Following a presentation by representatives of Penn State and the Interfraternity Council (IFC) last night, some State College Borough Council members remained skeptical of the university's plan to reconnect the greek system to the community.

Penn State is attempting to re-establish relationships with its sorority and fraternity members and needs Borough Council's support to succeed, said Vicky Triponey, vice president for student affairs. "I don't think it's clear we have one of the best [greek] systems," she said. "We're not going to settle for that."

In the 1980s, Penn State separated itself from fraternities and sororities to avoid legal liabilities, which then gave all responsibility to the students, Triponey said.

"There was a conscious decision," she said.

For the past year, Triponey and Kevin Kerr, director of fraternity and sorority life at Penn State, have been working closely with greek students to renew that relationship and develop programs to improve relations by involving alumni and community officials. "We need to get all the players back to the table," Triponey said.

Some council members questioned the legitimacy of the initiative.

"I don't like not sleeping at 2 a.m. and I don't like walking through trash," said council member Jeff Kern.

He also said that the plan does not address problems with downtown fraternities quickly enough. "There are standards that we need to deal with today," he said.

IFC has worked on two programs to reduce underage drinking and sexual assaults, said Brian Bertges, executive vice president of IFC.

Sexual assault prevention education aims to reduce off-campus sexual assaults by designating fraternity houses as safe zones, including areas within the houses during social functions for victims to receive help from trained fraternity brothers, Bertges said.

Another program, Training for Intervention ProcedureS (TIPS), seeks to educate fraternity members on the dangers of drinking and to recognize dangerous behavior. Members are taught how to properly check identification, behavioral cues of intoxication and state procedures and laws regarding intoxication.

"We're liable. We're responsible. We can go to jail," Bertges said.

Council member Cathy Dauler said fraternity members lacked any sense of accountability based on their treatment of their property and neighbors.

"It seems like, until very recently ... the fraternity problem has been the borough residents' problem. I wouldn't go into the fraternity district at nighttime," she said.

She used late-night parties as an example of the lack of accountability. "No one can go to a drunken party every night of the week and go to class the next day," Knauer said.

Kerr said he has noted code violations made by certain fraternities and sent dossiers to the national offices of those fraternities. Six national headquarters have sent representatives to inspect the houses. "If I have to be a thorn in national's side, I will be," Kerr said.

Council member Elizabeth Goreham said community cooperation with this issue is important. "Council wants to be involved and should be involved," she said.

Tom Daubert, council president, said the plan has the potential to straighten problems out. "I'm pro-fraternity, but I understand problems are out there," he said.