The real Greek life isn’t making news
Posted By Elaina Parisi, iMPrint Writer On 27th May 2007 @ 20:05 In News, Life | No Comments
Whether there is truth to these stereotypical associations or not, the solid community service presence and the leadership qualities developed through Greek life are often overlooked by extreme pledging rituals and instances of hazing on campuses throughout the country.
The deep root that Greek life has in tradition makes it difficult for university officials to crack down on extreme activity during recruitment. It also presents problems for current members who want to break away from these stereotypes.
“A lot of people think we’re just about partying or getting drunk all the time, like Animal House or something,” said Caitlin Fields, senior member of [1] Rochester Institute of Technology’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority. “They don’t understand the part we play in the community,” she added.
Though the practices at different colleges and universities vary throughout the country, the basic process is pretty uniform—Formal Recruitment, or Rush Week, is a time for fraternities and sororities to both appeal to and inform potential new members.
The recruitment process usually begins with an open house, which gives interested students the chance to walk house to house and speak with the fraternity and sorority members.
Standard concerns usually include how participation in Greek life will affect grades, if their parents will approve of group practices, the extent of hazing and the costs of both time and finances.
The next phase involves social or philanthropic events that can range from an evening at Turning Stone Casino in New York — as Cornell University fraternities have done — to a night of making cards for cancer patients at a local hospital [at Rochester Institute of Technology].
At most schools throughout the country, Formal Recruitment is held during the spring semester. This gives freshmen the opportunity to become acquainted with the campus culture and the place they would like to have in it.
“They want freshmen to shop around and find the best fit before deciding on one [fraternity/sorority],” said Dennis Shen, a member of Cornell University’s Zeta Psi fraternity.
According to Becky Daniels, senior member of Delta Delta Delta at Syracuse University, many schools hold initiatives throughout the fall to both attract and recruit new students regardless of the exact time Formal Recruitment is held,.
Whether it is an informal tea or throwing house parties on Saturday nights, fraternities and sororities are constantly seeking to catch the interest of new members. At most schools, it is an ongoing process of looking for new members.
The week commences with the signing of what is termed a “bid”, an agreement of sorts that allows new members to officially join the fraternity or sorority they are most interested in.
“Rush week is a time for you to enjoy. You put on an act,” said Shen, referring to the tendency of fraternities to impress new members before the pledge phase begins.
“It wasn’t easy. I kind of regretted it at times,” said Shen, who is now a senior at Cornell, referring to his experiences as a new fraternity member during his freshmen year.
According to Shen, new members are often willing to participate in particular pledging and hazing activities because they are aware that active members have been through the same process. According to Shen, this puts the often-brutal experiences forced upon new members into perspective.
“The only real way to instill the tradition is to make them go through this process,” Shen added.
At schools like Syracuse University, RIT and Cornell University, the role of the institution is to help fraternities and sororities meet their annual goals and to support them through that process.
“They are for us, not against us,” said Shen, referring to the relationship with the [2] Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at Cornell University.
The office, like many at schools throughout the country, operates under self-governance. This means that they guide the students in developing their own policies and programs.
Three semesters ago, Cornell removed a fraternity from their campus due to an extreme instance of hazing during their new member initiative program. Occurrences like this put Cornell’s theme of “freedom with responsibility” under direct question.
In light of occurrences like this throughout college campuses, fraternities and sororities are working with individual advising deans to move closer to a full-blown anti-hazing campaign.
“It is our job to make everyone aware of what hazing is and help with the education so we don’t constantly get in the trap of the stereotype,” said Lisa Brown, Assistant Dean of Students for Leadership Development at Cornell.
According to Brown, each fraternity submits a new member initiative program, which outlines the activities that immediately follow Rush Week. If a red flag appears, chapters are required to alter their program.
“It’s a delicate balance when it comes to self governance,” said Brown. “We always give it up to the students first to fix problems,” Brown added.
According to Fields, who acts as Vice President of Public Relations and Recruitment for ASA, RIT is moving to refer to pledging as “new member education program” to break away from negative stereotypes.
Though the nature of recruitment for fraternities and sororities is debatable, and strong ties to tradition can be crippling, the accomplishments that many of these organizations achieve throughout the year are hard to deny.
According to Daniels, Syracuse University has several sororities on campus that work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the National Kidney Foundation, among other organizations. This is only a small display of the philanthropic activity within Greek organizations throughout college campuses.
Greek organizations also provide resources for the greater campus. Throughout the academic year, Syracuse University, among other colleges, sponsor weeks devoted to Alcohol Awareness as well as other themes centered on educating the greater campus community.
According to Daniels, this is reflected in the quality of members that are attracted to Greek life.
“Typically our chapters look for someone who is committed to a balance between their academic and social activities, someone interested in philanthropy and community service and also a young woman who is interested in developing herself as a leader by taking positions within the chapter or the greater Panhellenic community,” she said.
Article printed from Imprint Magazine: http://www.imprintmagazine.org
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