Former Associate Director of Residential Education Kristi Clemens has taken over as acting director of Greek Letter Organizations and Societies, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of former GLOS Director Deborah Carney in June, Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life April Thompson announced in an e-mail to Greek presidents Monday.
As acting director of GLOS, Clemens will work with students to improve the relationships between Greek organizations and the Town of Hanover, advocate for physical plants for new sororities and expand local alumni's involvement in Dartmouth's Greek houses, Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"I think [Clemens] has a very student-centered approach to her work, and I think it will be really important for her to find out what their needs are what their hopes are rather than to drive an agenda," Spears said.
Clemens who came to the College last summer from New York University said she knows that the College's Greek system comprises "a huge part of the Dartmouth experience." She said she met with campus Greek leaders last week including representatives from the Greek Leadership Council, Panhellenic Council, Inter-Fraternity Council, Co-Ed Council and minority Greek houses and that her initial focus as acting director will be to continue conversations with students about their goals for the Greek system.
"The College's Greek system is student-initiated and student-led in a way that organizations are not on other campuses," Clemens said. "I don't want to interfere with that, I want to harness that great commitment the energy and the knowledge that the students have of their organizations to move the program forward."
Clemens has not yet visited a Dartmouth fraternity, she said, but did tour Alpha Xi Delta sorority when it first opened this past fall. She said she plans to begin visiting Greek houses in the near future.
"I'm curious to see," she said. "I'm a very visual person and I think that will help me understand what it's like to be a part of this scene."
Other immediate goals include familiarizing herself with the recommendations made by the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee to increase her understanding of alcohol's role in the Greek system, according to Clemens.
Clemens also said she will meet with Kappa Delta sorority's national representative Wednesday to discuss moving forward with plans for a physical plant for the organization. She said she has spoken with Thompson about doing the same for Alpha Phi sorority, which is "next in line" for a house before KD due to its seniority on campus.
"From my perspective as a woman, I think it's very important to get women and sororities represented on campus in a more equal manner," Clemens said. "But I'm just getting the beginnings of the very huge picture of Dartmouth financials, so I can't say where the money will come from or when it will play out."
Clemens who spent three years as assistant director of residential education and three years as community development educator at NYU brings a strong understanding of residential communities and student leadership to the position, Spears said.
Before coming to Dartmouth, Clemens interacted with Greek leaders at NYU as the community development educator a position similar to the College's community director position for a building that housed 1,100 students, including members of 17 local and national Greek organizations, Clemens said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
As an undergraduate, Clemens was not a member of a Greek organization and only 1 to 3 percent of the NYU student body was affiliated at the time. She added that her experience as community development educator "turned [her] biases right around on what it meant to be a brother or sister in an organization" by introducing her to many Greek organizations' strengths.
As someone who was not affiliated as an undergraduate, Clemens said she hopes she will bring a fresh perspective to the Greek system and will be more approachable for students who are not members of a Greek organization.
"Greeks have a lot of social cache, a lot of I don't want to say power but influence on the Dartmouth experience, for better or for worse," Clemens said. "Students seem to have a mostly positive perspective on the Greek scene but there are some who might not and I'm curious to know their perspectives as well."
Clemens will serve as acting director for one year, after which time a permanent director will be hired, Spears said.
Clemens' appointment as acting director follows an unsuccessful search for Carney's replacement in mid-April. The search committee identified three candidates for the position in May, but none was ultimately hired, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"In higher education, this is well beyond peak hiring season," Spears said. "This time of year you would not produce the quality application pool, so it makes sense for us to delay the search [for a permanent director.]"
IFC President Kevin Niparko '12 and Panhell President Nishreen Ali '12 said they were happy with Clemens' appointment despite her relative inexperience with the College's Greek system.
"Sometimes it can actually be a burden if [administrators] have a perception of what the Greek system should look like," Niparko said. "Sometimes it's not necessarily a bad thing if they come in with an open mind."
Due to her commitment to learning about the Greek system, her interest in working with students and her familiarity with bureaucratic procedures, Clemens was "someone who [the council leaders] wanted to see in the position," according to Ali.
"I would argue that students had the overall say in this decision," Niparko said.
Niparko is a staff columnist for The Dartmouth.
Staff writer Conrad Scoville contributed to the reporting of this article.
