What is the future of fraternities on college campuses?

E. Gordon Gee, the professorial president of West Virginia University who favors bow ties and once described himself as "quirky as hell," pauses for a moment and sighs when asked whether he thinks it's possible to improve the fractured relationship between fraternities and colleges across the country.Although he may seem like their antithesis, and his response to their misbehavior on his campus has been by most accounts no-nonsense, he says he's optimistic."They are going to continue to play a role, and it could be a positive one. So rather than ignore them and put them aside, let's find a way to make them cheerful, friendly and engaged members of the university community," says Gee, who recently banned five fraternities for 10 or more years after they refused to obey new rules he implemented following reports of hazing and drug and alcohol abuse.He's not the only college leader of late to crack down on fraternities for misconduct. This fall, the University of Iowa and Monmouth University suspended theirs, and other institutions such as the University of Nebraska, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona and the University of Connecticut have taken similar actions in recent years.