The past week has been filled with sadness, disarray, and anger; sadness over a life that was lost; disarray over what would come next; anger over the indefinite suspension of Greek life.

The phrases “this isn’t fair” or “I’m glad Greek life is suspended so now I don’t have to do anything” have been said so casually that I’m beginning to think students have forgotten why Greek life was suspended in the first place. The degree of worry over whether or not tailgates will continue, if women will still be able to return their semi-formal dresses now that they won’t need them, and if this suspension will carry on to next semester is unsettling.

Students across campus seem to be concerned with the superficial and trivial aspects of Greek life, but I have yet to hear one person talk about what is going to happen next.

A student lost his life, his opportunity at a future.

A father and mother lost their son.

A grandparent his grandson.

A friend his friend.

President Thrasher came out with a statement claiming that it is up to the students of FSU to decide the new culture and norm of Greek life, but no one seems to be talking about what that new norm will be or how we will get there. So, what steps do we need to take?

First off, stop saying that this suspension is unfair. What’s unfair is that someone had to lose his life in order for this suspension to be put in place. What’s unfair is that people are complaining about the suspension of Greek life instead of recognizing it and moving forward from it.

And for those of you who are claiming that the primary reason why you’re upset about the suspension is that it will prevent money from being raised for your philanthropies, stop.

These organizations will continue to exist. People donate to them directly every day, and you don’t need your chapter in order to donate to them as well.

Second, enough with pointing fingers. Enough with pinning Greek life members against non-Greek life members. This is not a battle between what seems like a separation of social standards and ranks. There shouldn’t be any titles or labels or “this happened to us.”

It’s our job to reestablish that norm of unification. Just because you wear that shirt with letters, hold events with your chapter, go to socials and date functions, does not in any way mean that you are held at a higher standard than the next person. I was a member of Greek life for three years and I’ll be the first to admit that at times I felt I had this aura of prestige while standing next to others.

Why? I have no idea.

Of course, there are members of Greek life that think of everyone as equal, but it’s time that we make that transition from thinking it to acting it.

Third, and this goes out to everyone, including parents, presidents of chapters, new member educators, pledge masters, stop acting like underage drinking is taboo. The reality is that it happens every day and every school year, but the unrealistic part is that we all turn our heads and pretend like it doesn’t happen instead of helping each other understand it.

Teach your kids, your members, and your new members about the repercussions of binge drinking, regardless of their age, and give them ways to keep track of their night out.

And for crying out loud, teach them to watch over and take care of the person who has lost control of their night. Teach them to not be a bystander and to stop walking past someone who is clearly not able to help themselves. Teach them to be overcautious and to step away from their groups of friends just for one second to make sure that someone else is okay, regardless of if they know their name or not.

Lastly, if you’re angry about what happened over the weekend, how things were handled, how your friends, sisters, or brothers are reacting to it, speak up. We can’t move forward as a society, and this includes both students in and not in Greek life if we keep only talking about it in a hush-hush manner.

This “no comment” and “it sucks, but whatever” deflection isn’t going to get us anywhere. Talk about it, recognize what happened, and be a part of the change that our community desperately needs. For the first time in a while, we need to start acting like we’re a part of an actual cohesive community and you, as a member of that community, need to think about what lifestyle you would want your son, your grandson, and your friend to be a part of.