Banning Greek Organizations to Stop College Students From Drinking

[Drex]

Pretty sure ivies are hoping to shed their liability for things that happen at greeklife events

[Hitoru]

have they tried putting them on double secret probation

I'm sad this wasn't picked up, so I'm late as hell but oh well.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...cRf0L0YkKBhfbw

[Lucavi]

Pretty sure ivies are hoping to shed their liability for things that happen at greeklife events

Pretty sure that's the entire point of this. Greek life no longer provides enough of a benefit to the schools themselves to protect them. The "arrangement" between the greek life and the schools have run their course and are no longer mutually beneficial.

[Stumblingdrunk]

There's an easy solution here. We keep greek institutions and abort milkster and we can solve at least two threads

[Trocian]

I'm not from the US, what exactly is "Greek life"?

[Ragnus]

"Greek Life" refers to fraternities and sororities on some school campuses. Each frat or sorority has Greek letter assigned to them like Kappa Beta. Freshmen usually have to pledge a frat if they want to get into one which involves some trials before they can get in which usually amounts to hazing.

[Milkster]

I'm not from the US, what exactly is "Greek life"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorority

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Life

[Milkster]

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/stagi...-of-greek-life

Since 1825, all but three US presidents have been members of a fraternity.
85& of Fortune 500 executives were part of Greek life. The first female astronaut was Greek. So was the first female senator. And college graduation rates are 20% higher among Greeks than non-Greeks.
Which begs an obvious question: Does being in a fraternity or sorority increase your chance for success?
Nine million college students are members of a Greek organization and whether they join to make friends, to build their resumes, to go to parties or to learn leadership skills, they each have an incentive to change some aspect of their life.
A common deterrent for joining are the sometimes-negative stereotypes associated with Greek life.
Fraternities and sororities are often associated with hazing, drinking and partying. Since 1975, there has been at least one hazing-induced death per year across college campuses — and 82% of these have come as a result of binge drinking.
But hazing scandals make headlines — and fundraisers and philanthropy events generally do not.
Historically, partying was not the reason to commit to Greek life.
In the 1820’s, less than 1% of white males went to liberal arts colleges and universities primarily trained their students to become ministers.
On November 25, 1825, five Union College students came together to form a private group to engage in educational debates and discussions.
Naming their fraternity the Kappa Alpha Society, members got together to prepare themselves for careers that their professors didn’t train them for, and to discuss topics that were not covered in class.
Fraternities were often referred to as “secret societies.” As these societies quickly spread to other campuses and the first sorority emerged in 1831, Greek organizations consisted of a network of supporters, with brothers and sisters vowing each other’s loyalty to the death.
Although Greek life has changed over time, students who take their membership seriously are still equipped with skills that can be used in their future careers. David Stollman, co-founder of CAMPUSSPEAK, said that Greek organizations can help students improve their leadership and interpersonal skills.
“I really see that there’s a great correlation between those skills being developed and the ability to be successful in any endeavor,” he said. “Not necessarily just famous-successful, like a president or CEO, but successful as a community leader or as a small business owner.”
What makes Greek life rewarding is that members are given the unique opportunity to interact with and lead their peers.
Sometimes members who don’t get along are forced to work together — skills that are vital in the post-college work force. And most importantly, members are given the chance to practice and fail in their endeavors, without losing their network of support.
“You get the opportunity to fail miserably and have brothers and sisters that love you and care for you pick you up and dust you off and challenge you to do it again,” Stollman said.
Curtis Burrill, American University’s Greek life coordinator, said sorority and fraternity membership teaches crucial social interaction skills. Making conversation with strangers and running weekly meetings are just two examples.
“If you can be the new member educator for 30 women, I’m probably going to hire you to run a team,” Burrill said.
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/image...greeklife2.jpgPhoto by Ana Santos.
Gaining from the tradition
But what makes Greek life any different from other on-campus organizations, like the debate team or a sports team?
“If you’re in the chess club, you don’t really have that 200 year history and the ritual and four million alumni,” Burrill said.
Although the university Greek advisor finds it unfortunate that particular members sometimes create negative stigmas through their sometimes-irresponsible actions while wearing letters, he still believes the negatives are outweighed by the benefits and that those who join for the right reasons will go far.
And social skills have been proven to take students down a successful path.
During his April 18 visit to American University, New York Times columnist David Brooks emphasized the importance of understanding others to become successful — a skill that former president Bill Clinton mastered and that all politicians have.
“What explains success in life, what should you actually be thinking about if you’re a college student?” said Brooks, “Well, you should think about IQ and studying and getting the skills, that’s obvious. But you should also think about traits like mindsight – the ability to look into other people’s minds and really tell what’s going on there. That’s the skill that politicians have.”
Students who join Greek organizations to build a network, make friends and develop leadership and social skills will likely graduate with useful qualities that could take them far. Students who join solely for the partying that Greek organizations are too often criticized for may end up leaving without much benefit.
“Unfortunately we all know people that wear letters and aren’t interested in the right kind of membership,” Stollman said.
And at the end of the day, it’s up to the students to define their reputations.

