When student athletes are accused of sexual assault, they are punished. The institution they are affiliated with reviews the case and deals with the situation however they see fit. You might see the story in the news once or twice, or you might not. Universities are, most likely, going to try to keep the situation as quiet as possible so as not to harm the reputation of the school or its athletic program. It seems that the majority of the time, the story is dropped by the media in a matter of days and people move on. I cannot recall a time where it was ever suggested that a school gets rid of its athletic program because of an accusation of sexual assault or hazing.
Then why is it, that when a member of a Greek organization is accused of the same thing, it calls for the removal of the entire system?
Greek life is a sensitive subject for everyone right now, regardless of affiliation. I'll admit, I am slightly biased. I am a member of an organization full of kind, intelligent, beautiful women. I wholeheartedly support the continuation of Greek life and all that it promotes: scholarship, philanthropy, loyalty, and above all, unwavering support and friendship. However, it is a divisive topic and, in my experience, finding someone who is willing to have a constructive conversation about what could help solve the system's issues is challenging.
In a culture where being hip constitutes pretending not to care about anything and having a cold disregard for the world at large, it seems like denouncing fraternities and sororities has become the popular thing to do. If you are in a sorority, make sure you are cognizant of what you are wearing and how many pictures you take with your sisters. Being a "basic biddie" is fodder for jokes. If you're a guy, don't wear Sperrys, Polos, or a pair of Chubbies (or, God forbid, a combination of all three) if you are not ready for a deluge of sarcastic "frat bro" comments.
At the end of the day, these jokes are not what is frustrating. What is frustrating is that jokes like these, and the stereotypes they perpetuate, have allowed the media to take hold of a system that so many people are already against, and show it as a system that contributes nothing to the larger community.
Most are aware of the recent events that have brought Greeks into the spotlight and kept them there for weeks on end. If you don't know what I'm referring to, do a quick Google search. For the last two weeks, it seems that Greek-focused websites, like Total Frat Move, have not been able to go more than 24 hours without an article about a fraternity getting suspended or being investigated by their university.
To be frank, the problem with Greek life isn't Greek life. The problem lies in the stereotypes and the willingness to jump to conclusions. The problem is the lack of constructive conversations. Issues like these are pretty evident if you look at how the media has recently been covering controversial stories involving fraternities.
One case is a Rolling Stone magazine article titled, " A Rape on Campus." If you are not familiar with the story, it outlines the events of a night when a freshman at the University of Virginia, called Jackie in the article, was supposedly sexually assaulted at a party in the Phi Kappa Psi house.
The problem with the article? It didn't happen. Or at least not in the way it is detailed in the article.
Rolling Stone did not fact-check their story before running it, and investigations are currently underway to find out what actually happened that night. According to "The New York Times," police have found no evidence that supports the accusations made in the article.
Something similar occurred when Rob Fox, a contributing writer for Total Frat Move and a current fraternity member at the University of Missouri, went on CNN HLN to discuss the racist chant sung by University of Oklahoma's Sigma Alpha Epsilon. When he mentioned all the great aspects of Greek life that he believes are constantly overlooked — being the largest network of volunteers in the country and its members having higher average GPAs and graduation rates — he was cut off by the reporter, who simply said, "We all have, very obviously, differing opinions on this," and ended the segment.
At the end of the day, there should not be a conversation about Greek life. There should be a conversation about rape, about abuse and hazing, about the blatant racism that is apparently still present in our culture. Let universities and the organizations' headquarters handle the individuals involved. Keep bias out of the media, especially when it has such negative implications for so many.
If you are not affiliated with a Greek organization but have issues with them, talk to someone who is affiliated. They will gladly tell you why they love their chapter, what they have achieved as a group, and what they are trying to improve upon. If you are affiliated, talk to someone who isn't. Make a point to hear their concerns and really understand them. Take those concerns back to your chapter and discuss them. Do all you can to dispel negative images. Make yourself, your chapter, and your entire organization proud. Exemplify your values in all you do.
No organization, Greek or otherwise, is perfect.
There are always issues and there is always room to improve. To paraphrase President Obama's blunt response to the SAE chant that was made public a few weeks ago, there will always be stupid people, and those stupid people will do stupid things. Unfortunately, that's not something that can be changed, and fraternities and sororities have come under fire for something that is present across campuses, in most clubs and organizations.
I don't know what the right answer is — or even if there is one — but I do believe that the suggestion to get rid of Greek life is a childish way of avoiding larger conversations about cultural issues such as sexual assault, hazing and racism.
