Meaner aims for nicer, more open office

You may have seen him in the past, appearing as assistant coordinator for PittStart, or as… You may have seen him in the past, appearing as assistant coordinator for PittStart, or as freshman peer counselor coordinator. Ladies and gentlemen, make way for Chris Meaner’s shocking debut as Pitt’s new Greek adviser.

Meaner began work on Aug. 16, after the March resignation of Anita Triggs, Pitt’s former Greek adviser.

Meaner is optimistic about his new role, after spending the last few weeks of summer “trying to get [his] feet wet.”

He’s received some help in adjusting from Michele Scott Taylor, who is the administrative assistant to the dean of student life.

“She’s always here,” Meaner said, adding that Taylor “knows what’s going on with the Greeks.”

Luckily for Meaner, Pitt’s campus is a familiar landscape. He attended Pitt for his undergraduate degree in physical anthropology and master’s degree in public administration.

Another plus for the Greek community is that Meaner is “not only Greek, he’s Pitt Greek,” according to Kathy Lloyd, Meaner’s graduate student assistant and a sorority alumna.

Meaner was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity during his undergrad years at Pitt, holding positions as community service chair and scholarship chair for his fraternity. He also served as co-founder and president of Pitt’s Habitat for Humanity and president of Pathfinders

In the past, some members were disappointed with their roles in selecting a Greek adviser. After the leaders of the Greek councils devoted time to reviewing applicants in April 2003, they were upset to learn that the appointed adviser, Triggs, was not among the applicants they had reviewed.

This time around, however, student leaders in the Greek community took more active roles, interviewing all of the candidates who were invited to visit Pitt, and expressing more satisfaction with the selection process. National Pan-Hellenic Council President Peuge Benjamin attended Meaner’s interview and felt the method was fairly successful.

“As NPHC president, my main goal was [finding] a candidate that will get to know the ins and outs of NPHC,” Peuge said, adding that he believes Meaner meets such qualifications. The other Greek leaders were not able to attend the interview, but they did help in the selection process.

Steve Mihlfried, president of the Interfraternity Council, approves of the University’s decision to hire Meaner.

“Him being from Pitt and younger, it’s going to be a lot easier relating to him,” Mihlfriend explained, going on to note that Meaner’s time at Pitt has familiarized him with the Greek system’s history.

“He knows what’s been going on. He’s been here for the past three Greek advisers,” Mihlfried added.

The beginning of fall semester marks the start of fall recruitment for fraternities and sororities at Pitt — a process that Meaner has already begun to address. He hopes to set new, more structured standards for recruitment, begin holding fraternity and sorority rushes in separate weeks and make fraternity recruitment more formal.

Informing the incoming freshman class about Greek society has been Meaner’s first approach to recruitment. Last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the Greeks attended the Orientation Marketplace, an event held to introduce freshmen and their families to the various organizations Pitt offers and to promote this Thursday’s Meet the Greeks.

After a recent change, NPHC will also attend this Thursday’s Meet the Greeks event.

Last semester, Pitt’s fraternities faced disciplinary action in response to charges concerning hazing, underage drinking and property damage, among other issues. Meaner discussed punishment within the Greek community. Last semester’s punishments left many Greeks feeling that they were treated unfairly in the judicial process, and Meaner hopes to work more closely with each Greek organization this year, making sure that everyone understands what constitutes a violation and how each violation will be punished.

“Education is a good thing,” Meaner said. “It just can’t be a punishment.”

“It has to be a learning process,” he added.

Lloyd, who volunteered in the office last year and during the summer, in place of a Greek adviser, believes that the troubles of last year do not indicate what lies ahead for the Greek community.

“It was just a hard year and a hard semester,” she said, adding that the period was difficult for everyone.

Above all, Meaner expressed a desire to work with students and administrators and to seek the opinions of all involved.

“I really want student input and administrative input,” he said.

“Greek life is looking to get bigger and better,” Lloyd added.