President Greg Hess told student leaders during Thursday's HELP session for fraternity officers and dormitory RAs.
The Wabash Housing and Education Leaders Partnership (HELP) program features speakers, workshops, and education to make sure things go smoothly through strong leadership in all of the College's living units.
President Gregory Hess opened the session with brief remarks encouraging the young men not just to be leaders but to be the kind of leader who always thinks about doing the right thing first. "At Wabash, that 'doing the right thing' is manifested in the Gentlemen's Rule," the new President said. "You come here and have a lot of responsibility before you. I appreciate that and the institution appreciates that and we want you to take it seriously."
Dean of Students Mike Raters took over and delved into the Gentleman's Rule, Indiana Law, and issues with fraternity life. He shaped his remarks around a recent sports marketing theme of "Protect This House."
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"A Gentleman thinks of others first," Raters said when talking with the young men about how freshmen and fraternity pledges should be treated. "The Gentleman's Rule is in effect at all times. Yes, during the Bell Game. Yes, during Homecoming. Yes, during pledgeship. Yes, during rush. And, yes all of the time."
He went through key points of Indiana Law on hazing and reminded the young men that many of their national fraternities have more strict rules than state law."
The students spent the remainder of the afternoon in sessions on Safety with Crawfordsville fire and police officials along with campus Security Director Rich Woods. They had sessions on substance abuse, mental health issues, recruitment, and dealing with confrontation.
The day ended with dinner and sharing information learned throughout the day.