Every brother and sister in any Greek organization shares a strong and enduring love for their letters.
Our letters help define who we are. They encompass our values, morals and our brother/sisterhood as a whole. It's natural for anyone to wear their letters with pride. Whether it is in our Sunday best with our badge over our hearts or stamped onto a philanthropy T-shirt we'll adorn for the next year until we hold the same event again.
If you're in a fraternity you might be caught rocking your letters on your favorite koozie and pair of croakies.
If you're in a sorority you might most likely will have your letters on your bag, sunglasses, lavaliere, spirit jersey, norts or any other article of clothing or accessory you can take to your local Greek store to sew something on for you.
It's evident that we take pride and want to show the world who we are and what we are a part of. And who wouldn't want to? Each organization is that place we call home and where we've found ourselves in these college years.
While it's great to rock your letters, it sometimes seems as though they’re merely an accessory and not everything our organization has stood for the last 100+ years. It's the little things in life we have to be careful of.
It's evident that not everyone understands Greek life, and not everyone understands each individual organization. Even the littlest things can reflect poorly on your organization and create a stereotype in someone's mind.
Here's a small list of actions to try to abide by to make sure any negative stereotypes don't come up from a silly blunder.
- Park in between the lines.
There are countless times I've been driving around a packed parking garage on the verge of being late for class when I suddenly come across the last spot left in the four floors of concrete. I go to park my car when...the car next to this is way too close for comfort or even sticking into this spot a bit. Exasperated, I find a way to maneuver myself into this spot, but it doesn't go without difficulty. Usually I'll just be really annoyed and carry about my day, but when I see a Greek decal on the back I'll involuntarily make an assumption about the organization as a whole. Is it an accurate assumption? Of course not. Do most people rationalize their thoughts when they're annoyed in a situation like this? Of course not. Even if you're running late, take the 30 seconds to straighten out your car.
- Don't slam a door on someone.
Or better yet, hold the door open for people. It's a simple gesture, but it could come off as rude and snobby if you close door on the poor girls face who’s juggling a computer, her beloved holiday seasoned peppermint mocha, a backpack, and any other assortment of supplies she needs for the day. The act will take 10 seconds out of your day. So put on a smile, hold the door, and let your letters shine proud. You might get some extra brownie points in peppermint mocha girl's mind. And even that's worth something.
- Give thanks.
If you are peppermint mocha girl that day, and someone holds the door open for you, make sure you say thank you. That one is self-explanatory.
- Do not walk into class late.
How would it look to Greek organizations as a whole if you consistently embellished your outfits with letters and always strolled into class 5 minutes late and sat in the back? Greeks are meant to value scholarship and have a higher standard of academics. It's been something we pride ourselves on consistently. But I'll tell you now, you're not doing a very good job at showing this if you're always "that guy" to walk in late wearing the brand new shirt you got from your T-shirt chair. So if you know you're going to be late for class, take the extra 20 seconds to throw on a new shirt or use a different bag for the day.
- Do not Facebook in class or any other recreational website.
I get it -- it's a world of constant flipping to a new app when we've ingested every updated tweet, status or Instagram picture. It's getting increasingly harder to sit through an entire class without having the desire to look at something else. You don't even have to be bored, it's just your mind looking for something new. But like I said before, as Greeks we’re meant to value our education, and spending the 50 minutes in class scrolling through Pinterest or ESPN doesn’t represent that. Take the time in class to be an assertive student and engage yourself mentally with the information. You might be surprised at how much easier finals week will be.
It's natural for anyone to want to represent their own letters, but it's important to remember to respect your letters and to wear them with dignity and integrity. It's more than the big things that can lead to a negative stereotype; it's the little things we might not think about in our day to day lives. So next time you decide to wear letters, remember that they're a representation of everything your founders stood and fought for so many years ago, and it's a representation of your entire chapter.
You're letters aren't a fashion statement. They're a way of life.
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