As a member of the Greek community at my university, I often find myself conversing with other students involved in Greek organizations. All of our organizations can say we get along, but the true unity that our community is supposed to have doesn't exist. Instead, we sugarcoat the process by saying, "Greek unity" and going about our day as if nothing is wrong. The reason Greek life exists is because we as students want to grow both academically and socially. However, behind closed doors and out of sight, Greek life is in danger.
Socialization is one of the core ideas behind this lifestyle. We as students should be getting together and showing the community what we can do as a unit. Instead, we find ourselves only socializing with a select few people and talking behind the backs of others. We want to be the best organizations on campus but scold or belittle each other's accomplishments. We don't strive to grow the bonds that our organizations have unless it is within our own social circle.
The events that we hold on campus divide our Greek community even further. Whether it be Greek Week, Homecoming, or a competition put on by any of our organizations we separate Greeks as a whole. We decide the "best" organizations on campus by who wins these events. Yes, these competitions are all in good fun, but there are always individuals who take things too far. There is no celebration for others when they do well, only bitterness.
We as organizations need to celebrate each other. We should go to everyone's philanthropy events, and if we can't attend, still donate. We should invite each other to social events to expand our bonds past our organizations. Most of all, we need to stop degrading each other with nicknames. We deter potential new members from wonderful organizations when we give our two cents on what we think of them. Some individuals may choose to not go Greek at all because they see the broken community that we have.
The reason we chose to join these organizations is our own. However, the social growth that we strive for is set in the earliest writings that we learn from. Greeks are supposed to be loving, caring, compassionate, and scholarly. We need to change how we handle ourselves and our words when speaking about other organizations. In the end we as a community are only as strong as the bonds we hold together, which frankly, aren't strong at all.
Greek unity is achievable. The unification can only happen when we set aside our differences and see how similar our organizations truly are. We all are hoping to mold men and women into successful leaders in the future. We all seek to grow our bonds of friendship through our organization. We always say, "Greek unity." Let's stop talking and start acting.
