O-Team Goes Greek

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Author: Mirin Fader

One of the first ways incoming Occidental students are introduced to campus life is through their O-Team leaders during orientation.

O-Team leaders represent Occidental, and the prominent message sent to incoming freshmen at orientation is that Occidental is a college that celebrates diversity — diversity in the classrooms, within faculty, and most significantly, within the student population.

Yet over the past two years, nearly half of the O-Team leaders have been Greek-affiliated. As a result, incoming freshmen may receive a skewed view of campus upon first sight — one that is less diverse than expected.

O-Core is responsible for interviewing applicants, reading applications and reference letters.

Although O-Core chooses O-Team applicants they feel will best suit the job of O-Team leader, Tamara Rice exercises the final say in selection. The application process includes two references and a group interview.

On April 1, O-Core selected O-Team leaders for the upcoming fall 2011 orientation.

At a college where only 10 percent of men and 13 percent of women are involved in Greek life, three of the seven O-Core members chosen are Greek-affiliated.

Twenty-three of the fifty O-Team members (46 percent) selected by O-Core are part of a Greek organization.

Last fall’s O-Team hiring resulted in even more disproportionate figures: 27 of the 50 O-Team leaders selected (54 percent) were Greek-affiliated, and five out of the eight members of O-Core (63 percent) were also Greek-affiliated. One O-Core member was also president of the sorority Delta Omicron Tau at the time.

While it is difficult to distinguish whether an applicant’s success is partially or fully determined by favoritism or whether an applicant is truly suitable for a position, the process of student hiring elicits such questions considering the high prevalence of Greeks in O-Team and O-Core.

Former O-Team leader David Sacci (sophomore), believes the pattern of Greek employment is not a matter of coincidence.

“It’s not a question of who hasn’t been hired, but who has,” he said. “I find it awfully curious that there is such a high number of Greeks participating in O-Team, and yet Greek life is a minority at Oxy as a whole.”

It may be the case, however, that the large percentage of Greek students occupying O-Team positions is due to their commitment to campus involvement and service, as many Greeks are equipped with skills for effective leadership and communication.

The website for Occidental’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon states that members of Greek organizations members naturally take on leadership roles like O-Core and O-Team.

“It is well known that fraternity members enjoy a much higher involvement in campus and community life than non-fraternity members do,” it reads.

The page goes on to list the fraternity’s involvement on campus.  

“The brothers of SAE currently hold the following positions: Staff Manager and Small Event Manager of Programming Board, President of Mortar Board, Manager of Bengal Bus, three ASOC Senators, Captain of the Men’s Soccer Team, three members of the Alcohol Policy Revision Committee, one member of the Presidential Search Committee and many other positions throughout campus.”

Statistically, it is improbable that the twenty-seven brothers of SAE have landed so many leadership positions on campus by chance, but this does not necessarily imply impropriety in hiring.

Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Life Tamara Rice attributes the large number of Greeks in O-Team to their avidity for student leadership rather than a pervasive crony culture at the college.

“People who tend to join Greek organizations also tend to be heavily involved at Oxy. Greek organizations and O-Team also tend to attract the same kind of person: someone who is excited about Oxy and wants to share that excitement with others,” she said.

Aliza Goldsmith (junior), ASOC President, O-Core member and member of Delta Omicron Tau, rejects the notion that Greek favoritism occurs in the selection process.

“Being Greek is not necessarily someone’s primary identity, and I think it’s completely unfounded to claim that these students for some reason have it easier than others.

“I’ve personally worked incredibly hard over the last three years, and I’d like to think it was my work ethic and passion that has gotten me into leadership positions, not being a member of a sorority,” Goldsmith said.

Other O-Team leaders concede that membership in Greek organizations can still have an impact in selection. Former O-Team leader, Laura Bertocci (sophomore), recognizes potential indirect benefits for applicants with such connections.

“If there is any kind of favoritism, I don’t think it was intentional. But I’m sure it does help to know people better and being part of a Greek organization could have an impact. It’s clearly noticeable that the majority of O-Team is Greek affiliated — and I don’t think that’s a problem, but I do think it’s worth figuring out why,” Bertocci said.  

Morgan Maddoux (senior), former O-Team leader and member of Kappa Alpha Theta, believes that although her sorority did not give her an advantage in O-Team selection, it prepared her with the skills necessary to be an effective O-Team leader.

