Now is the time for reflection
When the alcohol moratorium was handed down, Greeks were understandably upset. That was three weeks ago, though, and they need to realize that whining isn’t helping their cause at all.
At a Student Union Senate meeting in October, Greeks hounded senators and Jill Carnaghi, vice chancellor for students, about the ban. One fraternity member even asked the Senate if they could “go kick some ass” to resolve the matter. A sorority member gave a senseless rant about the ban violating the separation between church and state, too.
Fine, they were correctly upset about a far-reaching decision made days earlier without their input. But the pattern continued weeks later, when Dean James McLeod called the Greek community to a meeting to discuss the merits of Greek life in light of its recent challenges.
McLeod begun the meeting by saying that he wanted to listen to Greeks’ concerns, and made it absolutely clear that fraternities and sororities were important parts of the University. But rather than win points with the man who will ultimately decide their fate, some Greeks antagonized him.
Mike Mass, president of Zeta Beta Tau, didn’t even fool his fellow Greeks when he said, “Underage drinking is never allowed or condoned at any Greek event.” Sigma Phi Epsilon’s president, Sam Fitz, spent much of his speaking time criticizing the alcohol ban. A former president of Theta Xi, who made a big fuss about remaining anonymous, was flat out confrontational. “You don’t have a right to question what we stand for,” he told McLeod.
By contrast, Beta Theta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Tau Kappa Epsilon took the opportunity to reflect on the problems of Greek culture more seriously. Alex Curcuru, Beta’s president, pointed out, “Self-governance on the IFC [Interfraternity Council] level is just not working.” His AEPi counterpart, Eli Zimmerman, spoke to the fact that though Greek Life is called a community, “sometimes it’s not really that.” Finally, Murry Ford, president of TKE, called on Greeks to “stand up against hazing and alcohol abuse.”
In between were several chapters that added little to the discussion. Many cited the myriad of activities Greeks participate in on campus, an obvious fact. And McLeod was surely aware of Greeks’ GPAs, the networking opportunities and the social advantages of being Greek.
In short, many Greeks wasted a golden opportunity to demonstrate how committed they were to meeting the challenges Greek life currently faces. If for no other reason than to stave off the underground drinking danger, the Greek community should try harder to impress upon the administration that they deserve to have alcohol privileges reinstated.
Those organizations that don’t have their act together should take a hint from the chapters that are serious about an honest and thorough self-examination of the Greek community; the latter group is on the right track.
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