You Know You Want to Go Greek
Samantha Sandusky
John Todd
ENG 101
November 23, 2012
You Know You Want to Go Greek Believe it or not, Greek life is more than just beer and togas. I know most people have a misconstrued perception of fraternities and sororities, but in reality, they are not like the movies. In fact, many successful adults were Greek in college. Recently, there has been a lot of bad press for some of these fraternities abusing alcohol, but of course, these scandals are all that make the headlines, while philanthropic fundraisers do not. Regardless of the negativity, that’s all it is, because in the end, all of these stereotypes are untrue. We have all seen those boys and girls walking around campus in those really awesome embroidered letters and wondered what it would be like to be a part of something so official and glamorous. Well, I say quit wondering and just go for it. Joining Greek life would be the best decision you ever made because people’s perception of members are completely off, the friendships you make will last a lifetime, and the benefits will help you in your future career.
Alcohol and drug abuse are probably the two most controversial topics when considering Greek life. Those who are not in a fraternity or sorority just think we party all night and pick on the pledges whenever we can. However, most frats and sororities actually are not allowed to promote drinking or drugs. In fact, my sorority, Sigma Kappa, has a strict no tolerance policy, and if we are caught engaging in any of those activities, we are sent to “standards” (our board of chairmen, who make sure all rules are being enforced) and suspended from the chapter immediately. I can’t say that parties don’t happen, but when they do, you must be 18 to enter and if you are 21, most parties will give you a wrist band indicating that you are allowed to drink. Therefore, Greek life members are drinking no more than any other average college kid would. Another thing many people might not know is that
John Todd
ENG 101
November 23, 2012
You Know You Want to Go Greek Believe it or not, Greek life is more than just beer and togas. I know most people have a misconstrued perception of fraternities and sororities, but in reality, they are not like the movies. In fact, many successful adults were Greek in college. Recently, there has been a lot of bad press for some of these fraternities abusing alcohol, but of course, these scandals are all that make the headlines, while philanthropic fundraisers do not. Regardless of the negativity, that’s all it is, because in the end, all of these stereotypes are untrue. We have all seen those boys and girls walking around campus in those really awesome embroidered letters and wondered what it would be like to be a part of something so official and glamorous. Well, I say quit wondering and just go for it. Joining Greek life would be the best decision you ever made because people’s perception of members are completely off, the friendships you make will last a lifetime, and the benefits will help you in your future career.
Alcohol and drug abuse are probably the two most controversial topics when considering Greek life. Those who are not in a fraternity or sorority just think we party all night and pick on the pledges whenever we can. However, most frats and sororities actually are not allowed to promote drinking or drugs. In fact, my sorority, Sigma Kappa, has a strict no tolerance policy, and if we are caught engaging in any of those activities, we are sent to “standards” (our board of chairmen, who make sure all rules are being enforced) and suspended from the chapter immediately. I can’t say that parties don’t happen, but when they do, you must be 18 to enter and if you are 21, most parties will give you a wrist band indicating that you are allowed to drink. Therefore, Greek life members are drinking no more than any other average college kid would. Another thing many people might not know is that