"No matter the letters, we're all Greek together." That's what they say right?

Well, think again. The dynamics between and amongst Greek organizations are changing...and not in a positive way.

We all join Greek life for the same reasons. Some of the most common are lifetime bonds, academic and leadership skills, and philanthropic activity. At the end of the day, we all join a sorority or fraternity to be part of something that is bigger than ourselves, in order to be better versions of ourselves.

We're not dissimilar in our aspirations and motivations. So why are we, as collective chapters, trying to undermine other Greek organizations on our campuses? Why would we try to "take them down," "throw them under the bus" to get them "kicked off" of campus? What, to be "the best"?

It's not about who is "best." Greek life should be about community, about networking and encouraging each other to develop as leaders for our future.

The truth is: very few chapters nationwide respect the Greek system anymore. The dynamic between and amongst Greek organizations on many campuses has become so cutthroat, so tarnished and full of tension that the Greek experience and the college experience as a whole are tainted.

At what point do we, as Greeks, draw the line? If a stand against the fellow-Greek slander isn't taken soon, there may be great casualties. The loss of chapters who are comprised of good people, doing good for people cannot be changed...and eventually who will be left standing?

This isn't The Hunger Games. But evidently, some chapters think it is. And these chapters act as the "Capital," while other chapters suffer undeservedly.

Imagine what it would be like.

YOUR chapter. YOUR group of sisters who have become those who shape who you will become in life. YOUR pride. YOUR home. You have it all, just as you wanted and just as you expected. You've waited months to find a feeling of home and stability like this, you worked hard to learn the sorority's values and traditions, as well as epitomize them in your personal life. It's NOT about the parties and the drinking. It's about crying and laughing in your ugliest pajamas eating Dominoes with your sisters at 1:00am, knowing that no matter what changes in life the fact that they're there for you won't. It's about helping a sick child, a victim of domestic violence, a patient of arthritis....ANYONE in need. It's about becoming the best version of yourself that you can be, and helping others to do the same.

Now imagine what it would be like....to have someone try to take it away from you. And "succeed."

That someone is another Greek organization at your school.

Of course, you have members of your sorority who are very involved with campus organizations and honor societies. Your sorority was the first Greek organization on campus, and the "best" not by arbitrary measures or subjective and biased opinion; but based on fact. Your sorority has the highest GPA of any Greek organization on campus, you've won "Greek Organization of the Year" and one of your members has won "Sorority Member of the Year." Your chapter never ceases to rise to the top in recruitment because your chapter worked diligently towards that goal and damn well deserves it.

But the other sorority on campus is jealous, because you're naturally number one and they have to be "number one." It's "Mean Girls" on steroids. So this sorority, with close ties to faculty and staff via their illegally held simultaneous positions, slanders your sorority with false accusations of breaking rules of conduct. Not once, but twice.

The first time, you're on probation for two years. Your reputation is ruined. You have representatives from Headquarters watching, and dictating your every move...changing how you do everything even though there was nothing illicit about your procedures for running your own chapter in the first place: just presumptions of illicit behavior based on accusations by a jealous organization.

While on probation, the "Capital," the jealous sorority, strikes again. You can't believe it because why would you do anything to jeopardize the chapter when you're already under a watchful eye? It doesn't make sense. But regardless, your chapter is found guilty by arbitrary opinion, with a significant lack of evidence supporting the accusations were real. As in, there was none.

You have just lost your chapter. YOUR chapter. YOUR group of sisters who have become those who shape who you will become in life. YOUR pride. YOUR home. Gone.

You may not wear letters. You may not go through recruitment. You may not engage in any organization affiliated activity. You may be granted alumni status when you graduate, but until then you're a GDI. And that's the end of it. You would need to recolonize your chapter, new founders and all. If you're found guilty of engaging in any organization affiliated activity, you will be expelled based on the Student Regulations of your college.

And yeah, you're sad for you. Because your own college experience and reputation has just been tainted. But really, you're sad for the PNM's who were so excited to become new members and now cannot be. They'll never know what it could have been like for them. You're sad for your sisters, because it's hard to see them suffer the loss and humiliation when you know how much they don't deserve that pain. You're sad, and you're angry because that jealous sorority who was so cutthroat to your chapter, who ruined everything based on nothing, now gets to wear letters. And recruit New Members. And attend that philanthropy talent show you loved so much as a "strong" and "cohesive" presence on campus. And win all the awards your chapter won based on merit: except they win them by breaking rules...which they never seem to get caught breaking. Why? Because you have too much respect for the Greek system as a whole and refuse to slander them the way they did to your chapter, even if they are misbehaving.

It's hard. You think "so this is what it feels like to lose a chapter...MY chapter." At first there's a deep melancholy in your former chapter, now your "friend group". Then there's tension and fighting, as New Member classes split into smaller friend groups and blame other New Member classes for the downfall which in reality was no one's fault. The split causes upperclassmen to begrudge the underclass men because "you don't understand how rest it was for us, you couldn't possibly because Headquarters changed everything when you came. You're not really authentic former chapter members".

But after the storm, there is a calm sense of relief. Because ultimately, that jealous chapter didn't "succeed" in taking away your chapter. Yes, they took a lot of rights and opportunities away from you. It will never be the same. You won't have the experience you hoped for. The whole college may be against you, and Headquarters may frown upon you.

However, you still have a home. You're together. You still have your best friends who became like your sisters that you can count on and grow together with as leaders of our society. You have each other to get through this difficult time, and many more difficult times to come. After which, you'll only be stronger individuals and more capable of enjoying the good times together. You can still be proud of yourself and of your best friends. You have an authentic relationship and bond that no entity or human being can take away from you. You have everything still, while the jealous chapter has superficial bonds and bad karma coming their way for cheating and backstabbing their way to the top.

Your own chapter, or former chapter, will always have each other for encouragement.

But it's urgent that we as Greeks realize the potential benefits of having more than just a chapter for encouragement. There are benefits from an amalgam of chapters and Greek organizations. An array of perspectives, interests, and ideas will only form us as a stronger national and global community.

Especially with so many anti-Greek life movements arising it's crucial now more than ever that we extol each other and create a strong, collective stance which contradicts the argument of the anti-Greek and promotes the values we all have in common, no matter our letters.

As Greeks, let's stop the slander and stand together. Let's uphold the moral values and traditions our founders and Headquarters intend for us to uphold.