In the past seven years, two fraternity houses have not only closed their doors because of membership woes, they've been bulldozed into oblivion.
And until recently, many of the remaining Greek houses have been nearly empty and increasingly in need of remodeling or - at least - significant repairs. Greek life at UM appeared to be teetering on the brink extinction.
In the absence of tangible proof of those ideals and with increasing problems of underage drinking, fights and run-ins with local police, negative stereotypes emerged to paint the Greeks in an unflattering light.
Now UM's four sororities and five fraternities are diligently working to shed the party-ghost of decades past, and to embrace more noble ideals, said Emily Yaksitch, the university's Greek life adviser.
She should know. As Greek adviser for the past 2 1/2 years, she's outlasted two of her predecessors by at least one year, and has watched her mentoring and the hard work of students slowly begin to pay off.
“We are definitely in a revamping stage, and revamping our image of the past decade or more by getting to the roots of why our chapters were founded,” Yaksitch said. “These organizations have long, distinguished traditions and I think the current members recognize the honor of continuing that legacy.”
On Tuesday, the ages-old tradition of bringing new members into the fraternity system will begin. What used to be called “Rush Week” is now being called “Recruitment Week.”
The name change signifies a sincere and deep philosophical shift within UM's Greek community.
At Sigma Phi Epsilon that transition is solidly under way, said Derek Duncan, a member and vice president of communications for the fraternity. For them, the change was more than a nice idea. It was a matter of survival.
“About two years ago we ran into challenges - the people in the house weren't very mature and were not a good fit with the organization,” he explained. “The house was in disarray, the leadership not great and our national leadership said something had to happen, things had to change.
“It was a real wake-up call for the house.”
Given clear marching orders, about half of the fraternity's membership left, leaving about a dozen people to rebuild the house in mind, body and spirit.
In 2006, the house recruited 16 new members and was beginning to bounce back when two other warnings came from national leaders: Bring up your chapter's grade point average and get 25 people to live in the fraternity's 12,000-square-foot house to help pay the bills or the doors will be shut for good.
Burdened with such significant challenges, Sigma Phi Epsilon's rebirth began in earnest and fundamental changes in how they did business began to take place, Duncan said.
Among those changes: The house no longer takes “pledges.” When someone wants to join, they are a member immediately without a testing period. Traditions and core values of the chapter are passed on in stages, and in a new program called “The Balanced Man.”
Behind the initiatives are the goals for each of the fraternity members to develop a “sound mind and sound body,” Duncan explained.
In practice, it means each member commits to a physical fitness and wellness program, and participates in extracurricular education beyond the classroom, such as learning about art and touring the Missoula Museum of Art.
“The purpose is so we can build well-rounded people,” Duncan said.
It's not just a nice idea, but a guiding principle inked on each member's Sigma Phi Epsilon T-shirt, which reads: “Building balanced leaders for the world's communities.”
To further the concept, each house member is required to post his personal and academic goals on his door for all to see and read.
“That way we know what everyone is striving for, and together, we can hold each other accountable,” Duncan said.
Becoming a member of the Greek system is not about joining a private club that defines who you are or what you are, said Colin Boyle, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon. “It's a catalyst - it's a platform to help people become more engaged with campus and the community.”
As proof, Boyle said most of UM's fraternity and sorority members are far more than the Greek letters they are affiliated with, they are also UM Advocates, Grizzly athletes, peer advisers, members of UM's student government, and students who take an active leadership role in their field of study.
Last year alone, UM's Greeks donated more than $15,000 to nonprofit organizations, most of which are based in Missoula.
As fraternity recruitment gets under way this week and sororities begin their efforts the next, Yaksitch said UM's Greek life is on track for success.
Membership has stabilized, many of the houses have invested in their properties and made necessary renovations, all have committed to alcohol-free recruitment week activities, and each house has dedicated itself to promoting its core values in a new flexible system that empowers the person being recruited so he or she better understands the character and mission of each house.
“I really do think today's students are much more natural leaders and understand their actions impact others,” Yaksitch said. “Their motto this year is to recruit somebody better than yourself.
“I like that, it tells me they are accepting responsibility and that's the difference - from my perspective - from nearly three years ago to now.”
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