The Friday interview: Jonathan Sauls

Jonathan Sauls is challenging all of the Interfraternity Council presidents.

In the wake of the recent string of hazing allegations, the dean of students left them with this message: “If you don’t want to lead, step down and give someone else the chance.”

Greek leaders should take this advice. Embrace the support from the dean of students’ office. Step up as leaders by example while the community handles the hazing allegations.

Sauls said unequivocally that “hazing has no place in the Carolina community.” He believes it is “dispensable, nonessential and counterproductive” to the intended goals of brotherhood and sisterhood.

He supports removing hazing from the Greek system entirely, and he believes a growing number of Greeks are getting “fed up with the old way,” but there’s just too little incentive to talk about the issue.

“This isn’t 1950 anymore — it’s 2012,” Sauls said.

“I will fall over myself to try and come help that organization that is interested in doing it the right way.”

While not a member of a fraternity himself, Sauls wants it to be clear that he is “not a constant all-around critic of the Greek community.”

He said he believes the Greek system does “wonderful philanthropic work.”

Starting his position just less than two years ago, Sauls took over when fraternities and sororities faced increased scrutiny from the Board of Trustees.

One of his first priorities was to work with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Community Involvement to get Greek organizations back on a trajectory for success.

Greek life can play a significant role at UNC. If done properly, chapters — and the whole system ­— can develop men and women into values-based leaders impacting the University for the better.

Sauls wants the Greek community to thrive on campus. However, he doesn’t hide the fact that everything isn’t always perfect.

“We got to quit kidding each other. We got problems.”

When he sat down with the Interfraternity Council leaders during the second week of September, he tried to address the hazing allegations head on.

With nine fraternities facing allegations, Sauls began what he hoped would be an honest dialogue with the presidents.

Reflecting, he said, “I know part of being dean of students isn’t always being the most popular person on campus.”

But he said his responsibility is to all students, not just one particular demographic.

Priding himself on being a straight shooter, he let the fraternities know his office was taking the allegations very seriously.

At the same time, he wanted them to know they were not “assuming just because it is an allegation that it is true.” He has no intention of turning any particular organization into a “pariah just because someone submitted an anonymous report.”

Sauls wants all fraternities, not just those who have been accused of hazing, to come out of this situation having learned from the experience. He wants them to show the leadership skills that the Greek community prides itself in fostering.

He tells those involved in Greek life, “Y’all need to live up to what you say you are going to do.” He says he wants each member to truly live the values their chapter teaches and represents.
Leaders must be “standing for what’s right and standing on principle” for their organizations to flourish at UNC.

He does note, “‘Leader’ is not a title. You can have no position and be a leader.” He believes any member of the Greek community can step up and take a leadership role to remove hazing from their chapter and throughout the system.

That being said, there is no easy fix to hazing.

If UNC “had the simple answer to that, we’d win some prize.”

Cody Welton is an editorial board member for The Daily Tar Heel. He is also a member of a fraternity.