The Human Condition — Greek Life: A Benefit or a Detriment to the College Experience

State College, PA — Two recent controversies involving the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter at Oklahoma State University and the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity chapter at Penn State University have reignited questions about what the Greek system adds to or detracts from universities and their communities.

At Oklahoma State, members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were recorded singing a highly offensive racist chant that stated that African Americans would never be let into the said fraternity and that instead, they should be hung from a tree. At Penn State, members of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity are in the global spotlight after a highly offensive Facebook page full of photographs of naked sleeping or unconscious women was uncovered. Both have sparked a serious of passionate protests and the possibility of potentially harsh punishments.

However, these incidents did not surprise many people. They serve as a reminder of the many problems and controversies that seem to accompany Greek life’s existence on college campuses. Other incidents include suicides, deaths, and injuries related to fraternity and sorority hazing (initiation rites), the 2013 Penn State sorority controversial Halloween costume party that insulted Mexican culture and heritage, excessive and/or underage drinking, casualties caused by intoxication, and the notoriously high rates of rape and sexual assaults that take place in fraternities.

Before Greek life is condemned completely, it is important to explore both the pros and the cons of it. Many influential individuals have gone through the Greek system. 44% of presidents were members of fraternities (not sororities, not yet) and 50% of people on the Top 10 Fortune 500 CEO list were a part of Greek life. Furthermore, fraternities and sororities raise a lot of money for charities. Last year, the Greek system raised a collective 20 million dollars for charities and volunteered for a collective 4 million hours. Greek life potentially provides a tight-knit community and life-long friends. It also fosters connections and consequentially more opportunities.

However, as stated above, Greek life’s list of cons seems endless. It has, for the most part, a notorious reputation, due in part to media and film, but especially because of incidents like those at Penn State and Oklahoma State. One might ask why there are so many harmful incidents perpetrated by fraternities and sororities. Some studies suggest that it is the exclusive, homogenous nature of Greek life that breeds discrimination and exclusion within a like group of people. Predominantly all-white, all-male fraternities could promote racism and sexism as well as a sense of entitlement. But isn’t college a time to broaden one’s horizons, open new doors, meet a diverse array of people, expand connections, and learn to see the world through multiple different lenses? Could one not argue that perhaps the entire concept of Greek life conflicts with the supposed reason we go to college in the first place?

Many institutions of higher education, such as Bowdoin College, a small liberal arts college in Maine, have abolished the very Greek system upon which they were initially founded. When Bowdoin got rid of Greek life in 2000, many went up in arms claiming that Bowdoin’s culture disappeared with the presence of Greek life. However, Bowdoin continues to be a thriving institution, ranked at number five of all American liberal arts colleges. While abolishing Greek life from college campuses would eliminate many of the related problems, it is not the only option.

If you are a member of the Penn State community, here is why this should matter to you. Monday was the day that Penn State president Eric Barron announced that he would be meeting with his council to discuss how to respond and which actions to take against the offenders at Kappa Delta Rho. However, no conclusive decision was reached other than that a “task force” will be deployed to further investigate the Kappa Delta Rho incident. Contrastingly, at Oklahoma State, in response to the racist chant of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, two of the involved students were expelled from the university, and the entire Oklahoma State chapter of the fraternity was shut down permanently, the building boarded up and shuttered. Some of the ex-members received death threats, and the main student involved issued a formal apology. Blaine Ayers, the executive director of the entire national fraternity of Sigma Alpha Epsilon made a public statement in which he expressed his dismay at the incident and announced that nation-wide Sigma Alpha Epsilon racism investigations are underway. Fifteen other universities around the country have shut down their chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. It could be argued that all these consequences were made possible by the powerful, moving protests that occurred on Oklahoma State’s campus.

If the protests at Oklahoma State played such a large role in securing the necessary consequences, it seems that it is up to the Penn State community to demand justice for the victims of the Kappa Delta Rho scandal. There already have been two powerful protests at Penn State, but it must not end there. Furthermore, while it is crucial that punishments be doled out and apologies made, Penn State seems equipped only to deal with temporarily suspending offensive fraternities and sororities and say sorry. Policies must be put in place to prevent hurtful disasters like all those that have occurred in the past and save universities from the shame and the victims from the pain associated with them.

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www.nytimes.com

Oklahoma State students march in protest of the racist chant perpetrated by members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

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www.onwardstate.com

Penn State students and community members rallied last week in protest of the Kappa Delta Rho scandal.

Sources: CNN ((http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/03/10/ctn-pkg-simon-greek-life-good-bad-ugly.cnn, http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-racist-chant/, http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/us/fraternities-boys-behaving-badly/). 

One thought on “The Human Condition — Greek Life: A Benefit or a Detriment to the College Experience”

  1. The Greek system has always confused me. I do not know what the appeal is besides the obvious connection benefits to it. However those same connections are what makes me very nervous about the fraternities. People are chosen for superficial and sometimes discriminatory features and then those who are chosen are provided with a distinct advantage in the marketplace. For that reason, along with all the other negatives of the greek system, I do not know if I can support them.

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