ZOO Shows Determination to End Probation Term

Author: Virginia Harper

Members of Zeta Theta Phi (ZOO) are working this semester with the office of Student Affairs and the Community Council in order to better their standing in the social house community and in the hopes of coming off of social probation by spring.

Every year, the Community Council reviews social and academic interest houses and last spring the organization placed ZOO on provisional status in response to concerns raised about the care of the facilities and the lack of support for ZOO leaders within the organization.

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Karen Guttentag is assisting ZOO members to address these concerns. "From my perspective," she said, "there were two prominent problematic themes last year that the house is working to address - disrespect for the Palmer House property itself and as a result, disrespect for their custodial staff; and inconsistent member investment in the house and lack of understanding and enforcement of consistent behavioral standards for themselves."

ZOO president Michael Velez '04 insists, however, that house members are making a conscious effort to reverse the common perceptions of the membership. "During the review process last spring," he said, "ZOO was asked not to host social events until the review was finished, and the probation period began right after the review of the social houses was complete." Since then, social events and parties hosted at Palmer House have continued to be alcohol free. Velez sees ZOO's current substance-free policy as having a positive effect on common perceptions of Middlebury's social houses. "I think that the present situation directly dispels a lot of people's perceptions of ZOO and all of the other social houses as simply locations for drunken and destructive behavior, with no real social benefit to anyone."

Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson said that the duration of ZOO's current probation depends upon the house's progress "ZOO is on probation until they improve enough to come off. Then they have to come back to Community Council and request that they be removed. So their probation is open-ended." Both Hanson and Guttentag are supporting the house and helping them to meet the stipulations that the Community Council set for their reentry into normal standing.

According to Velez, the house is encouraging members to better communicate with the custodial staff of ZOO in order to foster a more respectful relationship between the two. Threatened with the risk of being expelled from Palmer House - or even entirely from campus - leaders of ZOO are encouraging members to also show more consideration for the facilities that the College has provided to house members and continue to emphasize the physical care of Palmer House.

Velez remains optimistic about ZOO's future and the progress of reform. "The house is trying to not only fulfill the 10 stipulations that the Community Council placed upon the house last spring, but we are also trying to learn from our past mistakes and grow as an organization," he said.

Contributing: Alyssa Thurston