Note: My experience with Greek life is mostly relegated to what it’s like at my college, so if you don’t go to the College of Wooster and you’re all like “Greek life isn’t like that at al,l you banana-peeler,” then your college’s Greek groups are different, and if you are from the College of Wooster and you are saying this, you are a liar and shut your facehole.

I do not hate Greek life. Honestly, I’m not. I am currently rushing two different fraternities at the College of Wooster right now, so if I came out and said I hate Greek life, I would look like a massive hypocrite. I think Greek life on any campus benefits it when it is done correctly, as they are structured enough to hold parties for anyone on campus to enjoy. There are also all the other benefits they like to shil- I mean… sell to people as well, like networking and social blah blah blah volunteer blah blah. So when I write what I am about to write, know that I do it not to hate on the idea of Greek life itself, but to critique an aspect of Greek life that I don’t like.

Ok, now that I have said this, I would like to send a message to any and all Greek groups who believe that the administration of campus doesn’t do enough to support you: Get your heads out of your asses.

I went to a meeting with the Board of Trustees not too long ago, and out of all of the groups who had talking points at the meeting, the Inter Greek Council or whatever it’s called stuck out like a sore thumb. While all the other groups talked about issues that the college should look into, including the hiring of black professors or the disproportionate ratio of 1 counselor to 1000 students, Greek life came to complain that the staff that looks over them can’t be with them 24/7. Now, I can understand the general frustration of a group not being able to get in contact with someone who is supposed to help them function. But what can a group of glorified event planners be doing that needs supervision from the school? Now, that complaint bothered me a bit, but I can look past it, and a lot of people I know would probably lambast me for harping on something that I in all honestly don’t know too much about. What put it over the edge for me was that the Greek life reps said that “being Greek” is more than just partying and getting drunk.

No, no it’s not

Let’s not beat around the bush here; when you join Greek life, you join to party, and you join to get drunk. There is no other reason to be in Greek life, and don’t pretend that there is. You can find friends without Greek life, you can volunteer without Greek life, you can network without Greek life. Out of all the events that Greek life sponsors, about 70-80% of them involve alcohol in some facility. Beer Olympics, Lumberjack Day, every Bissman party, every house party, all of these events involve partying and alcohol.

And let’s not forget the whole hazing thing.

Now, I’m not saying that Greek groups are evil or whatever for hazing. If people want to go ahead and let themselves get tortured in order to join some group, who the hell am I to try and stop them. And honestly, people on my campus who say they oppose hazing are so fake. They talk about how much they hate it, but they still go to Greek events. I remember last semester, during pledge week, someone who has said they hate the pledging process actually made a pledge carry their dirty dishes for them because they are friends with one of the guys in the frat. Fake as all hell. But it’s still hazing, and Greek groups sponsor it. If Greek life were really all about inclusiveness and friendship and all of that jazz, you wouldn't force anybody to do these demeaning tasks just to join them. But they do. And they have the audacity to demand all of this respect from the administration. Give me a goddamn break.

Greek life, as I said, has positive impacts on college campuses. But I’m tired of Greek life pretending that they are so integral to the college, and it’s a travesty that they aren’t coddled by the administrations. Alcohol, parties, and hazing. That is what Greek life is all about, and if anyone tells you differently, they are lying.