Research Paper
Has the Media Molded the Way We Perceive Greek Life on Campus?
Throughout time the Greek community has had to put up with the assumptions that society has about them. Stereotypes include partying until the break of dawn, drinking like there’s no tomorrow, and hazing their new members in order as a requirement to join. Watching movies over the years that are about Fraternities and Sororities put that image about Greek Life into my head, because most movies interpret them to act a certain way. Yet not many know that Greeks each have their own philanthropy, a charity of their choice, to which they raise money for. Is Hollywood part of the reason why Greeks have fallen under that cliché? This is why I decided to look further into this topic due to the fact that I wanted to see if Hollywood has this ability to have a negative outlook on Greek Life.
Coming into The University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA) I didn’t even know we had a Greek Life on campus, until a sorority came up to me and asked me to join. At the time I said “No” in a heartbeat, but as the first weeks of school passed other sororities caught my eye. A friend of mine said she was looking into joining a sorority and said that I should do it with her, so I decided to look into some sororities with an open mind, rather than a bias opinion.
Going to different informationals one particular sorority caught my attention, they were community and academically based, meaning that they focused a lot of their time on community service and on academics. Since these two issues are something I take to heart, I decided to continue to look into this particular sorority. As the semester went on, I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from the sisters to continue on with the process. The process consisted of learning their values, purpose, and other required material. By the end of the semester I could call myself a sister of this sorority.
Since I worked so hard to be able to receive my Greek letters I
Throughout time the Greek community has had to put up with the assumptions that society has about them. Stereotypes include partying until the break of dawn, drinking like there’s no tomorrow, and hazing their new members in order as a requirement to join. Watching movies over the years that are about Fraternities and Sororities put that image about Greek Life into my head, because most movies interpret them to act a certain way. Yet not many know that Greeks each have their own philanthropy, a charity of their choice, to which they raise money for. Is Hollywood part of the reason why Greeks have fallen under that cliché? This is why I decided to look further into this topic due to the fact that I wanted to see if Hollywood has this ability to have a negative outlook on Greek Life.
Coming into The University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA) I didn’t even know we had a Greek Life on campus, until a sorority came up to me and asked me to join. At the time I said “No” in a heartbeat, but as the first weeks of school passed other sororities caught my eye. A friend of mine said she was looking into joining a sorority and said that I should do it with her, so I decided to look into some sororities with an open mind, rather than a bias opinion.
Going to different informationals one particular sorority caught my attention, they were community and academically based, meaning that they focused a lot of their time on community service and on academics. Since these two issues are something I take to heart, I decided to continue to look into this particular sorority. As the semester went on, I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from the sisters to continue on with the process. The process consisted of learning their values, purpose, and other required material. By the end of the semester I could call myself a sister of this sorority.
Since I worked so hard to be able to receive my Greek letters I
Cited: Danielson, Chery, Hartford, Maureen, Taylor Simone Himbeault.”Examining the Complex Relationship Between Greek Life and Alcohol: A Literature Review.” NASPA Journal, Vol. 38, no. 4, 2001. 451-65.Print Mirabelli, Tony. "Learning to Serve: The Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers" Writing about Writing a College Reader.Ed: Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. New York, NY: Bedford St. Martin 's, 2010.539-54.Print. Newman, Katharine Michal, "Delta Gamma: My Sorority 's Impact on my Life" (2001). University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects.http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/484 Swales, John. "The Concept of Discourse Community."Writing about Writing a College Reader.ed: Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. New York, NY: Bedford St. Martin 's 2010.466-72.Print.