My university's newspaper published an article about how some students want Greek life to move in on campus. Very few tidbits of news have ever made me so angry. Granted, I am a reactionary, mouthy person, but it's true.

Shortly thereafter my student government said they were opening up a forum to discuss opinions on the matter. I was floored. Why? This shouldn't even be an option. Greek life goes against everything my school is supposed to stand for—everything I came for. I wrote a letter to the editor for my school's newspaper, but I don't know if it will be published. I want to use this platform to share my thoughts, too.

I’m

writing to express my concerns regarding The Siskiyou’s recent article "My Big Fat Greek Article." Some of the views expressed neglect the exclusionary nature of Greek organizations as well as associated horrors.One of SOU’s huge draws for me was the lack of Greek life. I associate fraternities and sororities with exclusion, lack of supervision, hazing, sexual assault, intoxication, and noise. My associations aren’t unfounded. They have a strict basis in reality.

Just a year ago, men in the University of Oklahoma fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon were caught chanting, “There will never be a n***** in SAE.” Pennsylvania State University’s fraternity Kappa Delta Rho was found to possess a secret Facebook page for pictures of drugs and unconscious women. Alpha Tau Omega at North Carolina State University was found to be dealing cocaine, ecstasy, and acid. A woman was sexually assaulted in their fraternity house, too. University of Michigan’s Sigma Alpha Mu was permanently disbanded after they refused to take responsibility for trashing a ski resort. UW-Madison had to shut down Chi Phi when their hazing of freshman included forcing them to sleep in attics with pillowcases over their head, receive concussions, and eat discarded food.

One might argue these are isolated media incidents that can’t speak for Greek life as a whole, but the issues don’t end with news stories.

Sorority women are more likely to have body image issues and experience disordered eating. According to studies at the University of Washington, 75 percent of fraternity men participate in heavy drinking, but only 49 percent of non-fraternity men in the same age group do the same. Fraternity men are also at a slightly higher risk for sexually assaulting others, while sorority women are more likely to be sexually assaulted than any other women on campus—almost four times more likely. Addiction Center found that students in Greek housing abuse prescription stimulants more than their peers. Some houses still paddle. Lethal blows to the head have resulted in death.

Of personal concern to me, fraternity houses contribute to rape culture on campuses. Sex Roles found that fraternity men are more likely to have sexually objectifying imagery of women in their rooms, more likely to support rape and non-consensual sex, and more likely to believe that women who act like they don’t want sex actually want to be treated roughly. Rape culture terrifies me on a daily basis, and rape hits close to home in my personal experience. I don’t want the culture on my campus to get worse having seen what I’ve seen.

Fraternities are for boys. Sororities are for girls. There are even sororities and fraternities meant for white students only. The exclusion and elitism inherent in the practice is in direct conflict with SOU’s mission statement and commitment to diversity and inclusion, especially for those outside the binary. Frarority is a nice concept—that’s a gender inclusive Greek house—but there’s no need for it. Our entire campus should be a space of camaraderie for people of all genders.

The risks Greek life could pose to the SOU campus are not worth the camaraderie that may arise. Camaraderie can be found in clubs and organizations on campus already. Volunteer work and service opportunities are available across our area.

The way I see it, if a group wants to hang out together and pledge to a certain code, they don’t need a house to do it. Especially not a house that could elevate all kinds of risks for our campus. I would encourage those who support the arrival of Kappa Sigma or other groups to consider what safe things the house would offer them that SOU doesn’t already provide. If there are holes, we shouldn’t fill them with these potential dangers.

If these dangers do find their way on campus, I will be bringing up my concerns with the university president or whoever else needs to hear them.