Mr. Boxerman, in his article on Greek life, focuses primarily on its problems. Surely, he’s heard about the benefits: friendships, meeting new people within the Greek system, service and philanthropy, to name a few. But the author asserts that even with their benefits, the historical flaws and exclusive structures of Greek organizations make them irredeemable.

The author laments that Greek organizations were founded on exclusion, while he is attending a university with $70,000 in tuition and fees and an acceptance rate in the teens.

He notes that an institution with a foundation resting on racism and a history of discrimination is unlikely to ever change its ways while living on a campus principally funded and founded by John Evans, the same John Evans who decorated the perpetrators of the Sand Creek Massacre and then knowingly defended their actions. That same University brought in Frances Willard as the first president of its women’s college, but even after her anti-black propaganda incited racist rhetoric, her name still stays on buildings.

I have no intention of discounting any of these major problems. On the contrary, the Greek system needs to address them head-on. The moral of these comparisons, however, is that those in glass houses should not throw stones. Over time, the University has had a similar, rocky foundation, but through self-examination and involvement with the community, Northwestern has managed to morph into a beacon for inclusion and tolerance. Asserting that Greeks can’t make positive, meaningful changes in their chapter because of their history goes directly against the dialogue and discussions that have improved this school over the last century and a half.

Believe it or not, people who are “committed to making the world around them a better place” already exist in the Greek system, regardless of the comments made. They’re the same people who applauded when three IFC fraternities with chapters at NU officially passed national resolutions allowing any student who identifies as male to join their organizations, all within the past two years. They’re the same people who join SHAPE and MARS and contribute to dialogue about preventing sexual assault and making Greek houses safe place for all students.

I’ve seen fellow members participate in philanthropy and service, hold discussions about race and poverty, counsel victims of assault and abuse, take part in events like Take Back the Night, Relay for Life, and a whole host of other things.

IFC and PHA chapters aren’t just an amalgamation of stereotypes, bound by nationals to be the same cookie cutter model at every location.

Each chapter has a different personality you won’t find at any other branch at any other university. Nationals doesn’t have the control to make every chapter a cookie-cutter branch, so Greeks have been constantly working to combat the negative beliefs about people in the system and to improve relations with the NU community both on and off campus.

Look around, you might be surprised to see how much they can do.

Ben Connelly
McCormick junior

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