Greek life has, once again, been utterly and completely slammed after the release of a controversial recruitment video by the Beta Mu chapter of Alpha Phi at the University of Alabama. As a sister of Alpha Phi I will stand behind my sisters, but as a woman of the Greek community I also believe Alpha Phi has become the scapegoat of the larger issue of people being unaware and/or prejudice to what a sorority sisterhood is truly about.

Alabama Alpha Phi has since pulled the recruitment video.

Over the past view years sorority recruitment videos have become all the rave to showcase a sisterhood happily frolicking together while blowing glitter and throwing what they know every chance they get. Call it what you want, they are great to watch. They are intended to be entertaining and grab the attention of PNMs (potential new minutes) in 5 minutes or less but they do not showcase the numerous study hours sisters put in in the library or selfless acts they perform for their philanthropy or community. In all honesty, as an 18-year-old going through recruitment the last thing I wanted to see was that, seeing a sisterhood running around and having fun with one another was everything I wanted to see. A recruitment video catches your eye for that particular sorority but it is through the whole recruitment process where you learn about what the sisterhood is actually about (philanthropy events, volunteer work done for the community, study hours, etc.) and that is what this whole controversy seems to lose sight of.

A great example of the lack of awareness for Greek life can be seen in this interview:

I think I speak on behalf of the entire Greek community when I say that it is very upsetting that someone with such little knowledge about Greek life has so much negativity to say. Carrie Sheffield uses that particular recruitment video, though she has no true problems with it, as her opportunity to target Greek life as a whole. Well Carrie since you only present your one-sided data lets take a look at the facts you seem to have left out:

• College graduation rates are 20 percent higher among Greeks than non-Greeks.
• Every president, except two, since 1825 have been a member of a fraternity.
• Sixty-three percent of all U.S. Cabinet members since 1900 have been Greek.
• Forty of 47 Supreme Court Justices since 1910 have been Greek.
• Seventy-six percent of U.S. Congressmen and Senators have been Greek.
• Forty-seven of the 50 largest corporations in North America are headed by Greeks.
• Over 85 percent of the Fortune 500 key executives are Greek.
• The first woman U.S. Senator and the first woman Astronaut were Greek.

"Un-powering?" HA.

• Greeks raise over 7 million dollars for charities each year.
• The Greek community is the largest volunteer network in the country and donates more than 10 million volunteer hours per year.

If you truly believe Greeks are uneducated, sex-crazed, raging alcoholics then you have some reevaluating to do my friend.

To me the Greek community truly is a "community" at Eastern Illinois University. Yes there is friendly competition amongst the houses but there is unending support for each others Philanthropies as well encouragement to value Greek life and the values our sororities and fraternities instill among us. Going through recruitment at Eastern Illinois I could tell instantly the passion each sorority had for their philanthropy and all they do to for it as well as the extensive amount of community services hours each chapter does to give back to Charleston and it's community.

Going Greek has been one of the best decisions I have made and there is never a day I regret that decision. I have made friends I'll have for the rest of my life whether they by my own sisters or members of other houses. I would not be the person I am today without the love and support my sisters have given me.