The media has painted a not-so-flattering picture of what Greek life is about. The movies “Neighbors” and “The House Bunny” stereotype Greek life as being one big party filled with alcohol, sex and hazing. Although negative aspects like these do occur in fraternity and sororities, many students gain positive characteristics and opportunities by going Greek.
Greek life is a lot more than drinking and partying. Students involved in Greek life gain leadership skills, community service opportunities, network connections and social interaction skills.
Fraternity and sororities cultivate leadership skills by offering leadership positions such as officer board positions, which include titles such as president and treasurer, and chair positions, which carry out different duties such as philanthropy events and volunteer opportunities.
According to Elite Daily, 85 percent of executives of Fortune 500 companies were in a fraternity in college. Also, according to the North American Interfraternity Council, 44 percent of all U.S. presidents have been members of a social fraternity. Although being a leader in an organization can be stressful and a lot of hard work, it pays off by giving Greek students leadership experience, and allowing them to become more confident and successful for the future.
Also, community service is a huge aspect of Greek life. According to Elite Daily, nationwide undergraduate fraternity and sorority members give an annual 7 million dollars and 850,000 hours towards charitable donation. Community service hours are usually required by all Greek organizations on campus. Likewise, each organization has a national philanthropy which they host events and raise money for through-out the school year.
A huge benefit of joining a Greek organization is gaining network connections and social interaction skills. According to USA Today, what makes joining a Greek organization different than joining any other type of organization on campus is its history and ritual tradition.
When new members are initiated they are now tied to thousands of members who came before them. They share in the rich history of their organization and are loyal to one another. This creates great networking opportunities because older members might be able to provide younger members with job opportunities or job references.
Greek organizations vary in size, but by joining, members gain social interaction skills. Members have to work with their brothers or sisters to move their organization forward and create team working skills. Recruiting new members forces members to break out of their comfort zones and learn small-talk skills. In the future these attributes will help them in their careers and life events.
Greek life provides leadership skills, community service opportunities, networking skills and social interaction skills. However, there are a few down sides to Greek life that many should consider.
Alcohol is a very dangerous substance to Greek life and to college campuses in general. According to Elite Daily, 50 percent of Greeks reported doing badly on projects or tests as a result of alcohol and sorority girls have higher rates of alcohol abuse. However, campuses have put in initiatives to stop this abuse. Twenty-five percent of colleges have banned alcohol to keep students academically on track.
Although it may seem that Greek members schooling is effected by alcohol, this is not always the case. According to Elite Daily, Greeks are more likely to finish college. Seventy-one percent of Greeks graduate compared to only 50 percent of non-Greeks.
Also, hazing is a big concern when it comes to Greek life. According to Longwood University’s policy, hazing is “defined as any action taken or situation created intentionally, whether on or off Longwood property, by either fraternity/sorority organizations, student clubs/organizations, athletic teams, individual students or student groups, to produce mental or physical discomfort, endangerment of life, embarrassment, harassment, intimidation or ridicule.”
According to stophazing.org, over 70 percent of students in a social fraternity or sorority have experienced at least one hazing behavior. “The most frequently reported hazing behaviors are drinking games, singing or chanting in a public situation, associating with specific people and not others and drinking large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out.”
According to The State newspaper, hazing can be categorized into two categories; big H and little h. They define big H as obviously dangerous activities such as drinking and going through vigorous physical training. Little h can be defined as smaller, manipulative activities, such as forcing pledges to wear certain colors or forcing them to eat together.
Even though hazing does occur, it does not make it right and many Greek organizations do not haze. According to Elite Daily, “HazingPrevention.org’s annual report proudly noted that 17 representatives of fraternities and sororities across the U.S. participated in its annual symposium discussing how to stop such dangerous practices, with many organizations outright banning them in their manifestos.” Greek organizations support anti-hazing initiatives and want their new members to feel safe and welcomed.
Greek organizations benefit students in so many ways by creating life-long friendships, leadership skills, volunteering opportunities, networking opportunities and social interaction skills. Although it has many positive attributes, there are still negative aspects that can be improved. Alcohol abuse and hazing mistreatment are real, but with the help of student awareness and talking about these issues, Greek life can be seen as a positive experience in the media and though-out college campuses.