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/stagi...ell-greek-life

I’ve read a couple of these USA TODAY College blogs, and there are two in particular that interested me: Greek Life: The Dark Side and Stereotypes Don’t Sum Up All Sororities.
As a student, I was not a Greek, and I leaned more toward the opinions expressed in the former article. If you’re anything like I was as an undergrad, then you’ve pretty much written off the Greek system as an unnecessary set of elite party clubs more interested in drinking and casual sex than school and philanthropy. After I graduated, I met a couple of other recent grads working at a restaurant. They happened to be fraternity brothers, and they’d started a business called WebGreek. We became fast friends, and to make a long story short, I accepted when they offered me a job with the company.
The work sounded more interesting than waiting tables, and I knew the bosses would be cooler, so how could I resist? What I did not know is that two years later I’d be just as much of a proponent of fraternity and sorority life as I had been an opponent of it during my college years. The change came because, for the first time, I got to truly know, see, and understand what the purpose of such organizations was, and the value that that framework can have for college students. I’ve seen a band of brothers who, because of shared struggles and sacrifices toward a common goal, formed an unassailable bond. I’ve worked with some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met, who also know how to reward themselves after a hard day’s work. And I’m not talking about hard work like waiting tables hard. I mean working to solve problems with innovative thinking for 12 hours a day, day in and day out, as we do in the office.
Of course, Greek life isn’t all rosy. I read articles almost every day about fraternities and sororities getting in trouble for something. But with over a million fraternity and sorority members nationwide, a few mistakes are going to happen, just like in any large group of people. It doesn’t necessarily indicate a systemic problem. The headlines could just as easily read “College Students In Trouble For Drinking,” but Greeks are an easier target. The fact of the matter is, stupid behavior is going to happen in the 18-24 year old demographic, and the Greek system is bound to let a few dummies through the cracks.
You will find not a single official fraternity or sorority document that requires or encourages hazing, drinking, drugs, sex, elitism, or any of the other mean, nasty things you might have heard. These things do happen, and most in the community try hard to fight the negative stereotypes. The fact that you hear about hazing may even be seen as a good thing, because it is always better to bring foolish behavior out into the open so that it can be discussed, ridiculed, and put to rest. What I believe is required is a rational, calm discussion about the merits of Greek life on a nationwide and campus-by-campus basis to allow students to make informed decisions about whether joining up is right for them. Not all chapters are the same, and not all students are the same. The better the fit for students, the more effective the fraternity or sorority.
And can we please stop pointing our fingers at the whole institution for the actions of a few?

[Acturus]

Of course the picture above chooses two of the brofistiest bros to show an example of what a student greek is. (Those are also my letters, so wtf).

Also, lol at "the actions of a few are not indicative of the behavior or opinions of the group." Bullshit. Fraternities recruit like-minded people because they are social clubs. An any action of an individual that does not represent the behavior and opinion of that particular chapter at that particular school is either 1) a lie, or 2) evidence that the group cannot manage itself adequately.

I agree that Greek life has the potential to benefit its members with skills that can otherwise be neglected during the formative years associated with college. But saying that because most of the US presidents were greek means that greek life has intrinsic benefits and should be lauded for it is like saying that all US presidents except two shook hands instead of bowing, therefore the act of shaking hands carries an intrisic value that should be lauded for it.

[Lucavi]

I'm not from the US, what exactly is "Greek life"?

A bunch of college kids that pay to join a social club that drinks and has sex a lot, and eventually gets hooked up in the employment world due to being associated with the same social group as their professional elders. They sometimes do community service to balance out the negative stigma that comes from drinking, and throws a lot of parties where senior and older members come back to school, and often times bang the younger chicks. Its pretty cool if you're into that thing, because those friends you pay for are friends for life.

That's the long and short of it.