Resolution On Risk Management

Passed June 24, 1990, Revised July 8, 1991

WHEREAS, legal liability poses the greatest threat to the financial well-being and perhaps the existence of Greek organizations today, and

WHEREAS, some fraternity chapters, through ignorance or disregard of legal liability, operate in such a way as to jeopardize their own well-being, that of their national organization, the campus Greek system, and the North American Greek movement, and

WHEREAS, some chapters incur unacceptable legal liability through alcohol abuse, illegal drug use, hazing activities, sexual abuse, and failure to meet acceptable fire, health, and safety standards, and

WHEREAS, of all the means of incurring unacceptable legal liability the abuse of alcohol has often been rated the most prevalent and primary contributor to other risks, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the College Fraternity Editors Association member organizations fully support all of the educational programming and risk management standards instituted within all Greek organization chapters, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that education on risk management, for undergraduates and alumni, should be a highly priority in Greek communication programs, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that care should be taken in editing all Greek communications so as to assure that content is in accord with the spirit of risk management standards and of those standards of the publishing organization.

Resolution On Clear Writing

Passed June 24, 1990

WHEREAS, the use of gross euphemism and circumlocutory language to deceive, mislead or obfuscate—known informally as “doublespeak”—has become increasingly evident in business, government, the military, education and associations, and

WHEREAS, Greek organizations are dedicated to the highest standards of honesty in all forms of behavior,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the College Fraternity Editors Association condemns the use of intentionally deceptive, misleading or obfuscatory language by any person or organization, Greek or non-Greek, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that only clear, honest language is acceptable in any form of Greek communication.

Resolution On Little Sister/Big Brother Groups

Passed July 8, 1991

WHEREAS, the North American Greek Movement offers excellent opportunities for both men and women to share a fraternal experience, and

WHEREAS, women’s auxiliary groups organized by men’s Greek organizations (commonly called “little sister” groups) and men’s auxiliary groups organized by women’s Greek organizations (commonly called “big brother” or “little brother” groups) too often interfere with proper chapter operations, blur the distinction between men’s and women’s organizations and result in the fostering of inappropriate attitudes towards sexual roles, and

WHEREAS, the College Fraternity Editors Association’s member organizations, individually and collectively, have adopted policies opposed to little sister/big brother groups,

NOW, THEREFORE LET BE RESOLVED that the College Fraternity Editors Association supports its members organizations’ opposition to little sister/big brother groups, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that care should be taken in Greek communications to assure that no legitimacy is given to such auxiliary groups except in a historical context.

Resolution On Soy Ink

Passed July 8, 1991

WHEREAS, North American history is rooted in the industry of agriculture, and

WHEREAS, the food and fiber industry is basic to human existence, and

WHEREAS, the protection and preservation of the environment is vital to continued existence, and

WHEREAS, soybean oil-based printing ink is a tested and proven product which provides a new market for an agricultural farm product and replaces petroleum-based inks with an environmentally friendlier alternative, and

WHEREAS, soy ink has been shown to emit less toxic vapors into the atmosphere and to improve the paper recycling process;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the College Fraternity Editors Association supports the use of soy ink in all of its member publications, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the College Fraternity Editors Association and its members will urge their commercial printers to use soybean oil-based inks for all other publications and printing;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all member fraternities using soy ink are encouraged to display the SoySeal trademark of the American Soybean Association to indicate its use of soy ink, and to demonstrate that the fraternity supports environmental awareness, and products made in North America.

Resolution On Human Dignity

Passed July 11, 1992

WHEREAS, the concept of the community of humanity is basic to the viewpoint of the North American Greek movement, and

WHEREAS, the College Fraternity Editors Association member organizations are all devoted to fostering friendship and understanding among individuals with common ideals and interests, and

WHEREAS, said member organizations are also devoted to the personal growth and betterment of their individual members, and

WHEREAS, all forms of bigotry, chauvinism, and self-proclaimed superiority are antithetical to Greek ideals in that they deny the community of humanity and prevent personal growth, and

WHEREAS, the single-sex status of some member organizations is based upon the value of single-sex bonding and support groups and not upon any perceived superiority of one gender over the other, and

WHEREAS, any act, attitude or communication by a member or members of any Greek organization meant to demean other human beings on irrational grounds is instead demeaning to other Greek ideals, and

WHEREAS, some institutions of higher education have established or are attempting to establish rules that abolish single-sex fraternal or social organizations,

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Fraternity Editors Association firmly opposes all physical, verbal, psychological, or sexual abuse of other human beings on such irrational basis as ethnic background, race, religion, membership status, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or state of health, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the College Fraternity Editors Association firmly opposes oppression, repression, or other steps by institutions of higher education that interfere or do away with single-sex fraternal or social organizations, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said opposition should be both apparent in and promoted through Greek communications.

Resolution On Annual Conferences

Passed July 8, 2000

WHEREAS, the College Fraternity Editors Association has met in conjunction with the Fraternity Executives Association for its Annual Conference for a number of years with CFEA exerting little influence over location or budgetary caps for the conference;

WHEREAS, the College Fraternity Editors Association lost more than $10,000 on the 1999 Annual Conference at Saddlebrook Resort and expects similar losses from the 2000 Annual Conference in Palm Springs, CA;

WHEREAS, these 1999 cost overruns occurred despite a CFEA registration fee that was nearly double that of FEA’s conference registration fee;

WHEREAS, with CFEA having little influence over conference sites, the cost of airfares into locations such as Palm Springs can be nearly three times that of more central locations;

WHEREAS, cost comparisons between the property and location CFEA is considering for the 2001 annual conference will save CFEA members more than $400 per attendee compared to the 2000 Annual Conference in Palm Springs;

WHEREAS; recent resort locations have added significantly to the expense of travel for speakers to the CFEA conference;

WHEREAS; back-to-back CFEA and FEA conferences require two-hat-wearing executives and staff members to be out of the office for six to seven days if they are attending both conferences;

WHEREAS; expensive, remote resort locations such as Palm Springs have prevented a handful of potential sponsors from sponsoring and attending the annual conference;

WHEREAS; the conference needs of CFEA are substantially different than those of FEA and, consequently, the amount of needed meeting room space is much less with CFEA;

WHEREAS; hotels frequently fail to distinguish that the CFEA and FEA conferences are two distinct conferences, due to similar names, and often mishandle the needs of CFEA attendees or the requests of the conference planning committee;

BE IT RESOLVED that CFEA hold a stand-alone Annual Conference (separate from the FEA annual conference) from May 3 - 6, 2001, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, OH;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the future, CFEA hold its Annual Conferences in locations that are publishing hubs and/or affordably accessible central metropolitan locations;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the future, the CFEA Board not plan the CFEA Annual Conference any closer than two weeks from the date of the FEA annual conference—and the CFEA Annual Conference take place between May and July;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the future, the CFEA Vice President and Executive Board shall announce the location and dates of the following year’s Annual Conference during that year’s Annual Conference. The recommendation to be made by the Vice President with the Executive Board’s approval.