“I don’t necessarily feel like my Greek organization gave me a certain advantage, although I do feel like the skills I learned in a large leadership position within Theta gave me an advantage. Being part of Greek life taught me a lot of skills, such as responsibility, motivation, communication and leadership — all of which made me a better O-Team leader,” Maddoux said.

Rice acknowledges that there are inherent challenges when students hire other students.

“Selection systems are flawed. Are we perfect? No. Do we decline people that may be good O-Team leaders? Probably. Have we picked people that we thought were good but turned out not to be so good? Surely,” Rice said.

Rice said that Greek favoritism in student hiring for orientation groups is not just unique to Occidental but is common at other schools as well.

“At many other schools, there is this same speculation of why O-Team is filled with so many Greeks. This is a common issue across the country. Orientation leaders tend to be Greeks. We know that they might be eager to be the first ones to help the freshman move in, possibly wanting to get the first crack at the freshmen to recruit,” Rice said.

Rice also asserts that recruiting incoming freshmen for fraternities and sororities during O-Week is prohibited.

“Though we cannot control Greek recruiting within O-Team, we make it very clear to O-Team leaders that we do not allow proselytizing. Proselytizing is grounds for termination. That isn’t why we’re here,” she said.

Daisy Garcia (junior), O-Core member and former O-Team leader, asserts that O-Core is dedicated to viewing each student applicant objectively.

“We looked at the applicant as a whole. We don’t separate students into Greek and non-Greek. One of the goals of Orientation Week is to teach incoming students about the diversity on campus. It would make no sense to show favoritism in hiring all Greek members when we are trying to promote diversity,” Garcia said.

Sacci says that Occidental’s commitment to diversity means the high number of Greeks on O-Team is contradictory to the college’s mission.

“Last year during fall orientation, we did an exercise that celebrated diversity in which all of the first years and O-Team leaders stood in a circle on the football field and stepped in or out based on experiences we had. It seems contradictory and a conflict of interest to have a team leading this exercise that is homogeneous, as evidenced by the fact that most O-Team leaders are in fraternities or sororities,” Sacci said.

Although Sacci acknowledges that Greek favoritism seems to factor into the O-Team selectio
n process, he believes that the practice of students hiring other students, despite its weaknesses, is indispensable.  

“Oxy serves as a transition from a more youthful education into a real world education. College is about letting go of hand holding. It’s important to train students how to hire, an essential job skill—I completely understand and support that. However, it’s difficult for students hiring students to have an entirely objective view in the process. What incentives do students have to not hire all their friends?” Sacci said.

Tamara Rice admitted that complete objectivity in hiring is impossible.

“We’re human. If you know someone — their strengths and their weaknesses — sometimes you can’t help taking that under consideration versus someone you don’t know.”

Maddoux cites encouragement to apply for O-Team from Greek organizations as a possible reason for the large representation of Greeks in O-Team and O-Core.

“A lot of my sisters had been O-Team leaders in previous years, and they encouraged me to apply. Being a member of Greek life and on O-Team gives Greek life good exposure regardless of what organization you’re a part of,” Maddoux said.

Lucy Howell (junior), former O-Team leader and member of Delta Omicron Tau, felt that although her experience on O-Team encouraged her decision to pledge, it was not the sole reason.

“I was not directly encouraged by Greek O-Team members to pledge. I had actually already made the plan to pledge in the fall since most of my really good friends were already in Delta. While being on O-Team helped my decision to pledge, it certainly did not plant the seed.”

Rice acknowledges the possibility of Greek recruitment within O-Team leaders but does not feel that recruitment is in any way a goal within the orientation program.

“Certainly, bonds are created between O-Leaders during O-Training and O-Week. It’s only natural that relationships and friendships will happen that involve Greek organizations. But this is not the purpose of O-Team. We can’t control everything, but I do my best to minimize it,” Rice said.

Three current members of Greek organizations declined to comment about their organization’s encouragement of them to apply for O-Team because they felt the subject matter was “uncomfortable.”

Any kind of hiring, whether motivated by favoritism or not, leaves many applicants out.

“No one wants to get a rejection letter. O-Team leader is a coveted position on campus,” Rice said.

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