There is no doubt that the Greek system is under fire from just about every source out there. Every corner we turn, someone wants to shut us down for good, and sometimes with decent reasoning. In the past year alone a long series of sexual assaults have been reported, multiple fraternity gentlemen passed away due to reckless activities, inappropriate Facebook photos were posted of unaware women in fraternity houses … the list goes on and on. It is clear that something needs to change in the Greek system that has grown to be a part of us, but is giving up on the system altogether really the answer?
In a recent interview, Will Ferrell claimed that the Greek system should be banned at all colleges across the board. It's an interesting point, and one that many universities are considering as incidents continue to arise. But what I think is being overlooked is the lack of connection.
While the racist chants of the Oklahoma SAE members were inappropriate, they were not the first to say such things. Walking down the street I hear racist slurs nearly every day, and most of them are not from members of fraternities or even college students. Trashing a ski resort is inappropriate, but again, this is not the first time (and will not be the last time) young adults have abused property that is not theirs.
The issue of underage drinking and excessive partying is probably the most dominant reason for an anti-Greek campus, but as the police officers in Five Points can attest, the majority of students will drink and party underage regardless of any organization affiliation. So the real question here is, would it really solve anything to disband a centuries-old system that, while not perfect, promotes and enforces high standards of well-being and academic success? Would removing the letters change the people in them? And would removing a common ground of an organization make the racial slurs, campus rapes, and drinking fatalities that occur on every collage campus any less tragic?
What seems like the easiest solution would be to shut the doors of Greek Village and send Greek members in opposite directions. But if that were to happen, what would actually change? Would the nine million members simply become perfect functioning members of society while the rest of our generation continues the pattern of carefree living? Our generation was born only a few years before the supposed end of the world, and for some reason that mentality has never left us. We live for the moment, don't care about tomorrow, and are considered the most dangerous generation to go to college. Students have tried recreational drugs years sooner than their adult counterparts, have started drinking significantly earlier than our parents' generation, and seem to be going through all of the “growing up" milestones significantly earlier than expected. That leads to a more outrageous college experience that is not the result of the Greek system by any means, rather it is a fault of our generation, with or without affiliation to an organization. It's time we slow it down and answer the infamous question, “Turn down for what?" before schools have any more reason to disband what has developed our leadership, service, and academics in ways unparalleled to any other influence.
We hear the term “joining for the right reasons" thrown around a lot in all of this media attention. Ferrell even says it to counter his claim of banning college Greek life. But what does that mean? What are the right or wrong reasons to join any organization, not just Greek?
We all know the benefits of membership in a Greek organization, or else we wouldn't be in them in the first place. We also know the negative consequences of affiliation. I don't know about you, but I have never met someone who joined for the sole purpose of wanting to haze pledges to death, sexually assault fellow Greeks, or blacklist a potential new member on the basis of their skin color. If we did encounter potential new members expressing this interest, we as an organization would never support their membership.
It is time that we, as a single Greek community, make the effort to show the nation why we are so great, so successful, and so important for the emergence of future leaders of this nation.
