2008 Woodie Awards
Greeks do more than party
Josh Jefferson
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: The Edge
You can badmouth Greeks all you want. Are we a perfect body? No, we are not. Do we have our ups and downs? Yes, we do. Other organizations experience this as well. For every negative stereotype that can be thought up, I can give you a counterpoint.
Let's start with the obvious ones. Admittedly, Greeks drink and party. But on the flipside, how many students at this university do the same? How many students attend these parties on a Friday night after having talked bad about Greeks on that same morning? Did "The Courier Best of" poll about Western not just list partying as the No. 1 reason to attend? I rest my case.
Greeks (or at least the minority Greeks) have a week set aside known as their Founder's Week. It is during this time fraternity members do additional community service work and put on educational programs in addition to what we do at other times. Ask yourselves this: Do you attend any of our educational programs or community service events? Or do you look at the flier we have out to find out when the next social is?
I want to set the record straight and say that we, as Greeks, are not an organized mob. I am a proud member of Lambda Theta Phi, and I feel I can say with total confidence it is true. We no more remove a person's identity than an organization like Student Government Association or University Union Board. If you were to ask me why I wear my colors and letters, I would tell you it is out of pride in my organization, its traditions and its history.
I do and always have retained my individuality and never felt that I lost it. If I felt it was in jeopardy, I would not have become a Greek.
We, as Greeks, want what is best for the members of our community and the greater campus community. We encourage and members of our community and the greater campus community. We encourage and support our members in their endeavors, both academic and extracurricular.
Did you know Greeks make up a fair portion of the student leadership on campus, particularly in the upper echelons of student power? We actively defend your rights to things like student fees and +/- grading. Is it fair to be critical of us? Sure it is. That is what makes this country great. We have a right to our own opinions, and I hope that never changes. I just urge you to do your research and get your facts right before you just go ahead and lump us all together with stereotypes before you even know us as individual organizations and as people.
We, as a nation, have done this before and now feel the effects of it to this day. It seems senseless in my mind that simply because I have chosen to be a part of Lambda Theta Phi or because some young lady has chosen to become a Phi Sigma Sigma that we should be labeled as drunks, excessive partiers, organized mobs or gang. We are much more than that, and it is only indicative of your character if you decide to take the easy way out and slap a stereotype on me just because I am a Lambda or on someone else because they are an Alpha or a Sigma Chi.
Let's start with the obvious ones. Admittedly, Greeks drink and party. But on the flipside, how many students at this university do the same? How many students attend these parties on a Friday night after having talked bad about Greeks on that same morning? Did "The Courier Best of" poll about Western not just list partying as the No. 1 reason to attend? I rest my case.
Greeks (or at least the minority Greeks) have a week set aside known as their Founder's Week. It is during this time fraternity members do additional community service work and put on educational programs in addition to what we do at other times. Ask yourselves this: Do you attend any of our educational programs or community service events? Or do you look at the flier we have out to find out when the next social is?
I want to set the record straight and say that we, as Greeks, are not an organized mob. I am a proud member of Lambda Theta Phi, and I feel I can say with total confidence it is true. We no more remove a person's identity than an organization like Student Government Association or University Union Board. If you were to ask me why I wear my colors and letters, I would tell you it is out of pride in my organization, its traditions and its history.
I do and always have retained my individuality and never felt that I lost it. If I felt it was in jeopardy, I would not have become a Greek.
We, as Greeks, want what is best for the members of our community and the greater campus community. We encourage and members of our community and the greater campus community. We encourage and support our members in their endeavors, both academic and extracurricular.
Did you know Greeks make up a fair portion of the student leadership on campus, particularly in the upper echelons of student power? We actively defend your rights to things like student fees and +/- grading. Is it fair to be critical of us? Sure it is. That is what makes this country great. We have a right to our own opinions, and I hope that never changes. I just urge you to do your research and get your facts right before you just go ahead and lump us all together with stereotypes before you even know us as individual organizations and as people.
We, as a nation, have done this before and now feel the effects of it to this day. It seems senseless in my mind that simply because I have chosen to be a part of Lambda Theta Phi or because some young lady has chosen to become a Phi Sigma Sigma that we should be labeled as drunks, excessive partiers, organized mobs or gang. We are much more than that, and it is only indicative of your character if you decide to take the easy way out and slap a stereotype on me just because I am a Lambda or on someone else because they are an Alpha or a Sigma Chi.
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