Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Guest column: The relevance of Greek life

Two weeks ago marked the end of my term as Director of Public Relations on NU’s Interfraternity Council. Managing public relations for an organization whose value to today’s society is regularly questioned by critics is not an easy task.

We typically get allotted an annual story in each publication on campus that represents us in a positive light. If campus publications are your only experience with Greek life, the benefits of being in such an organization would certainly not be apparent.

The benefits, however, are evident in the quality of men and women who have been Greek. As Delta Upsilon International Fraternity President Dr. Bernard Franklin summarized:

“According to the North-American Interfraternity Council, nine million people in the U.S. and Canada are undergraduate or alumni members of the Greek system. Over the course of American history, 48 percent of U.S. presidents, 42 percent of U.S. senators, 30 percent of congressional representatives and 40 percent of U.S. Supreme Court justices have been Greek. Thirty percent of Fortune 500 executives are Greek.”

But Dr. Franklin’s statistics speak of men and women who first became members of the Greek community decades ago.

Critics challenge that the benefits I just listed are also becoming merely historical ideas.What about today’s fraternity men and sorority women?

“The over-indulgence of alcohol and parties, the desire to be the campus studs of intramurals, the low expectations around academic performance and other misplaced and out of balance values, will not produce ‘good men’ who can successfully compete in the emerging global marketplace.”

And that was written not by a critic, but by Dr. Franklin.

If we want to continue to thrive as a community, we need to recognize that most Greek stereotypes are partial truths. They may even be full truths at chapters in some schools, but not at most schools. Not at most chapters. And certainly not at NU.

That being said, we need to be aware of the issues facing our community and address them proactively before they become larger problems in the NU Greek community.

Fall Quarter saw more hospitalizations from alcohol-related incidents at NU than any previous quarter in recent history. Unfortunately, most of those hospitalizations were linked back to Greek organizations.

The problem is not in the sheer number of transports, as it is possible the increase in hospitalizations stemmed from more people getting the help they truly needed. The problem is that few, if any, of the calls came from Greek organizations when the majority of the hospitalized students reported obtaining alcohol from Greek chapters.

On Jan. 12, a Latina student was verbally assaulted by a group of 20 to 25 inebriated women while walking back to her dorm. While the identity of the drunk women is unknown, it is reasonable to assume that they are part of a sorority based on the circumstances. I hesitate to call them sorority women.

There is no chapter on campus that holds that type of action as a principle. The shame is that these girls clearly do not understand what their organization stands for. They are sullying the reputation of the entire Greek system.

In the caucus to address the incident, it was proposed to specifically target the Greek community when educating on issues of race and ethnicity.

Based on the principles of Greek organizations, it should be the Greeks who are leading the conversation. This clearly has not been the case and represents a true disconnect with the intentions of the founders of our organizations.

These are isolated incidents, but they bring to light the challenges that the new IFC and Panhellenic Association executive boards will face over the next year.

But the responsibility is not only theirs to bear. It is all of ours. We need to continue to focus on what we do well while addressing the specific incidents that leave a stain on our community.

It is important to note that these incidents do not represent the ideals of the community as a whole. Rather, they represent the misguided actions of a few who do not understand the ideals they signed up to uphold.

Certainly we should target these individuals, but it does not suffice to target the entire community. That is simply lazy when there are so many members of the community who uphold their organization’s values on a daily basis.

Greeks are leaders in all sorts of student groups that promote social justice and advance character on campus.

For example, Greeks hold leadership roles in Dance Marathon, ASG and other fantastic organizations. Simply put, Greek chapters develop the leadership skills of their members – as long as the members are eager and willing to learn.

I’ll be the first to admit that the system isn’t perfect.

Every year, well-qualified people slip through cracks and don’t get bids. And, certainly, not every person who receives a bid accepts it for the right reasons.

But while improvements could be made to the system, it is nowhere near broken, as many have asserted. The vast majority of stereotypes are exaggerated or simply false.

The benefits of being in a Greek organization are numerous. DU’s mission is “building better men.” I can say with confidence that I am a better man because of DU.

I’ve gained valuable leadership experience, a greater sense of self and focused goals for my post-college career. That is why the Greek system is still relevant.

Brad Stewart

Medill ‘13

All opinions expressed in this column are solely the opinions of the columnist and do not reflect the views of The Daily Northwestern. If you would like to respond to the column, you may comment below, email the columnist or submit a 300-word letter to the editor to [email protected].

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Guest column: The relevance of Greek life