Greeks keep searching

During finals week last year, the presidents of Pitt’s three Greek governance groups spent a… During finals week last year, the presidents of Pitt’s three Greek governance groups spent a number of hours reviewing applications for the open position of Greek adviser.

A week after finals week this year, the new governance presidents were at it again.

Two candidates in running

When former Greek Adviser Anita Triggs resigned in March, after less than a year in the position, Pitt initiated a new search for a Greek adviser for the second time in two years.

Two months later, the selection committee has narrowed down the application pool to two candidates, out of about 20 applicants as of the semester’s end, according to Interfraternity Council President Steve Mihlfried. Both of the candidates spent time with the governance group leaders during the interview process, he said, adding that he had not been able to attend the interviews.

The candidates also met with Student Life leaders, including Associate Dean for Student Affairs Birney Harrigan, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Students Jack Daniel, Student Government Board and College of General Studies Student Government Adviser Joyce Giangarlo, Student Volunteer Outreach adviser Terry Milani and Director of Residence Life Deborah Furka.

“They met with more than one person, which I think helped a lot,” Mihlfried said.

Although the candidates are down to two, after a third candidate dropped out of the running, Mihlfried said the administration might keep the application process open longer.

Ron Coursey, who recently ended his term as president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the governance group for historically black fraternities and sororities, also praised the selection process.

“I think that the administration is definitely taking a stake in what the students’ opinions are,” Coursey said. “I think that this was kind of a fresh start.”

Lindsay Woods, the president of the Panhellenic Association, added that the governance presidents met one-on-one for an hour with each of the candidates, “to speak with them and address any concerns we had.”

“I think that the candidates that we’ve been able to have an interview with have been very qualified,” Woods said, adding that she was pleased with the voice the student leaders have been given in this year’s selection process.

“We get equal say as the administrators and anyone else involved in the process,” Woods said, explaining that students, administrators and advisers who met the candidates all received the same evaluation forms to fill out.

Triggs not reviewed by students

Last year’s selection process ended in disappointment for some of the student leaders involved, when Pitt announced in June 2003 that Anita Triggs, whose application the students had not reviewed, would be the new Greek adviser.

“We were told that we would be helping in the selection process, but all we did was review applications,” said Alissa Krutoff, who added that the students did not review Triggs’ application. Krutoff was president of the Panhellenic Association during last year’s search for an adviser.

Harrigan explained to the students last year that they would rate each application by awarding points for specific criteria in different categories. In the end, each applicant’s points would be tallied and compared to others. The students involved in the process took time during finals week to review the dozens of applications.

But then Triggs was selected as the new Greek advisor without the students being given a chance to review her application.

“I was very unhappy about it, knowing that I had given up six hours during finals week,” Krutoff said. She added that she didn’t feel Harrigan, in whose office the students reviewed the applications, recognized the amount of time the students had spent providing recommendations. Harriagn, Krutoff said, was not usually present when the students reviewed the applications.

Harrigan could not be reached for comment, as she is currently out of the country, and Daniel did not return a call for comment.

“I doubt that they read all of those sheets we filled out,” Krutoff said of the administrators in charge of selecting Triggs, explaining that they had not seemed to expect that the students would be disappointed when they learned their recommendations did not factor into the decision.

“I asked, ‘How had they found this person? Why wasn’t it someone we had reviewed?'” she said.

Keith Mineo, the Interfraternity Council President at the time, said he spent about four and a half hours reviewing the submissions of the 30 to 35 applicants who had master’s degrees. Although about 60 people applied for the job last year, Mineo said, administrators eliminated those who did not have master’s degrees.

After finals week, when Krutoff, Mineo and then president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Nicole Cofer reviewed and rated the applicants, the students did not receive any more information from the administration, Krutoff said.

Cofer could not be reached for comment.

“Then, months later, we were sent an e-mail saying we were going to meet with Dr. Harrigan,” Krutoff said. “At this meeting, which Ron [Coursey, the incoming NPHC president at the time] drove from Maryland to attend, we were told that they had hired someone, Anita, who they found another way.”

Pitt’s administrators explained at the meeting that the students had not seen Triggs’ application because she was hired in June, while the position opening had been posted in February, Krutoff said. Mineo added that, because the administration continued to accept applications right up until the selection of Triggs, the students did not get to see the resumes of those who applied after they had submitted their selection feedback at the end of April.

“I wasted my time, in a way,” Mineo said of the hours he put in reviewing applicants who were ultimately turned down. He explained that he had felt a little disappointed that the students had not been able to give input concerning Triggs’ resume.

Mineo added that he “thought Anita was a good choice,” and felt that the administrators had considered the students’ recommendations but, in the end, “went with the one [applicant] they wanted.”

Mixed feelings about current selection

Despite pointing out that the administration’s selection of Triggs seemed a little “shady” at the time, Mineo was optimistic about the selection process this time around.

“I think they’re going to do better this time,” he said. “Hopefully, they learned their lesson last time.”

Krutoff did not share Mineo’s optimism that the Greek adviser selection process would involve more student input this time. Saying that she didn’t think the administration had learned, Krutoff suggested that Pitt might not currently be looking for a new Greek adviser, had the selection committee paid more attention to students’ feedback at this time last year.

“It only hurts them more, not having student input,” she said.