Assemblymember Rodriguez Advances ‘The Greek Act’ Legislation – Creating More Transparency for Fraternities & Sororities
(Sacramento, CA) Today, Assembly Bill (AB) 524, the Greek Act, passed out of the Senate Committee on Education with a vote of 7-0. This legislation would require fraternities and sororities to submit specific information, including but not limited to grade point averages, community service hours, and money raised within their membership to institutions of higher learning. Institutions would then be required to publicize this information on their websites, thus increasing transparency of misconduct.
One major form of misconduct that plagues institutions of higher education is hazing. Hazing is the practice of imposing strenuous and often humiliating tasks on an individual for initiation into a group. The impacts of hazing can be severe and long-lasting, and have too often resulted in premature deaths.
“Although illegal, hazing still takes place on college campuses far too often as incidents are not always caught or reported. Increasing transparency of misconduct such as hazing will hold both education institutions and Greek life organizations accountable so that we can better prevent it,” stated Assemblymember Rodriguez.
Sexual violence is also a present issue on campuses of higher education institutions. The Association of American Universities (AAU) survey of college students reveals that more than 1 in 5 women, and nearly 1 in 18 men are sexually assaulted in college.
Many universities and colleges across the country are beginning to embrace a “scorecard” system to help new students identify the organizations they would like to be a part of. For example, The National Fraternity and Sorority Scorecard aggregates data across member institutions to give a clearer picture of how chapters are performing on key indicators at the national level.
“While progress has been made in curbing hazing and sexual violence, there is still a culture on campuses and within some organizations that must change. With more transparency, students and families can make informed decisions about the social and professional organizations they choose to invest time, resources, and personal safety into joining,” added Assemblymember Rodriguez.
Assemblymember Rodriguez (Twitter) represents the 53rd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Upland. He is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management.