Starting Feb. 2, 2013, Greek Life at N.C. A&T will not host any campus programs as part of its blackout period for 2 months

The director of the Office of Greek Life, Shekeitha Burnette, said this blackout period is intended to be less stressful on the Greeks as this is the time when they are handling lots of paperwork and moving into the membership intake process.

During the blackout period on this campus is when the Greek Life Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council cannot have any programs for the campus community.

This initiative has been in place for at least eight years.

The purpose of blackout is for greek organizations to put all of their focus on the new intake and academics, according to Burnette.

Focusing on planning programs, academics and intake can be a challenge, so this is how The Office of Greek Life tries to help alleviate some of the stress.

Having a blackout period also allows organizations to remain in compliance with the university and their national organizations.

There are standards within each Greek organization, such as program requirements, academic requirements, and staying true to the values of their organization which must be upheld.

If this is not enough, when the spring semester comes around and some organizations have intake, there also needs to be an equal amount of focus on the new prospects.

Burnette feels that with blackout, campus programs are one less thing they have to worry about.

Moyo Olusesi, a senior social work student from Abeokuta, Nigeria and member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. says that the two months of blackout is needed.

At times, organizations can have huge intake of prospects. By focusing on intake and having a blackout, Olusesi feels that it discourages hazing.

All of your focus is on intake.In order to have a successful line and remain in compliance with nationals or A&T, the organizations have to give intake your full attention and know what prospects are doing to make sure they are successful.

“If you are not 100 percent into what you are doing, it allows for problems to arise. It is better to give 100 percent attention in one thing for a short time, than 50/50 and end up with errors.” said Olusesi.

Planning programs are important to Greeks because programs represent them and the standards they have to abide by.

Olusesi admits that planning programs is not a “cake walk”.

A lot of effort goes into having a successful program and if organizations do not have a successful program because enough attention was not given then it reflects badly on the organization.

If Greeks are wondering how this will affect their efforts to recruit, they might want to think twice about the blackout.

“I believe that because no one has programs, there is no communication between the organizations and prospective members, therefore recruiting will be affected,” mentioned Sadie Grier, a senior nursing student from Concord and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Though Grier believes the blackout leaves a lack of communication between Greeks and their prospects, she and Olusesi both believe he organizations have enough time in the fall semester as well as in the spring semester before and after the blackout period.

There is time for prospects and the campus community to come to programs as well as get to know the organization.

So far, there has not been any complaints made to The Office of Greek Life, but the policy of having a blackout period is always open and available for discussion.

Grier likes blackout period and takes it as a break from “program overload.”

Olusesi added, “The blackout period helps us to progress. We will be able to look back on what we have done and say there were no problems. You can’t put 50 percent attention on growth.”

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• Kim Fields, Register Reporter