The Multicultural Greek Council currently is rewriting its bylaws to better cater to the needs of their member organizations, MGC members said.
One important change already made is the MGC's election period, which was changed to a calendar year as opposed to a school year to allow for a better transition for executive board members. The other important change is the establishment of a judiciary system unique to the MGC.
"Our judiciary committee is based on the Black Fraternity Council's, but we discovered that it does not work because we have different needs," MGC President Julie Chung said.
The MGC executive board sensed the need for the creation of a judiciary committee because the Greek system is different from the rest of the University community, MGC Vice President Christina Ridgway said.
"Right now, issues or problems pertaining to the MGC fall under University Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction," Ridgway said. "If something were to occur, it would be advantageous to have a council of Greek individuals so that things would be taken into consideration from a Greek point of view."
The idea to rewrite the constitution came into consideration last year when many MGC members were proposing amendments to the document.
"We realized that some things in the constitution were not beneficial to the MGC, and our goal is to make the bylaws more clear and helpful," Ridgway said.
One of the major amendments made during the fall semester was switching the election period of the new executive board to a calendar year to coincide more closely with the Inter-Fraternity and Inter-Sorority Councils.
"Before we had the calendar election year, we elected the new executive board in April and therefore had no transition period," Chung said.
The MGC executive board consulted with Chris McGill, assistant dean of the Office of the Fraternity and Sorority Life, about changing their election period.
"Chris suggested that we elect new leaders and turn over their positions exactly by the calendar year because it makes more sense," Chung said.
Not only will the transition period give the outgoing leaders more "breathing room" to enjoy their last semester at the University, it also will enable the new officers to assume their positions more smoothly and seek advice from the outgoing officers if needed, Chang said.
"Since most of the officers are fourth years, their priorities at end of the semester shift from what is going on at the Council to what is happening to them after graduation," McGill said.
McGill said it would be beneficial for all four councils under the Inter-Greek Council to have more consistency among them.
Although the MGC is the youngest and smallest council at the University, it is also the fastest-growing, Ridgway said. The MGC's main purpose in revising its constitution is to foster growth and encourage their member organizations in establishing their history at the University.
"Most people know that we don't have housing, but we want to look into alternative methods of establishing permanence," Chung said.
Read More
Two senior U.Va. Health leaders quietly take new jobs without formal announcement
By Ford McCracken | 23 hours agoKibbe’s departure marks the end of an ongoing battle between U.Va. Health employees and their senior leadership.
Letter from 12 deans to Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
By Naima Sawaya | YesterdayAt the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks to U.Va. students, discusses Ryan resignation and more
By Grace Traxler | 2 days agoIn an informal Q&A session, audience members asked about threats to federal research, the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University, potential shifts in the Democratic Party and more.
