Alright, here's a question. Everyone's saying it's MTV, those bad bad people. Yes, MTV will edit all of this footage up into 20-25 minute little snippets that we will all eat up and come back for more the next week. It's THEIR job!!! Just like FOX does with Temptation Island, like ABC does with the Bachelor, like CBS does with Survivor, you get the picture.

On Sigma's website, it says this:

Myth: We have had little advice in the decision making process, and have been going about this on our own.
Fact: We have met with several community members, campus officials and lawyers, to aide us and offer us advice and consultation.

Do we really want to blame MTV for this, if it turns out to be a fiasco, which IMHO, it'll be like watching a bad Lifetime Movie about sororities :). These women had all of these outlets for advice, and NOBODY talked them out of it.

As my mother says...you reap what you sow. If this is as bad as some have said, Sigma may not be around to experience all that sorority life is about....I mean, I don't know about you, but if I was due to be a freshman at UC - Davis and I saw this show, and how they dogged PNMs and all that, I wouldn't join!

Also, as a member of an international sorority with a fantastic reputation, I think that speaks volumes about our group, and we're not letting something like a show on MTV bring us down. :) And if you're a local, well, you can do the same with your own stellar reputations.

Will there be a disclaimer on the show that this is not an NPC or NPHC sorority?

I almost went to UCD, and had I decided to go, I'd be rushing this Fall. If they show hazing, etc., I'd definitely be more wary to rush, however, being that my sister (biological) was in an NPC sorority, and loved it, I'd be sure to take it more with a grain of salt. But, I'd definitely be very wary.

Grrrr, I don't have MTV (looooong story), so I'll have to follow this thread to see what happens!

Has anyone noticed that this is a Jewish sorority? I know we are all worried about what image this will portray of Greeks, but what about Jews? Antisemitism is already a huge problem. As a member of Hillel and a greek organization, I feel that this could become a issue among campus Hillel groups. I want to know what they are going to do about this. It is true that they are "local", but they are also a member of Hillel... so in a way, that is their national organization. Anyway, just throwing out some more info.

Speculate all you want, all that is left is to watch and see.
If anyone is to blame (even though we're not even sure for what), it is MTV. Sigma is inconsequential in this process. If not Sigma, there would have been thousands of others to do just the same. Period. DzRose, giving a few stories of your friends and posts who showed disinterest in a proposal doesn't prove that MTV would be "shot down in a heartbeat", without HQ stepping in, in every single organization. I'm sure you'd like to think that every national organization in every state would want nothing to do with this kind of opportunity, but let's step into reality for a sec and realize the inevitable. They would have found someone sooner or later who agreed to their terms. LISTEN TO DELTALUM and don't point fingers at Sigma.

to the last post about judaism, visit http://www.sigmaaepi.com

Sigma_Insider,

Give me a break! You think that Sigma shouldn't be held accountable for their own actions? Please!! The simple truth about it is that Sigma didn't make a very wise choice. I totally agree with DZ Rose - MTV and Sigma are both at fault. Like I said much earlier, Sigma brought it on themselves. And Serenity, Pre-Sorority Life, greeks were always trying to better their image with the public. Now even more so Post-Sorority Life. People have their stereotypes and preconceived notions already and this just makes it worse. Get off that -it'll magically go away if we just try really hard- dream. :rolleyes:

Great Job and Thanks A Lot! :mad:

It's funny how a lot of you guys are coming down on the sorority who agreed to be on the show and state "our Nationals would never approve" or "we would never agree to do a show for because of MTV's reputation". But these same people will turn to MTV when the show airs and watch it to see how bad it's going get. So when each and every single greek on this board tunes in, the greeks not on this board tune in, the teeny boppers tune it and whomever else, MTV now has enough viewer support to classify this show as being a hit.

You can't complain about the fire if you are steadily throwing sticks to it. People will moan and groan about the programs but will watch to see what will happens. No matter how you feel-likes or dislikes, when you watch the show you are letting the networks know that you approve of it and they will continue to feed into your curiosity by airing more of these shows.

