Let me start by saying this article is probably going to be very unpopular. That's okay. All opinions here are my own, and you don't have to like them. But bear with me. There's some stuff at the end that might be constructive.

Thursday, March 30 was understandably a pretty rough day for members of Penn State's Greek community, as the university handed down a list of heavy sanctions that limit the recruiting and social functions for the near future.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I don't have much of a soft spot for Greek life at big schools like ours. If it makes people happy, hey, they're more than welcome to go and enjoy it. I have friends in Greek life who are good people and enjoy their organizations. I admire Greek organizations who participate in THON and other philanthropic activities. Greek life just isn't my thing though. I never really wanted to be part of it. That said, I know I don't have the same value for Greek stuff that some people do, but I'm calling it as I see it.

In light of the tragic incidents and salacious scandals that have occurred in the Greek community here over the past decade or so, I imagined that a sensible person would look at the sanctions and say, "Damn it, this sucks...but that's the way of it, I guess. We're just gonna have to buckle down and deal with it." I could sympathize with that. It's definitely not fun to be hit with something like that.

But the kind of response that I have been seeing from some Greeks is over the top and just downright disconnected from reality. One post in the Class of 2017 Facebook page called for a protest on Old Main lawn and claimed the sanctions "are not legal and go against our basic rights we have as humans. They go against our 1st, 4th, 5th and 14th amendment rights." I want to just assume this was satirical, but you really can never tell with some people. I'm no Supreme Court justice, but I'm pretty sure you may not be that familiar with the legal framework and civil rights established by our Constitution, bud.

My response to the serious stuff:

Several opinion pieces have been published by Onward State and The Daily Collegian that decry the sanctions. I will admit that I appreciate that people have been engaging in civic dialogue and voicing their concerns through the media. That's the right way to go about this. But I really have to disagree with some of what these articles say.

One such article published by Onward State was from a former IFC officer who claimed that the university was "acting on emotion rather than logic" when it brought down sanctions on Greek life. He likened it to the punishment of Penn State after the horrific sex abuse scandal (by a man whose name I refuse to give dignity by using) that was uncovered in 2011. He accused the university of hypocrisy by imposing the sanctions, and stated that Penn State had not learned the lesson that "an entire organization should not be punished for one group’s actions".

Let's take this apart for a minute, shall we? Let's look at this with some logic rather than emotion. What happened in the scandal was the monstrous actions of one man that, yes, our student-athletes had to suffer for.

Here's why that analogy doesn't work for this whole Greek life mess though:

These sanctions didn't come because of the single incident of Mr. Piazza's death. That tragedy was just the final spark to a woodpile that was already doused in gasoline. For years, the university has permitted Greek life self-governance on the understanding that the IFC and the Panhellenic Council would keep their organizations in line. With each repeated incident, each underage drinking charge, each transportation to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, each hazing incident, and each sexual assault, Greek self-governance looked less and less effective.

A lot of people will probably stop here and say, "But all those things happen to non-Greeks too." True. But they appear to happen in higher concentration with Greek socials. In its press release on the sanctions, the university cited "persistent pattern of serious alcohol abuse, hazing, and the use and sale of illicit drugs" as well as statistics pointing toward higher concentrations of sexual assault.

Listen, I want to believe this stuff isn't true. Let's pretend for a minute that it isn't, and Greek life has about the same incidence of all this stuff as the general student population. We still have a problem though: Greek organizations are university-sanctioned groups and, thus, what happens within a Greek organization reflects on the university. Obviously few people need to be reminded of the fact that our university has not exactly had the kindest publicity as of late (2011 sex abuse scandal, KDR scandal, and the most recent tragedy).

Let's remember what a university is:

This might burst a couple people's bubbles, but remember what a university is. A place of higher education; a research institution. It's not just us undergrads here. People come here for their masters degrees and doctorates as well. This place gets government contracts for the work we do. We are a large and prestigious institution of enlightenment. Sure, that doesn't mean people who go here can't have some fun while they're here. That's all fine and well.

But when it becomes apparent to the university that the undergrad groups they sanction are causing some serious problems despite several warnings, it's understandable when they get pissed and draw the line. That's what happened when the sanctions came down on Greek life. That was the university finally snapping and saying, "Okay, you know what, you guys clearly can't handle this."

Some people may argue there that the IFC, Panhellenic Council, etc., really didn't have that much say in discussions with the university, which I have heard denied, actually. Let's assume that's true. Even then, how can you argue that these organizations deserve self-governance and more say with university affairs if they weren't even able to keep their members from breaking university policy?

