The eight professional fraternities on campus will likely be reorganized under the Off Campus College with the rest of greek life by the end of the semester.
“The Professional Fraternity Council (PFC) organizations will be recognized through the same administrative mechanism as social fraternities and sororities,” said Brian T. Rose, vice president for Student Affairs.
Rose explained that the professional fraternities would be arrayed in their own council as they are now “due to organizational differences between the professional fraternities and social organizations.”
According to OCC Director David Husch, PFC, and later the individual professional fraternities, will be presenting their organizations to the Fraternity/Sorority Leadership Board to be recognized by greek life.
Husch, who is chair of the Leadership Board, said each organization has been given a series of steps they need to accomplish to be formally recognized. The checklist includes written acknowledgement of the responsibilities of each chapter, with each organization matching up its bylaws with the PFC and providing Binghamton University with full membership information.
Daniel Levin, president of PFC, said he believes the move will allow for more unity between the fraternities.
“Previously, only three [of the professional fraternities] were chartered under the Student Association,” Levin, a senior political science major, said.
Levin explained that presidents of the different professional fraternities had met as early as last fall to discuss the possibility of the move. He also said that the reorganization will allow the PFC to become more of a formal governing body over the fraternities and better represent their interests.
Patrick Walling, president of Delta Sigma Pi, echoed Levin’s statement.
“Moving under greek life means that the PFC will be more organized and that the eight professional fraternities will be more encouraged to interact,” Walling said.
Peter Spaet, president of Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity, said he had been pushing for the reorganization.
“Greek life is the more appropriate place for the way we operate,” Spaet, who is also the SA’s vice president for Academic Affairs, said.
Other professional fraternity presidents shared Spaet’s enthusiasm for the change.
“Delta Sigma Pi is very excited to move under greek life and I know I don’t speak for [just] myself when I say that,” Walling, a senior accounting major, said.
Lauren Rubenstein, president of Alpha Phi Omega, and Armand Orlando Khatri, president of Alpha Kappa Psi, both said they were excited about the extended opportunities the reorganization could allow.
“We hope it [the move] will get our name out to more students,” Rubenstein said.
Khatri explained he was happy that the professional fraternities would be able to participate in this year’s Greek Week.
Levin also stated he was excited about the prospect of taking part in Greek Week, and that he had been working to get the professional fraternities’ flags to hang in the Glenn G. Bartle Library with the social fraternities’ flags.
Levin said improving the relationship between professional and social fraternities is important to the PFC.
“Professional fraternities provide the same social aspects of brotherhood and sisterhood as social fraternities and sororities, plus the benefits of preparing you for after college,” Levin said.
Levin, Husch and Rose all said they expected the process to be finished by the end of the semester.