Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Features

With one semester to go, Jeremy Watts, academic chair for Lambda Chi Alpha, hopes to raise awareness regarding the issue of disabled students' lack of involvement in Greek life. According to Watts, accessibility and stereotypes are the greatest factors altering their involvement.

"Ask me a year ago if I would've done this, and I would've told you no. I didn't think it was possible," said Watts, a senior communication major.

Between helping new recruits get accustomed to fraternity life and taking the time to have lunch with friends, it seems there's never a dull moment.

What makes things different for Watts? He does it all from an electric wheelchair.

At the age of seven, Watts was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.

However, Watts does not let that stand in his way, especially when it comes to his commitment to Lambda Chi Alpha.

"[He] helps us improve our grades by publicizing academic resources on campus, pairing up new members with older brothers who can offer advice on their courses and organizing study sessions for those that need extra help," said Lambda Chi Alpha President Bill Norton Jr., a senior mechanical engineering major.

Currently, there are only three disabled students participating in Greek Life-all of which belong to the same fraternity.

"Before the new Phi Kappa Tau house on Community Park, Lambda Chi Alpha was the only accessible Greek building," said Watts.

With this in mind, the members of Lambda Chi Alpha had a game plan as to how they would handle events so that everyone could participate, something that Watts believes all fraternities and sororities should start doing.

For example, Lambda Chi's basement was inaccessible for disabled individuals. Due to this, events were held upstairs so that Watts could attend as well.

"Throughout the whole initiation, anything I did the people in my class did with me," said Watts. "If I had to go across campus and do something, they made the whole class go as well, and they wouldn't let them get in a car and go. It made me feel I was a part of it."

Planning such as this could enable fraternities and sororities to reach out to a wider, more diverse group of people.

"I think many [disabled students] may be discouraged by the intramural and social activity requirements some organizations have," said Norton.

"The way around this is understanding and planning for events that can incorporate the widest group of people possible.

"Disabled students may not realize that a lot of these same organizations would be willing to make exceptions to accommodate another brother or sister that exemplifies their ideals," he said.

The stereotypical thoughts of both disabled and non-disabled students may also stand in the way.

"That's what I want, for people that are disabled to realize they can be apart of it and to not think of the typical stereotypes," said Watts.

Former vice president of external affairs in Lambda Chi Alpha, Matt Selm, said, "I really don't believe that Greeks in general are apprehensive to disabled students, rather, it is the other way around.

"Disabled Students generally hold the same negative stereotypes that their non-disabled counterparts do," said Selm.

"When you compound that with self-isolation, such as not coming out to Rush, they don't present themselves with the opportunity to join," said Selm.

A senior psychology major who is visually impaired, Selm is another one of the three disabled students participating in Greek Life.

Whether disabled or not, a student seeking to participate in Greek Life shares some of the same principles with one another.

A disabled student "would want to participate for the same reason any student would. They would want to form social networks with people of similar interests," said Cathy Patus, director of the Disability Resource Center.

"It's great when students seek involvement. That's when attitudinal barriers begin to dissolve," said Patus.

Norton said there are a number of ways one can benefit from taking part in Greek Life, especially the sense of camaraderie a student can gain.

"I've heard countless students tell me their fraternity or sorority becomes like a family they can lean on in times of crisis. Bonds that close are hard to make in today's fast-paced society."

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