A lot of these sanctions are alcohol related. I wonder why:

I've seen it astutely pointed out that at any criticism of Greek life, many Greeks bristle and say, "It's about more than just the drinking and partying!" And I have no doubt it is. I know people's Greek organization means a lot to them...but it doesn't help their case when there is a crackdown on drinking and partying after an established pattern of problems and suddenly they act like the sky is falling.

Look, I love partying as much as the next guy. Ask my friends how much I love playing "Thunderstruck", they'll definitely tell you. So rest assured that I'm not just some Willard Preacher-esque prude who thinks alcohol is the devil.

That said, these alcohol restrictions are coming down for a pretty good reason: a lot of Greeks don't appear to be able to handle themselves when drinking. I see it personally. I've been an RA in East Halls for two and a half years and when my kids come back from socials, it's more than apparent that they have no idea how to hold their liquor. Why aren't Greek organizations teaching their freshmen pledges this stuff? If they'd do that more effectively, hell, I'd probably view Greek life pretty favorably. But no one appears to be stepping up and attempting to take on some responsibility.

Seriously, chill out about the alcohol sanctions:

There were 45 socials per semester. That wasn't even how many socials a person was allowed to go to or something. That was how many socials per semester a single fraternity was limited to having. Let's get something straight, that wasn't a limit. If anything, that was a challenge. Who the hell does 45 socials per semester?

So frats have been knocked down to having 10 socials with alcohol each semester. Guys, chill. Look how many different fraternities there are that have socials. You have a lot to choose from. You're gonna be fine and, worst case scenario, you stay in a night or two and maybe do some work or something. It's not the most inconceivable thing to put some more effort toward academics at an academic institution (I know, I know, I'm a loser, go ahead and crucify me).

People have been saying this will only cause more "underground" parties, which they then reason will only cause even rowdier parties. Figure it this way though: a frat is having an unofficial social but they know that the university isn't messing around and has everyone under the microscope. It would follow then that if that frat is dead set on having an unofficial social, they're going to have to keep it very well under control (which is the point of these sanctions anyway).

Don't even get me started on "but it's gonna make enrollment drop!"

If you're going to uncommit from a school because you have to wait one single semester to rush, you were never committed to that school in the first place. You were committed to the idea of the college experience. Don't get me wrong, the college experience is fun. But a lot of people seem to live in this dreamland where the most important thing about attending a university is the social scene. Guys, for f**k's sake, if that's all that matters to you, just go live in Cancun for a four-year spring break.

Now obviously, the vast majority of our Greeks are much smarter than that. They're legitimately here to pursue a meaningful degree from a powerful university and they want to be productive members of society. But I honestly cannot understand the rumors I've heard about people threatening to transfer over this. I hope rumors are all they are, because that is the silliest thing I've ever heard. If someone is willing to throw away their place at a prestigious institution like ours (a "public Ivy," as it's called) all because they want to throw a pity-party over not having quite as much fun, they're either privileged as hell or stupid as hell.

Greek life has its benefits but it needs to rein itself in a bit:

I've heard a fringe of people call for banning Greek life. I won't advocate for that. I truly believe that Greek life has positive effects. Greeks take pride in pointing out that their average GPA is higher than that of non-Greeks. Hey, that's awesome. Greek life at Penn State has a long history of being a vehicle for social engagement and philanthropy. That's very admirable. Greek life is an excellent opportunity for professional networking. That's a great thing to be a part of. And people in Greek life often meet their best friends there. I'm really happy for them.

But here's what I'm saying - I believe that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and organizations are the same way. The current Greek life reaction to the sanctions appears to be that everyone is lumping all Greeks together and punishing them all. May there be some undue prejudice from some folks? Yeah, I believe it. But, here's the thing - KDR was your weak link. All of the incidents that happen and have continued to happen were weak links in the chain. What happened at Beta Theta Pi was the weak link that finally broke. Now sure, if you're a link in the chain, you can be proud of how strong you are and how you aren't rusty and breaking. But a chain isn't much of a chain at all if it only has a couple links and all the others have corroded and broken.

Here's where things stand right now, Greeks:

Your chain is out of commission, both the good links and the bad ones. It sucks, I know. But understand that you are under close watch of the university and that the way you handle this now will define what happens for Penn State Greek life in the future. You can throw a fit and refuse to comply, which will probably cause the university to bring down even harsher consequence. Or, cooler heads can prevail here.

You can look at your organizations and admit, "Okay, we've got some things we have to fix." Take those weak links and reforge them out of new steel. Find leaders who not only know how to lead but have integrity. I know many Greek leaders already meet those qualifications. Show the university that you can self-govern. Abide by what they've set forth and work with them. Rebelling will only cause more hell for everyone, whether you like it or not. Step up and take responsibility.

You can and, if you want Greek life to have the respect and freedom it deserves, you will.