By Julie Depenbrock

June 1, 2014 — it all ends. But today, for the members of the Implementation and Assessment Group on Greek Life (IAGGL), that date is but a distant blip in the future.

Until then, they will meet every three weeks in search of a resolution to a long-debated question: How can you change an entire culture, while still adhering to a national standard?

Brainchild of the Board of Trustees, the IAGGL is a 19-member committee, chaired by Vice President for Campus Life and Senior Diversity Officer Celestino Limas and comprised of students, professors, administrators and alumni—Lafayette in microcosm.

“Our charge is really simple…to identify a plan for measuring the Board’s four goals they want Greeks to demonstrate,”Limas said.

The goals, according to Limas, are: a comparable academic profile to non-Greek students, comparable conduct, strong integration and a standard of openness and transparency.

Limas admitted that while the betterment of grades and behavior is in the hands of the Greek students, a change in policy is largely up the “institution itself.”

This early in the process, Limas said, it is all about developing and charting the proper metrics.

Coming up with concrete ways of measuring the more nuanced aspects of Greek life, like accessibility and acceptance, is one of the challenges the committee faces.

There are also limits to what changes the administration can make. “What’s really fascinating is there really is no Greek system here—just 10 national organizations,” Limas said. As such, each chapter is at the mercy of its own national rules.

The students selected for IAGGL, two Greek and three non-Greek, all expressed interest in the committee and have been “very much involved in discussion and dialogue,” Government & Law Professor and Faculty Representative from the Committee on Student Conduct Ilan Peleg said.

“The people on the frontlines have a pulse on exactly what’s going on,” Limas said. “We’re the ones who’ll be implementing any change.”

Though their duties will taper off as they approach the June 1 endpoint, for now the committee has a great deal of “heavy lifting” ahead, according to Associate Dean of Intercultural Development and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life John Colatch. This will involved keeping tabs on the progress of the 10 chapters, making certain they are hitting their benchmarks.

“I think if IAGGL works, Lafayette can be a real path-breaker,” he said. “Whether you’re Greek or non-Greek, you should be glad this committee’s working.”

Town meetings, open to the Lafayette community, will be held February 17 and April 13. Limas believes students are being given every option to stay on top of campus issues. “We want someone to make a choice not to be informed,” he said.

Still, in the end, Colatch does not foresee everyone getting exactly what they want.

Limas is a shade more hopeful . “Let’s just play the cards out and see what happens,” he said.