The Stigma Surrounding Greek Life

Hazing. Binge Drinking. Sexual Assault.

If I asked you to describe the first three things that come to your mind when I mention “Greek Life”, would these be on the top of your list? For most of us, yes, it would be. However, this negative stigma surrounding Greek life on college campuses has created an uproar and an outcry to change. And yet, while there is definitely change that needs to be made, there are great advantages that Greek Life brings to universities and colleges across the country.

If you search anything about fraternities or sororities into Google, there will be an abundance of articles surrounding the negative connotations of these organization: once again, hazing, binge drinking, and sexual assault. Many of our adverse associations come from these media outlets. There have been a few times when major media sources report on the philanthropy done by Greek organizations or the benefits they have to universities.

Here at Penn State, 17% of students are affiliated with a Greek Life organization (Penn State). The Greek culture here at Penn State is a little rocky, especially the past years surrounding the tragedy following Tim Piazza’s death. However, there is little light shed on the wonders that Greek life provides for the university and its students.

Aside from attracting students to their universities, Greek life organizations provide many financial gains for colleges across the country. Fraternities and sororities are the largest providers of undergraduate housing in the United States apart from the universities themselves. One out of every 8 students living on college campuses lives in Greek housing (NPR). Along with housing, alumni donations are a large factor in keeping a university running smoothly. Fraternity and sorority alumni make up the largest sector of lifetime donors to colleges and give four times as much as alumni who were not members of these institutions (AlterNet).

As well as benefiting the university, students involved in sororities and fraternities describe their college experience as one filled with service, community, family, and sisterhood/brotherhood. While there are those cliché ideas of “sisterhood” and family, Greek life organizations provide their student members with a foundation to be taught basic principles of responsibility, loyalty, and philanthropy. In a USA Today article, it described the positive aspects of Greek Life that is usually clouded by stereotypes and overbearing news. One part of the article touched on the philanthropic side of these organizations and stated:

“According to the most recent National Panhellenic Council 2013-2014 annual report, sorority women from across the nation raised over $5.7 million for philanthropies and reported nearly 1 million hours of community service in the last academic year alone.

Even more impressive is that, in the same time frame, fraternity men in The North American Interfraternity Conference raised $20.7 million for philanthropies and completed 3.8 million hours of community service” (Musulin).

Most people involved in these organizations will tell you that being in a Greek organization changed their lives for the better. It provided them with opportunities to expand their education, their service, and their connection to their university and themselves.

The stigma surrounding Greek Life is a major controversy in our society and is one that probably will not go away anytime soon. These organizations provide members with the foundation to better themselves and their communities. Regardless of whether it is your interest to associate with Greek life and Greek organizations, it is important to remember to not judge a book by its cover. Not all Greek organizations are the same and all of them are not involved in the horrors that the media portrays.

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