If you think these girls are bad for participating then you are just as bad for watching and supporting it. :confused:

I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say, as a greek member, that I would LOVE for this show to be positive representation of greek life - but just as the initial commercials showed, and the girls who did the commercials reinforced, they did edit and take things out of context - and local or national that puts a negative effect into motion for ALL greeks. It effects all of us so don't criticize us for saying we'll tune in for the premier - i for one want to know what rumors and myths being portrayed on this series I may have to dispell or defend my chapter and national organization from.

When MTV sees a huge inital audience for the premier - then the following week and much smaller audience - maybe they'll get the hint that we don't like how theyre portraying us and we're not going to support it?

But you know it isn't, so why watch?

So it's ok for some to criticize others but the same can't be done unto you?

Greeks as well as non-greek already know the rumors and myths. MTV will not be stating anything new.

I guess this is why the Real World and Road Rules is on its what 20th season, why Jacka@@ is still going on strong... I could go on and on about their shows. MTV has been on since I was young, they've found a formula that works and will continue to work.

I'm just saying don't complain when MTV does another sorority, jacka@@, or reality show when you give it your viewing support.

Ok, I guess it's my turn. I have to agree with someone (I don't remember who said this) but I can't see a nat'l org agreeing to this, and I don't mean to offend locals when I say that. But a national org has much more to protect because they have multiple chapters all over the country (ZTA has 229 I believe, that's a lot!) I think the only way an org coul get away with something like this would be to decide for themselves, becuase like I said before, no way would nationals let a chapter do this.

I'm surprised that the Sigmas agreed to do this because ZTA's secrets are very sacred and I know that we would be really scared if they got out, like if they filmed pledging and other such rituals. Those things remain in the chapter and it's something that only members of ZTA can share which is just one thing of many that builds a strong sisterhood.

However, I can see that allowing such a well-known network such as MTV to film your sorority as a local might be helpful as far as gaining recognition goes. BUT, who knows whether it will be good or bad.

Finally, I too would love to see a disclaimer on the show stating how different locals are from nationals, how each sorority is different, and how each chapter within that sorority is different. I'm not sure it will do any good to those graduating seniors coming to campus this year as PNM's, but it'd make me feel a lil better about the whole thing. I'll try to tune in if I can and make my judgment about the show then.

Zeta love and mine,
Melissa

P.S. Wow, this thread has gotten long in just a few short days!:eek:

P.P.S. Sorry this was so long and thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it :)

i think everyone needs to take a big breath. as someone involved in sigma i can tell you we did not take this decision lightly and contrary to what many think we were not it for the money.
as for the commrcial, please remember that is exactly what it was, a commercial MEANT to get viewers and it seems to have worked. it is impossible to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a whole tv show based on a 30 second spot. of course there are going to be negative aspects, as there are at every uiniversity and in every sorority in the country but there will also be positives, showing how special and unique it is to be in sigma ae pi. no sorority is without formals, socials, and parties, but that is just one part of what they will show, if they had showed a bunch of girls doing community on the commercial would it have drawn as many as many viewers? and lastly, as for the rituals MTV did not and i repeat did NOT film our rituals, they are sacred to our sisterhood. say what you please, but please give us a chance. and instead of mauling us, support us.

1) The model for the sorority in Legally Blond was Kappas at USC. I could totally say that the characters in the movie were representative of the members in that sorority. But I dont because I know that the producer and writers pulled qualities of that sorority to fit the vision of their story. How is that different than Sorority Life, where the producers used qualities they found on tape and edited it together to make a story? Because it uses actors and not real people? I could make the same generalizations about the Kappas that you all are making about us, but I dont.

2) How is any of this constructive?
I think that some cooler heads have prevailed, but really some of you are just plain vicious. You havent seen the series. Nothing has occurred on your campuses yet. Yet you continue to bitch and moan like this is the worst thing to happen to you since Britney started dating Justin. I hate bitching and moaning for the sake of bitching and moaning. You want us to do something, than tell us? You want to come up with a positive solution about how to counteract the negative effects of the show for the next year (if you even NEED to, since ya dont know yet, do ya?)? But what the hell are you trying to accomplish with the negative posts about how "absolutely horrible its going to be?" We get the point. Do something constructive. If you are doing it to get us to feel like crap, I for one refuse to feel that way.

