On September 22, 2014, Tucker Hipps passed away.

I sat down and tried to write an article about Tucker. I tried to write about the tragedy that took place. I deleted it. I tried to write about the people involved. I tried to write about the impact his death had on the entire student body. I tried to write an article about how the Greek system is not to blame. Everything I wrote felt wrong.

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that there are no right words. In this circumstance, and this situation, there are no words to fill the page that can bring any explanation to the action of the brothers involved in Tucker Hipps death. There are no words to describe the pain felt by those that Tucker impacted. What happened to Tucker was a tragedy. It was devastating. But the moments I remember the most are the moments following his death, that I felt responsible for never speaking up. As a fellow Greek, I was aware hazing took place. I had heard horror stories from boys about things that took place in the basement of their houses in between those dark four walls and I've seen their eyes during "hell week". Part of me just thought, "They chose this. They can leave if they want to. It's not my responsibility to speak up." Until Tucker.

We are a community and family and the Greek system is made to create a bond for support, encouragement, and individual growth. In what moment in time, did we become silent about mistreatment within the system? When did we stop holding our brothers and sisters responsible for their actions when they were putting others lives at risk? When did we start to blame the victim? I am all for bonding. I believe unity is important because your Greek family really is your family, the blood is real, but there are other ways to do it than pushing people around, depriving them of sleep, and making them ingest copious amounts of alcohol.

I don't believe the Greek system should be abolished. I believe they foster a great sense of community and teach individuals to be selfless in volunteering and provide fun social environments. What I DO believe is that the Greek system needs reform. I believe that the upperclassmen are responsible for being role models for the younger members. I believe that the words "brotherhood and sisterhood" have lost their meaning in recent years. I have a younger brother and I would never want to put him in the way of harm. I don't get pleasure from watching him struggle or be in pain.

Brotherhood is a partnership, a family. I personally feel we have lost the foundations of our Greek system. So I want to ask my fellow brothers and sisters, can we return to the basics? Let's remember our purpose and let's hold each other accountable for our actions. Let's help each other grow as better individuals because we will be shaping the future. Let's create organizations people want to be a part of because they believe it will enhance their life as individuals. Let's remove the fear of the Greek system and replace it with a group of people who are inspiring, moral, and those who want to lift others. Let's be who our founding fathers expected us to be.