As both a member of Greek life and an advocate for social justice at the University of Rochester, I often find myself in moral dilemma. Greek life’s insular nature often breeds problematic and harmful culture, but it also has the potential to be used as an incredible tool for societal progress, such as in the case of heavy Greek sponsorship for “Walk a Mile” and Relay for Life. However, this nature often leaves little room for debate and discussion of Greek culture and legacy among fraternities and sororities, and it for this reason that I am writing today.
As a proud member of the Sigma Nu Lambda Eta Chapter at the University of Rochester, I am embarrassed at the Greek community’s response to fellow student Stephen Wegman’s petition, “Change the Name of the Fraternity Quad,” which was posted on the University of Rochester’s SA Government petition site, “Impact,” the night of March 23, 2016. The major response to this petition, including another petition entitled “Keep the fraternity quad named the fraternity quad,” submitted several hours after Wegman’s, has been condescending, rude and unbecoming of the vows of respect and honor towards others that we have sworn as members of our respected Greek organizations. This response petition, as well as many comments left in University Facebook groups and the two petitions themselves, are demonstrative of a reactionary and unnecessary response to legitimate criticism that we as Greeks are better than. Quite frankly, I am shocked over the outpouring of support over what is one of the most condescending and stereotypical Greek reaction pieces I have ever seen.
“Keep the fraternity quad named the fraternity quad” is written in such a way that it does not address any of the points Wegman’s argument makes, and instead relies on the blind support of the Greek community that always follows any criticism of our community from the outside. While Wegman’s petition uses a series of formatted points to express why he believes that the Fraternity Quad’s name should be changed, this petition is six sentences of condescending material that seems to suggest that the renaming of the Fraternity Quad is the death of all “fun” at the University. This petition does not comment on the legitimate presence of houses like the Douglas Leadership House and Drama House on the Frat Quad, does not address the Quad from an admissions standpoint as Wegman has, and does little to invite further discussion on the matter. The purpose of this petition, which should not even be on the Impact website, as the Fraternity Quad is currently still named the Fraternity Quad and Wegman did not receive the required number of signatures to have the petition reviewed by the SA so far, is to silence discussion of a recurring issue in Greek life at the University (that being the presence of non-Greek organizations in perceived Greek spaces) by using the overwhelming groupthink of Greek Life on this campus. As a Greek community, we cannot support this kind of action.
Furthermore, the use of “#fratlivesmatter” and actually bullying our own Greek community as seen in the picture above is inexcusable and is grounds for discipline by one’s own Greek organization. As a community, we cannot allow this kind of mean-spirited response to dissenting opinion to be tolerated by our members. By responding to Wegman’s petition in an aggressively dismissive and patronizing way, we are perpetuating the stereotype that Greek organizations are insular and unwilling to communicate with the nonaffiliated community of their universities. By continuing to portray Greek life as a static entity that refuses to even listen to criticism, we are doing a great disservice to an institution that can and has done great things in our personal lives and the lives of others. When we allow this kind of condescending and complaisant speech to be the defining rhetoric we meet the nonaffiliated community with, we tarnish the principles that our organizations were founded on. As a Sigma Nu, nothing about “Keep the fraternity quad named the fraternity quad” and the myriad of other responses to Wegman’s thoughts reflect my vow to live my life guided by the core principles of love, honor and truth, and therefore I cannot support them.
In summary, as a Greek community, we must be willing to listen, discuss and take appropriate action when faced with criticism and questions from both the outside university community and our fellow Greek brothers and sisters. I hope that in the future, we can invite students like Stephen Wegman to meet with us and have open discussions about how Greek Life can interact with and properly respond to the thoughts and concerns of those we share a campus with. I also hope that we continue to try to resist the urge to retreat into the protective shell of our active community, and begin to form appropriate channels for communication with our Universities as a hole. I wish to call upon the many brothers and sisters of my community who have spoken out against “Keep the fraternity quad named the fraternity quad,” and encourage you to continue advocating for a more open and respectful discourse in our Greek organizations. I also wish to express this sentiment to the many brothers and sisters of Greek organizations at the University of Rochester who remain silent on this manner in fear of retaliation or alienation from your own community. There are many more of us who disagree with our community’s response then you think, and we encourage you to speak out as well. As for those of you have chosen to bully, patronize and attempt to insulate our community from outside contact: I highly encourage you to reconsider the dedication and passion you have for your Greek organization, and ask you to consider if that passion is being directed in healthy and constructive ways. We must build a more inclusive and fair Greek community together in order for this institution to survive, and these comments do nothing to further this goal.
Finally, to Stephen: Thank you for your concerns and ability to convey them in a way that I do not perceive as “Greek bashing.” While I did not intend to write this article as a means of defending a specific side of this issue, I respect your response to my community’s reaction to your petition, and hope that we can work together in the future to bring positive change to relations between Greek life and Student Life. I want to apologize for misjudging your character when we both entered this University, and I am proud to be a part of a community of advocates such as yourself. I hope that what has transpired does not discourage you from continuing to seek dialogues with the Greek community, and I hope we treat you with respect in the future. You have a network of Greek brothers and sisters who seek a more reformed Greek system inside these institutions, and we look forward to working with you in the future if you wish.
As leaders, community advocates and students, we members of Greek life at the University of Rochester must aspire to be respectful of others and reflect the pledges we made to our organizations in our daily lives. The Frat Quad is meaningless if we do not live by the principles our organizations have laid down that make us Greek. If this truly is a case where a rose by any other name is not as sweet, we must ensure that said rose smells sweet in the first place.
