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Greg Scherrer Editor |
Truth is in the eyes of the beholder.
To a brother or sister in the Greek system, the benefits of belonging are very real and very tangible. That person's truth is that going Greek offers benefits far beyond simple friendships and associations. Education transcends classroom lectures, and belonging to a fraternity or sorority contributes directly to that education and to the overall college experience—scholastically and socially.
To a nonaffiliate, however, the truth may be far different. Take Joe, for example. Joe decided not to join a fraternity his freshman year. Why? He didn't want to be associated with the stereotypical image. Animal House. Frat. These are words that have a close association for Joe.
Pauline is a student affairs administrator. She never went Greek, because the Greek system was never very strong on her campus, and she simply felt that it wasn't for her. But through her undergraduate years she began forming an ideas about the Greek system, and thanks in part to recent publicity, she now has a very particular image of the Greek system in her mind. It's one that concerns her greatly in her dealings with students.
And neither Mr. or Mrs. Timmons ever joined. But their son just called home and told them of his decision to pledge. They watch the news on a regular basis, pierced with worry, because they have heard of some of the notorious "bad" cases.
Joe, Pauline, and the two Timmons parents, though they aren't real, have concerns that are very real. They have formed images of the Greek community based largely on stereotypes, past behavior, and national generalizations that of course wouldn't apply to any particular chapter or campus.
The concerns are largely reinforced by the media. In the past week alone, yet another fraternity has lost campus recognition: this time at California-Berkeley, and this time for hazing. Headlines about fraternities and drinking incidents at MIT, Georgia, and even Georgia Tech have led to a far different set of headlines: "Across the country, frats debate going dry."
It is easy but wrong for Greeks to consider the fears of these individuals, groups, and media outlets as unjustified or uninformed. The notable negatives are The Truth for these people.
And The Truth hurts. It is hard to ignore Truth.
The Greek community as a whole cannot simply choose to gaze idly in the other direction as the Truth sideswipes an entire system. No matter how wrong Greeks think these generalizations are, the very reason they cannot be ignored is because at least in part, they have their basis in fact.
Facts plus truth is not just hard to ignore... it is a combination that is impossible to ignore.
Life is a game of image. First impressions are made, and even individuals must work hard to promote an image of sound character and to build respect. It's so much harder on a global scale, but even Greeks—and especially Greeks—must play the P.R. game.
This is precisely why all individuals in the fraternity system must pay close attention to the current dry housing movement, and lend their support. Dry and substance-free chapter housing is a good idea not because anyone said it is a good idea. Not because schools like the University of Kentucky have decreed dry campuses. Not because of misguided attempts at alcohol and culture "education" by campus officials. Not because of any knee-jerk reaction to deaths at MIT and elsewhere, and certainly not because fraternity and chapter alumni say it will happen.
Dry housing is a good idea because it is good P.R. Dry housing is a "Greek" thing to do if it originates with the current active undergraduate members of their own volition.
Just as certain as truth is in the eyes of the beholder, the truth can change with time. By initiating a dry housing movement, undergraduates can define a new truth.
Remember the many positive benefits of the Greek system: Brotherhood, scholarship, education, and character-building are just a few. By reemphasizing these values and devaluing the externally applied emphasis of alcohol, drinking, and abuse, there is much to gain—especially respect.
If undergraduates choose to voluntarily purge houses of alcohol, they send a very clear and very positive message. It doesn't mean that drinking will disappear. In fact, it's not even a solution to the perceived drinking problem.
Most proponents of the dry housing movement argue that risk will be minimized. Nope. Taking the alcohol off campus will increase the risk slightly, because it adds driving as a new factor. Sure, insurance liability might go down, but personal risk increases. The hope is that as the risk increases, shared responsibility for the safety of others in the chapter will increase.
However, because the original priorities of fraternity and sorority are reemphasized, everyone will be better off in the long run, and the public will have a better understanding of the positive initiatives of the Greek System. And Mr. and Mrs. Timmons will be proud that their son pledged; the worry will be gone.
Can Greeks respond to that truth?