Monica O’Malley:
Sorority girls, fraternity boys. Chances are you will see a lot of them in the days to come. With the annual Greek Week celebrations upon us, members of both groups seem to pour out of every Wash U nook and cranny. But don’t hate us because we’re beautiful. Yes, I said “we.” I am an upstanding member of one of Wash U’s national sororities. And even though I was completely joking with the whole “beautiful” line, it would be nice to not be looked down upon for being Greek.
Proud to be a member of Alpha Phi sorority, I’ve had to deal with the stigma of being “a sorority girl” for the past two or so years. Ask any member of the Greek community and they’ll tell you the same thing.
At times it really is a stigma, no matter the chapter or the house. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “You’re in a sorority?!” by some flabbergasted peer, I could take my sisters and me on a crazy “Girls Gone Wild” trip to South Beach, Fla. Since I’m in a sorority, naturally that’s what I’d do with all that extra money.
Or not. I know it’s hard to look past the drunken debauchery and the scandalous stories, but the thing is, nobody ever wants to hear the good things the Greek community does. This very paper didn’t even run an article about a recent week of philanthropy that raised about $5000 for heart disease research.
Granted, parties may make for better gossip, but ask the girls who help hearing impaired children every weekend or the guys who throw Swing parties at the local senior citizens’ home whether or not what they do means something to them. Chances are they’ve helped many more than those people who sit around complaining about the Greek system.
Though the Greek community may be a predominantly social one, socializing doesn’t define Greek life. Bonds that are forged through sleeping in the wilderness, sponsoring charity concerts and yes, partying with new people, happen every day in sororities and fraternities, but the same things happen on freshman floors and campus clubs. However, other organizations just don’t have to carry the burden of Greek letters.
But we do, and we’re more than happy to do so. The good that comes of being Greek might be too hard for some to imagine, but 30 percent of Wash U’s population found it. Together we revel in the good times, endure the bad and come out better and stronger people either way.
So this week, when you pass by people wearing those “scarlet” letters, don’t judge them. Don’t hate them. Just talk to them; ask them about their experiences. You might just meet someone as cool as you.
Joshua Trein:
Greek Week has begun, and again the school and the student body will allow the fraternities to pretend like they stand for something positive. To prove that point, think of the Sigma Chi video, ostensibly “leaked” last year.
Overall, the video had little to no effect on how Greek culture was perceived by students. Not only was the behavior it depicted expected, but many were heard to remark that it was reasonably tame. After hearing about incidents concerning drugs and small firearms, as with Sammy, what’s an ice bucket?
I simply cannot give my blessing to a collective that sexually demeans both its own members and every single woman ever born. If you live in a dormitory, look for posted notices of frat parties for some examples. Thinly-veiled references to the use of women as sexual tools abound.
When I see a Greek organization campaign for a cause, I get a sinking feeling that positive methods are being abused in an effort to atone for some gross misdeed. On the general list of ‘why I joined my frat,’ noble services like washing cars for cancer research are sure not to crack the top ten. Having a place to meet liquored-up women is probably a bit more apt.
I sternly refuse to call the vast majority of individuals in fraternities bad men and must admit that whatever I think of their organizations general worthiness, our school would be the worse without the time and effort they put into improving their surroundings. Unfortunately, this is a case where the few bad apples do indeed spoil the entire bunch: no one remembers the checks sent to charities, but far too many have a story about the frats that would make you cringe.
However, I simply find no reason to endorse the misogynistic, beer-soaked culture that the row creates, nor (albeit to a far lesser extent and for other reasons) the emotional fluff passed off as “sisterhood” by the sororities. But at least the girls don’t take nearly as much pride in dehumanizing themselves and degrading the opposite sex. They receive my blessing, not that they care, simply by being more benign.
Gentlemen: if you want to do something to feel cooler, I suggest you start a band. At least then, if you begin to abuse drugs, alcohol and women, no one will ever have grounds to think you set out intending to do otherwise.