by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
John Dicks, associate director of expansion for the Sigma Chi fraternity, met with representatives from UNM's African-American community on Wednesday to discuss concerns about the fraternity returning to campus.
"We had a good, healthy dialogue that will continue," said Scott Carreathers, director of African-American Student Services.
The meeting was closed to media.
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Members of the Black Student Union, Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, African-American Student Services and African-American Studies participated in the discussion.
Dicks agreed that it was a good meeting.
Michelle Touson, president of Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, moderated the meeting.
"People put out their concerns and the issues at hand," she said.
All opinions were welcome at the meeting as long as they were presented in a respectful manner, she said.
One of the issues raised was the incident in 2001, when members of Sigma Chi taped a swastika to an African-American student's vehicle, Dicks said. National incidents involving Sigma Chi that were racially insensitive were also raised, he said.
Members of Sigma Chi will continue to meet with the African-American community, and Touson has requested the executive director of Sigma Chi to address the UNM community, because Dicks was not prepared to answer some of the questions asked, Touson said.
"I believe that if the president (of Sigma Chi) does not come here to address us - not just the African-American community, the UNM community - that his character is lacking," she said.
The 2001 incident affected more than the African-American community, she said.
"That happened to the UNM community," she said. "It happened to the black community, because that young lady came to the African-American Student Services, but that was a UNM issue."
The most important part of Wednesday's meeting is the future of Sigma Chi on the UNM campus, Touson said.
"We already know what happened," she said. "I don't want to bring that up. But let's move forward. Let's make this positive. Let's make this a healing experience."
Finnie Coleman, director of African-American Studies, said the meeting on Wednesday went well, but future meetings are necessary.
"We set the stage to make some progress," he said. "I don't think that this meeting today provided anything definitive, but it did set the table for us to have some fruitful discussions in the future."
Coleman said Sigma Chi will have to work with the UNM community to make progress.
"Any kind of bilateral effort depends on the two parties that are in discussion," he said.
Dicks said the future meetings will discuss how Sigma Chi can work together with the UNM community to improve the Sigma Chi chapter and the University.
