There are always going to be people around you that don't like the greek system, that think you have purchased friendship. There are so many others that support it, though. The thing you have to decide is whether someone else's opinion matters to you regarding your fraternity or sorority. My brother opposed me joining ADPi, and he is a Lambda Chi!!(just because I joined as a junior) If it's your family, or someone you work with, try to present greek life as a positive thing. Unfortunately, there are greeks out there that cast negative light on the greek community, but that is not the norm! Our (the greek system as a whole) work with philanthropies can speak postively for itself. I think sometimes part of the problem is that people don't know how much volunteer and community service work greeks participate, or the organizations they support. Be proud of your organization, and get the word out about your philanthropy, and others!!! Let this speak for itself.
If others cannot see the greek system in a positive way, then your conversations with co-workers and family members in opposition to greeks should not exist, sad as that is. Some people will never change......and it's not your job to try to change them.

jerks
 

your "friends" are either jerks or ignorant.
they should have been altered at puberty

If you think its difficult explaining your fraternity/sorority membership/volunteerism to others, try explaining it when you are a campus advisor! My father, to his dying day, thought that I planned keg parties for a living! I tried to explain what I actually did, but I don't think he ever really understood. Most people now, I initially tell them that I'm a university administrator, and if they're interested (which most people really aren't, they're just being polite), they'll ask what that means. Then I'll explain.

Ignorance of the unknown is common place.

Just remember the fond memories of what was and is accomplished in Your Greek Life time.

I find it absolutely hilarious that almost everyone on the outside sees us "buying friends." Here at Louisville its a huge running joke within the greek community because we know what really seals our bonds. I think it is just a justification for people who don't understand, when in reality we are all just paying THOUSANDS of dollars in insurance. Like they say..."From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it."

You put that so well. I always here the buying friends thing too. That is so incredibly stupid.

Another angle that sucks about this...I graduated high school EXTREMELY close to about 15 of my classmates. In college only one girl at another school, two guys at two other schools(Alpha Sigma Phi and TKE), my roommate and I(both Pike) went greek. Well, now when we all get together the rest of the group seems to hold something against us. I'm not gonna lie, I have grown closer to the other greeks, even though theyre not all Pikes, just becuase of what being greek means. My friends are all dealing with it differently. Some make fun of it, some act like they might want to go greek, some really dont care. All I know is that we all HAVE changed, but thats not bad. We have all changed for the better, becoming the better men and women that we are.

i say... if i pay for my friends, i didn't pay enough... no amount of money would ever cover the love and friendship i have.

alethia - you stole what i was going to say :D

i constantly get "you still go up (to my chapter) to do sorority stuff? didn't you get over that?" - um, no - i'm the advisor!!!!

also, i get "you're in a sorority> i never would have thought of you as a sorority girl."

to that i say "thank you!"

Most of the people I've encountered who feel as though greeks are "buying friends" are people who are too insecure about themselves to open up to a group of people, be it fraternity brothers or sorority sisters. They feel like they can never be a greek because they won't be accepted. It's sad, but that's how it comes across.

A lot of my friends within my fraternity are in relationships with girls in sororities on campus...namely two sororities. I don't really advocate a fraternity guy going out with a sorority girl. It has nothing to do with them being greek, it's just my view on college relationships in general. However, it seems like the majority of these "greek relationships" work out pretty well because the two people involved seem to "get" each other and understand what each person is about, pertaining to greek life, etc...Greek life being a common ground for a relationship is good in my opinion. I was in a relationship with a sorority girl last year and it didn't work out because she was always partying with another fraternity on campus and I was always partying with my fraternity brothers and other sorority girls at our house...but that's just one isolated incident, so I don't think it would be fair to say that no fraternity guy should ever be involved with a sorority girl or vice versa. You just gotta see what's right for you.

i have to be honest, i was once one of "those" people who openly wondered whether my friend had essentially 'bought' her friends by joining DZ, but now that i've got more perspective on the situation, i realize how incredibly wrong i was. yes, she said and did things that deeply hurt me as a friend, but i chalk that up to her immaturity and the rush of finally belonging (in general, not just through her sorority) than to her being in a sorority.

i think what really changed my mind though, was my brother becoming a greek - it's very hard to remain anti-greek when i see how much being a part of a fraternity has done for him. it's pushed him to be really active on campus, to be more confident, to develop his leadership talents, and it's even gotten him great jobs on campus (his chapter advisor is his boss!) it makes it that much harder to hate when people realize that the very traits they're admiring or complimenting you on have been developed and refined through your involvement.

Buying Your Friends! That is the oldest thing in the world!

Being a member of a GLO teaches so much more to place you on a plain farther above your so called friends!:D

Little do they really know!