DU Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) is fighting the pandemic head-on as it navigates a new life of virtual rush, physically-distanced events and Zoom chapter meetings.
“Fraternities, like every aspect of life, have been dramatically altered by COVID-19,” said Connor Mokrzycki, the Delta Chi Public Relations chair. “All our brothers have felt the effects of this.”
At the time of writing this article, seven Greek houses at DU have received quarantine notices from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) directing them to quarantine for 14 days after at least one positive case had been identified. In DDPHE guidelines, one or more cases is considered an outbreak. At DU, COVID-19 guidelines require infected students to move to a designated building for isolation such as Hilltop.
If members of an FSL organization test positive, DU’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator—Dr. Sarah Watamura—notifies other members of the organization, on or off campus, of the rising positivity rate. With these cases, DU requires all of the organization’s members to get tested immediately, and the city issues a quarantine notice for the house. This is to ensure any potential positive cases are caught early and the community spread stopped.
“Our Greek life community has been responsive and compliant when additional requests have been made of them, as have our resident hall students and our athletes,” said Dr. Sarah Watamura. “We are grateful for this partnership.”
Every FSL organization at DU has provided its members with a guide on how to navigate the pandemic. This includes important information about virtual meetings, not allowing outside visitors in a chapter home, completing the 5 steps for fall return, limiting travel outside of the Denver area and spending limited time in groups of nine or fewer.
The DDPHE references Denver Municipal Code Section 24-16 as its legal justification for the order, which states that the manager of public health and environment shall have the power to prevent the spreading of an infectious disease “and to remove, detail, isolate or quarantine any person” who has been exposed to such disease.
DU advises every on-campus house to wear facial coverings in common spaces and limit close contact. However, quarantine guidelines make exceptions for residents to obtain food, seek necessary medical care, attend class if a virtual option is not available or attend work.
FSL housing is not alone in receiving a quarantine order from the city. According to the Deputy Director of the DDPHE, Ann Cecchine-Williams, a “recent quarantine order was issued by DDPHE using Section 24-16 to Regis’s Residential Village, an upperclassmen housing complex at Regis University.” Orders have also been issued around the city to “residential spaces where quarantine or isolation was required.”
“MGC has been adjusting fairly well given our circumstances with COVID-19 and having to switch everything we do to online platforms,” said Victoria Martinez, the Multicultural Greek Council President. “Our organizations have committed to the DU Health and Safety protocols, and our members are taking all necessary precautions to help with lessening the spread of COVID-19.”
DU FSL is experiencing a challenge faced by Greek life across America, as it was a financial strain that pressured colleges to open and bring students back to communal living. According to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, CU Boulder currently has outbreaks at five Greek houses. Additionally, CSU has outbreaks at three Greek houses.
Blaine Tracy, the president of Theta Chi at DU, stressed that “the hardest part has been keeping morale up, both for myself and the entire brotherhood.” However, Tracy expressed a commitment to act diligently, stating, “We are all members of communities outside of DU, and our decisions here affect those groups just as much as they affect the school.”
FSL leadership has signed a letter promising to prioritize the health and safety of Greek life members and DU’s community. Fraternity rush is currently being held virtually, and sorority recruitment will be held online as well Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.
