Kansas University will not require fraternities and sororities to change the way they house and recruit freshmen, contrary to what the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault suggested this spring.

KU announced on Monday that the university was implementing, or already had implemented, 22 of the 27 recommendations the task force suggested after being created in September 2014 and meeting throughout the academic year.

Two recommendations — probably the most controversial in the batch — that would have changed longstanding greek practices at KU were not among them. In making its suggestions, the task force cited national studies but none specific to KU greek life.

One recommendation suggested that all KU freshmen live in residence halls, where KU could more easily reach them with educational programming. Currently most fraternity pledges live in their respective chapter houses.

“This is not feasible for a number of reasons,” KU said in a news release about the recommendations. “For example, the University does not have adequate housing to make this possible.”

The second suggested that fraternities, which begin informally recruiting men still in high school, and sororities, which hold formal recruitment the week before fall classes begin, should defer recruitment until spring.

Regarding that, KU said: “We have discussed this with the greek community every year for many years, but the greek community has opted to not change its practices. We will continue to have these conversations and encourage fraternities and sororities to consider our suggestions.”

Joe Simmons, KU Interfraternity Council public relations director and a member of Beta Theta Pi, said IFC leaders supported the university’s actions on the task force recommendations.

“We’re glad to see that they’re considering a lot of these options, because they are good,” Simmons said. “But we’re also glad that the ones that could fundamentally alter how we do business are not being considered.”

A third task force recommendation involving the greek community was for the university to collaborate better with them, and instead of the greeks having their own separate task force, encourage them to participate in KU’s Title IX Roundtable (which the task force suggests replacing with a Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Board).

Simmons said he supported greeks being on that board, but in addition to their own greek task force, which also met throughout last year and is beginning several educational initiatives this fall.

“They (KU) have very powerful resources for sex assault prevention and education,” he said. “I think that absolutely improving our programming and education as time goes on is going to be something that’s got to happen … I believe having a separate and greek-run program is important, too, because the people that know the most about greek issues are greek leaders.”

Alesha Doan, associate professor of political science and chairwoman of women, gender and sexuality studies at KU, was task force co-chairwoman. The Journal-World was unable to reach her for comment Monday, but she said in KU’s news release that the task force underwent a long process of critically examining the university’s practices and prevention efforts in hopes of creating a safer campus.

“Today, KU has responded,” Doan said. “Chancellor Gray-Little has begun the next significant phase of addressing sexual violence by implementing many of the Sexual Assault Task Force’s recommendations. The task force is extremely proud to have been a part of the process that will ultimately result in a safer environment for our students.”

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said KU staff worked over the summer to evaluate the 27 recommendations.

“Our desire has always been to position KU as a leader in how universities address this national problem,” Gray-Little said in the news release, “and the task force’s efforts have helped make that aspiration a reality.”

KU had already put some recommendations in place by the time the task force concluded its meetings, including a formal memorandum of understanding with the Lawrence Police Department that codifies how and when KU investigators and police communicate on sexual assault investigations.

Others are in the works but still far from being fully formed.

One major example is creating a central sexual assault prevention and educational resource center, as it would serve as an umbrella for a number of other efforts.

Planning for a center is in progress and expected to be implemented before the end of this school year, according to KU. University spokesman Joe Monaco said where at KU such a center would be housed, how much it would cost and who would staff it are among questions yet to be answered.

“We have looked at three or four different scenarios and are trying to figure out which ones make the most sense,” he said.

• For a full list of the task force recommendations and how KU responded to each one, click here.