What would your life be like if there was a camera crew following you around? Pretty cool, right? You would think they would be interested in showing off all of your accomplishments and the fabulous haircut you got last week, but instead they decide to show your absolute worst moments -- the ones you don't even want to admit happened. The Greek community and their members are almost always under scrutiny for those worst moments. What if the choices you made as an individual reflected on all of your friends and family? Since this is the real world, they do, and it sucks. The actions of a few can impact how people view their friend group, family or organization. In the, oh, so wise words of Hannah Montana, "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days."
Some choices have more serious consequences than others and in light of recent events, amid the shame and regret many have, the world needs to be reminded that our community is more than our mistakes and that our mistakes can sometimes outshine the immense amount of good our community does.
Chapters everywhere unite to support, not only one another, but also philanthropies around the world. For example, at my school -- The University of Kansas -- the fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi came together to support one of their brothers who was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer with their annual Rock-a-Thon event that supports cancer research. Twenty-four hours a day, for the better part of a week, a brother was always outside, rocking away in a chair to raise money and awareness for their cause. To make it more interesting, for every $400 raised, a brother would shave his head. These men came together to support one of their own in his time of need and did so without hesitation and with full force.
My own sorority, Delta Delta Delta, was named St. Jude Children's Hospital 2014 Partner of the Year for raising over $25 million dollars in the past 10 years for the hospital. These donations have greatly benefitted the hospital and the children they help to cure every day. These are just two examples out of the countless events chapters everywhere have to support their philanthropy.
Greek systems everywhere are built upon four pillars. These are leadership, scholarship, service and brotherhood/sisterhood. The combination of these values is what makes a great Greek life member, brother, sister and person.
Upholding these values is not always possible for some, and this is where things can go wrong. Some actions are less than acceptable and have serious consequences that not only reflect on the individual, but the community as a whole. But one, or even a few, bad apples should not ruin the whole tree. If you keep your eyes open, and take a look from another angle, you will see there are perfectly fine delicious apples everywhere else.
