You might assume my claims reek of hate, but this is a case worth making: the abolishment of Greek life. This discussion was set ablaze for me by the recent incident by the Delta Tau Delta chapter involving a banner mocking Palestinians. Initially, I wanted every Greek organization abolished outright.
Fortunately for Greek supporters, my outrage was accompanied by a lack of power and became a thought experiment as to why anyone would join organizations of such ignorance. As a freshman, I remember walking past the Greek life booths smirking at the idea of joining. I’ve always been sort of a maverick, so I found it embarrassing to have my personality scanned for the sake of acceptance.
LSU political communication senior and Phi Mu member, Grace Martell, raised concern with the idea of collectively punishing Greek life.
“Holding the entirety of Greek life accountable for the ignorance of a single organization is both unfair and misguided,” Martell said.
Perhaps I was misguided. I began to question if someone, namely myself, could speak on Greek life while viewing it from the outside. How does the self-proclaimed value of my farsighted insight hold weight next to the money, history and support backing Greek life? It rekindled my interest in this topic, yet my interest was met with an anxious pause.
Initially, I wanted to cover all aspects concerning the classist, racist, elitist and misogynist behaviors that pervade Greek life, but those issues are widespread, and while interconnected, deserve individual discussions.
Holding Greek life responsible for the actions of a few might be the convenient move; however, I couldn’t find another example where I would support this kind of collective punishment (i.e Palestine).
To help me understand better, FSU marketing graduate and Alpha Pi Alpha member, Ki-Mani Ward framed culpability in simpler terms.
“Does opting for public or private school as opposed to homeschooling put you in compliance w/ school shootings or bullying?” Ward said.
Noted. My approach was too broad. I narrowed my concerns on race and status only to question my own intentions. Why was I hell bent on punishing Greek life? Am I just targeting white Greek life? Where were my strong opinions concerning the Divine Nine (Black Greek life)?
Writing this now became a test of my conviction and ability to objectify societal motivations at large to understand the toxicity pervading Greek life.
The divide of Black and white Greek life starts at the top with its varying counsels. The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) oversees Black Greek life, while the National Pan-Hellenic Council (PHC) and The Interfraternity Council (IFC) oversee white Greek life.
It’s important to remember these organizations are not exclusively any race but have a predominant racial sway. I wanted to find out if the division between the NPHC and the IFC/PHC was solely traditional, and admittedly, there is quite a distinctive aspect to each organization.
“I think the difference is a lifelong commitment. We don’t do rush or open forms of intake…we go through a more private but formal process than our counterparts. I think in IFC fraternities, insensitivity and ignorance is very widespread,” Ward said.
Traditional practices like these are what Martell said makes up the differences between black and white Greek life.
“The difference in Black and white Greek life is our different traditions. There is no strong divide between the two,” she said.
Mentally the traditional answer rang hollow, so I pursued another question on the basis of intermingling. Differing council oversight signaled some level of division, but as Chris Brown put it, “I don’t see how you can hate from outside the club, you can’t even get in.”
“Using the term ‘intermingle’ implies a divided society. The only division that exists comes from those who have yet to fully educate themselves about the inclusivity and shared purpose within our organizations,” Martell argued.
I found the answer a bit political; a smart way of saying no.
“I can’t think of any official function ever thrown between a white and Black frat during my time in school,” Ward recalled.
I must accept these are two voices from different universities, organizations and experiences. Nevertheless, I do not see any aspect of reality not affected, at some level, by race.
At LSU, for example, the Greek life houses bordering the LSU Lakes and UREC all fall under the predominantly white IFC or PHC organizations. Game-day tailgating tents on the parade grounds are mostly occupied by the same IFC and PHC organizations. Perhaps, it’s bigger than race, maybe it includes status or organizational credibility; nonetheless, there is still a division deserving of discussion.
This is where you as the reader may recall your own experiences and conclude whether tradition is the only division you notice between Greek organizations. The concern of racial division still brought me no closer to understanding why people would join a Greek organization. Despite a divide of race or culture, members still pledged into an organization built on the idea of separation.
In a change of heart, I felt I was allowing Martell and Ward to dictate my opinions. Recall my flashback of freshman year walking past the Greek life booths smirking at the thought of joining. At the time, the thought came-and-went until I entered school and noticed other freshmen loaded with friends.
“There was no way you could make that many friends in two weeks,” I thought to myself.
It took much longer than two weeks for me to find a real friend, so that moment brought a painful loneliness. I could not have written this story then, but after five years that included dropping out twice and joining the military, those insecurities have faded.
Hindsight showed me what I was seeing was the attempted circumvention of the pursuit of status, money, friendship and romantic appeal. The goals behind working hard, getting an education, interviewing for a good job, frequenting nice places and drawing in high-status romantic appeal could be prematurely acquired by the pledge of a checkbook and the approval of a personality.
There might be leadership, employment or volunteer opportunities that come because of Greek life; however, those opportunities are not exclusive to Greek life. Let’s be honest for a second and remember, no one joins for the volunteer hours.
“I wanted to be a part of a group that creates steps for the next generation to follow. I look at fraternities as a foundation to build camaraderie that will last beyond college,” Ward contended.
I could be overlooking the impact Greek life has on the community, but my gut tells me the allure of sociability is most of the attraction. Legacy parents see their child entering Greek life as a badge of honor neglecting the elitist, classist privileges the title provides.
“These organizations provide a space where members can cultivate leadership skills, broaden their perspectives, and form lifelong friendships,” Martell said. “I wouldn’t be here if my parents didn’t meet through Greek life.”
What I see is a social game led by the fear of finding where you fit in. Students don’t want to accept the awkward stages of finding new friends through spontaneous occurrences. Greek life is a cringey, remarkable remix of hierarchical high school culture.
“I think some people get caught in up thinking that being popular in college as part of your frat translates to the real world and that’s how some folks get hit with post grad depression,” Ward acknowledged.
This quote cemented the overarching point of this discussion. It’s not about whether Greek life is good for everyone else. Instead, Greek life, despite its supporters’ claims, is indeed not healthy for the development of its members. The debate is up in the air for you to decide. Statistically, you didn’t make it to the end of this article, but for the few who lasted, here is the message.
The few friends I consider my brothers weren’t brought to me by paid entry. The work of getting to know someone is without the scenery of a party, while sober, stumbling over awkward silences on route to developing a mutual easiness where the trust of openness is earned and valued takes patience. This is the price we pay when we allow status to lead our pursuit of association.
You must accept that the people you attract may not be the most glamorous. Yet if given a chance, they will change your life, instill wisdom and illuminate a perceptual framework hinging less on social constructs and rather on authentic interpersonal connection.
Mohammad Tantawi is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Smyrna, TN.
