Last semester, the University formally recognized IX Society (IX), which was previously an “underground” local organization established eight years ago. As a recognized student group, it will receive resources like liability insurance and training on hazing prevention and drug abuse.
Former members of the Hopkins sorority Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) founded IX as an unofficial group in 2009 after the University revoked Theta’s charter following a series of disciplinary infractions. According to a spring 2017 grade report for Greek life, IX now has 84 members.
Associate Dean of Student Engagement Tiffany Sanchez said that the University has been reaching out to unrecognized groups in order to ensure they are taking responsibility for the health and safety of their members.
“I’m sure there are very responsible and moral people in all groups across campus, but if you’re in an unrecognized group, we don’t have a formal method of being able to provide you with the resources that are available,” she said. “Now we have a formal mechanism to be able to provide training, education and leadership opportunities.”
According to the Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) website, the University’s liability insurance policies do not cover underground organizations, because these organizations “do not adhere to any policies or procedures of the University and/or inter/national office.”
Sanchez said that the administration and IX agreed to bring the organization under the University’s authority.
“It was not an easy process,” she said. “Any time you’re trying to loop folks in, there’s going to be negotiation and hard conversations.”
FSL Director Calvin Smith explained that the process has been ongoing.
“Under the leadership of our former Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students Terry Martinez and our Interim Dean of Students Tiffany Sanchez, we set out to work with students who may be engaging with organizations not formally recognized by the University,” he wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Sanchez added that although administrators may have initiated contact, the process of recognizing IX was mutually agreed upon. She did not elaborate on the nature of the conversations.
“I think that’s really important that [information] stays between the FSL Office and the group,” she said. “I don’t know how much of that information has been shared beyond those conversations with other fraternities and sororities, and so I don’t want to jeopardize the relationships that were built by sharing information out of turn.”
Sanchez and Smith both stated that they do not know why Theta was suspended in 2009, as the disciplinary action occurred prior to their tenure as Hopkins administrators. Theta returned in 2013.
According to sophomore Dean Chien, Student Government Association (SGA) senator and the chair of SGA’s Student Organizations Committee, SGA was not involved in the decision to recognize IX, although it is currently listed on the Hopkins organizations directory.
Typically, the Student Organizations Committee approves applications for groups supported by FSL and other administrative offices such as Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI). However, Chien clarified that SGA does not look at any applications for Greek life organizations.
“While it may be that IX Society submits an application form to SGA, we will not review them,” he wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “We instead will refer such an application to [FSL]. [FSL] has the final say on whether IX society will be recognized.”
The IX Society and the Pan-Hellenic Council declined to comment for this article
Correction: In the print edition of this article, the IX society was characterized as a sorority when in fact the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life recognizes them as a "local organization."
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