Proposed requirements for fraternities and sororities at the University of Colorado that call for delayed recruitment, live-in house advisers and chapter recognition agreements are not without precedent.

One-third of the nation's campuses have spring rush, 40 percent of fraternities have live-in directors, and the University of Washington has agreements that fraternities and sororities must sign to be recognized.

The CU plan comes in the wake of the drinking death of fraternity pledge Lynn "Gordie" Bailey in September and amid stinging criticism from his family that CU has done nothing since his death to address its campus drinking culture.

"The university wants to remove the alcohol culture, yet the fraternity men are a very small percent of the campus and the alcohol culture is campuswide," said Jon Williamson, vice president of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), the fraternities' national umbrella organization.

The proposals have proved controversial among Greek organizations at CU, and a gulf is emerging between the CU plan proposed by university administrators and one put in place by the NIC last week specifically for the Boulder campus.

The NIC plan, while pledging alcohol-free recruitment and classes on ways to prevent abuse, does not include a spring rush, nor does it address a live-in house director or recognition agreements.

The spring rush is particularly troublesome to the NIC.

"CU is saying, 'Wait five months to join a fraternity, to be associated with men of your own choosing, and all your problems will be solved,' and I don't see the empirical data that suggests that," Williamson said. "We strongly believe in our plan. It's a good-faith effort to accomplish what the university wants."

Peter Smithhisler, NIC spokesman, said: "This is not a counterproposal. This is our plan. It is going to happen."

Meanwhile, the CU plan will be finalized this month, and spring rush will not be negotiable, said Ron Stump, CU vice chancellor for student affairs.

"We're saying if you want the benefits and services of CU, these are the expectations you have to live up to," Stump said.

As the gulf between the NIC and CU administrators widens, there's precedent, too, for fraternities and sororities operating independently from the campus without university support, such as at the University of Michigan.

"Not all of the (60) fraternities and sororities are recognized, nor do they seek recognition," said Chris Kulka of that university's Office of Greek Life.

But they forgo activity rental space, activities, office space, use of university buses and student-government- sponsored e-mail, among other benefits.

CU's fraternities and sororities are located off campus in privately owned houses, but they benefit from CU services such as student recruitment lists, meeting space and recreational facilities.

The widest impasse between CU and the NIC is over pushing back the longtime tradition of fall rush to the spring.

Ohio State University requires second-semester freshmen to have a 2.25 grade-point average before they can be recruited.

But the University of North Carolina abandoned a spring rush after deciding that it bred an underground fall rush that was distracting to incoming students.

Twelve years ago, the University of Washington entered into agreements with privately owned residential fraternities and sororities in which organizations commit to abide by university policy - a system similar to what CU is proposing.

"These are voluntary agreements, and they (the groups) do benefit by being recognized," said Sarah Hansen, assistant to the vice president for student affairs at UW.

To be recognized, fraternities and sororities must register parties, submit proof of insurance and each fall conduct educational programing on substance awareness and acquaintance rape with attendance of at least 80 percent of members.

One UW fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, had its university recognition yanked for hazing.

In a letter to prospective students, a university vice president wrote that UW doesn't recommend it for membership.