboro fraternity with only Guilford
College students. The fraternity is not
registered with the National Fraternity
Council. In order for Sigma Chi Alpha to
be nationally recognized Guilford would
have to approve the fraternity's affiliation
with the school.
Guilford's Quaker philosophy has kept
fraternities and sororities from previously
being formed. Tigani's hope is that in five
or ten years Guilford will see a need for the
Greek system to be established on campus.
Classes Reassigned Following Professors' Deaths
Justin Cohen
Assistant News Editor
Efforts to minimize scheduling adjust
ments due to the recent deaths of profes
sors Grimsley Hobbs and John Grice have
been fairly successful, according to the
chairmen of the departments in which they
taught
Hobbs, a professor in the philosophy
department and onetime president of
Guilford, died of a heart attack on Novem
ber 19. Two days later Grice also suffered
a fatal heart attack. An associate professor
in the Justice and Policy Studies Depart
ment, Grice had taught at Guilford for IS
years.
In each situation, two of the three courses
each professor was scheduled to teach will
remain in place, while one of the three will
Special Insert Section: The Best of 1990
Vol. 75, No. 10 Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. Dec. 10, 1990
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Chris Tigani/photo by Charles Almy
"Some feel the establishment of Sigma
Chi is elitist. They would rather it be
referred to as a social organization. They
have an 'Animal House' idea about frater
nities," said Tigani.
To support his argument, Tigani cites
Swarthmore College as an example of a
Quaker school that has adopted the Greek
system. At Swarthmore, anyone can join
any fraternity. There is no selective proc
ess for members.
be cancelled.
Next semester, Grice was slated to teach
JPS 101 (Introduction to Criminal Jus
tice), JPS 340 (Public Analysis and Public
Administration) and IDS 401 (Political
Crime).
JPS 101 will now be taught by Richard
Kania, who has extensive experience teach
ing that course. Kania will be handling
what is referred to as an "overload" situ
ation, in which a professor teaches more
than three courses.
JPS 340 will also remain in place. The
instructor is yet to be determined, but is
likely to be someone who would join the
faculty in a part-time capacity. Currently,
an interview process is underway. Among
those who have expressed interest in the
position is a doctoral candidate at UNCG
and a retired criminal justice professor at
He said there is a stereotype that haunts
fraternities. Drunken parties, uncontroll
able behavior and destructiveness, are some
images that people have when fraternities
are mentioned. "We, as a fraternity, want
to do good things for the school, such as
working as an organization on Work Day
in the spring, providing leadership and
responsibility opportunities and, of course,
lasting brotherhood is also a plus side of
fraternities. It's a place for people with
common interests to gather. Partying is
only part of fraternity life," said Tigani.
When asked about membership Tigani
said that as of now any male can join; in the
future they may decide, if other fraternities
are approved, to adopt the traditional fra
ternity rush process. Now there are about
15 members and other students have ex
pressed an interest in joining.
"There are students on campus who want
the Greek system to be established. Women
have even approached me expressing inter
est in the establishment of a sorority," said
Tigani.
He said Sigma Chi Alpha is not trying to
cause trouble. They are not asking for
money, support, or recognition from the
school. "We just want to give something
to Guilford that they don't have," said
Tigani.
Ferrum College.
Grice's IDS 401 will be cancelled.
Justice and Policy Studies Department
Chairman Barton Parks cited a number of
reasons for the cancellation.
"[Grice] was such a popular teacher that
we felt people took the course because of
him [teaching it],"explained Parks. ,4 There
are enough slots in other IDS classes to
serve the needs of the seniors."
Parks also indicated it would have been
difficult to find another professor who
could teach such a unique course as well as
Grice could.
"We could have found someone, but it
sure wouldn't have been like Grice," said
Parks.
Even though the deadline for a student to
see CLASSES on page 9 >■
Tigani has been asked why, if he wanted
fraternities and sororities, did he not go to
another school. "Guilford is a school that's
known for respecting peoples' different
ideas. I have an idea and I hope people will
respect what I believe in and not hold it
against me as the community did a few
years ago when students tried to establish
a Greek system."
Tigani said that Milner going co-ed is
taking away the all-male fraternity like
residence hall and offering no other viable
alternatives."
"Guilford should re-evaluate their posi
tion on the tradition of not having fraterni
ties if they are going to break the tradition
of M ilner being an al 1-male residence hall,"
said Tigani.
Director of Residential Life Richard Ford
had no comment on Sigma Chi Alpha and
said there have been no official discus
sions within the administration about the
fraternity.
Though the idea of a fraternity is not
new at Guilford it seems to have already
progressed farther than the previous at
tempts. Perhaps with Tigani's continued
efforts and Guil fords eventual acceptance
Tigani's mission of a Greek system at
Guilford may be completed.
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