Malazich resigns from Greek life

Greek life adviser Sharon Malazich will no longer be serving the student community as of Oct…. Greek life adviser Sharon Malazich will no longer be serving the student community as of Oct. 7.

Malazich, who has been involved in student affairs at Pitt since 1999, informed the administration of her resignation Tuesday, saying that she was leaving for “personal and professional reasons.”

Malazich said she had accepted a position outside the University, but that she has loved her time at Pitt.

“This is a great job to have,” she said. “I’ve spent 95 percent of my time working with students. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Students and administrators alike had positive things to say about Malazich. Vice Provost and Interim Dean of Students Jack Daniel said she had always been more than “a nine-to-five-person,” and called her new position “a win for her, a loss for us.”

“I found Sharon to be very helpful,” Daniel said. “I’m very pleased that her performance in student affairs was of such a high level.”

Daniel said that, even though the loss of Malazich would be a challenge, he did not want to stop her from taking what he called “a better professional opportunity.”

“As valuable as people are, we never want to stand in the way,” he said, adding that he knew “the hours are hard for her to work and keep a family.”

Interfraternity Council President Tom Calhoun said Malazich was the person he went to with any concerns, Greek-oriented or otherwise, about life at Pitt.

“I think I’ve gotten more questions answered from her and [former director of student activities] Joe Cavalla than anyone else on campus,” he said. “I think she bent over backward for most of us.”

Malazich’s resignation follows that of Camille Flint, former Black Action Society adviser, which occurred in June. With Cavalla’s departure, this is the third major personnel change in Student Life since May.

Malazich said that, even though the changes had been disorienting, there was no pressure to leave and that she would miss the Student Life office.

“Everybody here that works in Student Life loves what they do,” she said. “I love it here. I love the kids.”

She said her departure was not because of Student Life changes, but more to a reprioritizing of her life, which includes a husband and a 16-month-old child.

“They could, with all the changes they’re making, make one of the best student life departments around,” she said. “How that’s going to pan out in the end, I don’t know.”

Director of Student Life Birney Harrigan said this change “provides an opportunity to do a comprehensive review of the Greek system.”

She said she is going to look at approaches from around the country and discuss with the Greek community any specific needs they have before conducting a search for a permanent replacement.

Calhoun said he has concerns about the University’s ability to find an adequate replacement.

“We both have to meet somewhere in the middle, and we’re worried that there will be no middle,” he said. “We need a voice in the administration; she was our voice.”

But both Harrigan and Daniel insisted there would be significant student input. Harrigan promised to “have them involved completely” and that there would be “wide consultation” in any solution reached.

“You can never replace a person like Sharon,” Daniel said, but added that it was possible to find someone whose work would be “as high a quality” as Malazich’s.

Daniel said that, by the end of next week, he would contact all of the heads of fraternities and sororities with a more clear agenda and direction.

“I don’t want to rush into anything,” he said.

Harrigan said she would try to find an interim adviser until a permanent replacement could be found, and that they would have a better idea of the situation next week.

“We haven’t had much time at all,” she said.

Until then, Malazich said it will be “business as usual” for the next two weeks. She said most of the fall events were already planned, and that she was confident in the students’ ability to continue without her.

“They have some great students here who can come in and keep the ball rolling,” she said. “They do amazing things, and I’m not sure that gets out a lot. That’s the one thing I’m really going to miss about being here.”