The world is full of people and situations that are going to piss you off. Its up to you to make the best of them. And if this is the way you react to them in general, THEN I feel sorry for you.

Um...I'm a Grown Woman
 

CTFU!! Yeah, I'll get right on that...just 'cuz you said so. :rolleyes:

Couldn't have said it better myself!!

While the vote was a close one, you make it seem as though some of the sisters had some kind of special "foresight" while the others blindly and irrationally just gave it a go. In reality, I could not imagine that any Sigma didn't go through the loooong list of pros and cons over and over and over again before making this choice. We are not stupid, we know it's MTV, and we know what kind of damage will probably be done. But it was a matter of those pros having far greater an impact than that of the cons. If there is at least some portrayal of the positive aspects of Greek life, which I am absolutely certain there will be, then we will be creating an unprecedented mass-mediated image. If there is some portrayal of the negative aspects of Greek life, of which I am also certain about, then it will be unfortunate, but simply a reinforcement of the stereotypes that are already so prevalent in our pop culture. To me, the kind of breakthrough in which the former situation will result will have a far greater impact on our Greek image than any already-perpetuated stereotype.


It's not quite that simple, my friend, becuase we DID want to take that risk. Our motto for the quarter was "coal under pressure makes diamonds," and the very act of taking that risk and doing so together has, in my mind, already brought more unity and strength to our sisterhood than we've ever had before.

To tell the truth, if MTV did a story on the public service and sister/brotherhood aspect of GLOs, I guarentee that there will be plenty of people saying "not on my campus! All ABC sorority does is party!"

Honestly, I believe that A LOT you folks in here really need to lay off of the Simga's and their decision. THEY have told you guys how this wasn't an easy decision that took a lot of though, heart, and guts (for better or worse) to make. After reading this thread, some of you people have not only accused these ladies of single-handly ruining Greek life, but also causing an increase in anti-semetic hatred! WTF!!!

What's interesting is that some members of GLO's are fine with having their greek letters, reputation, house, etc associated with things such as "Pimps and Hos" or "White Trash" parties (knowing full well the negative connotations that associated with those terms) and are not the least bit worried about the image that THEY are portraying to GDI's, faculty, or university.

So why is that when it comes to "questionable behavior" that you do in your everyday lives, in YOUR letters, in YOUR house, that GDIs are susposed to understand that its all in fun and that one GLO DOES NOT represent all orgs, but yet these same GDI's will not be smart enough to figure out that the same applies to this MTV show? GDIs are going to base their opinion of what they see on campus, not on TV. Even those that are future college students will, once when they come to college and experience it firsthand, will base their judgements on what they see YOU doing on campus. Furthermore, would you want someone to join your org that didn't have the common sense to meet you and find out for themselves what your org is about?

Please give GDIs more credit than that and PLEASE stop building up MTV as this powerhouse of entertainment that influences our thoughts and decisions. I believe that people will take it for what its worth.

To the Sigma ladies out there, stay positive and keep your head up. Just use this as a learning experience and keep on doing what you're doing.:)

Since some of you are new to this forum, Greekchat has been around for a few years now discussing, debating, talking about all issues in and around the greek system. You guys aren't the first to be criticized here, and trust me, you won't be the last. I have enjoyed these discussions not because I like to bitch and moan, but because I look forward to the opposite argument or points that I didn't think of. Everyone here has an intelligent opinon concerning issues, not always do I agree with them, but I will respect them. Since this topic affects you on a personal scale, I can see why you are reacting so defensively.

Welcome to your 15 minutes of fame, and with it comes the responsibilty of taking it up the @$$ with everyone's viewpoints and comments. You should never feel guilty or sorry about anything discussed here. In the end, we all share a common bond and we are there as supporters and critics of our peers.

Now, over the years, we've seen nothing but good intentions gone wrong. Greeks pulling the stupidest pr stunts, only to have them blow up in their faces. A lot of groups work hard to promote the tiny positive reputation they have around them and so these types of people are afraid and concerned over the potential risk involved in this MTV show. HBO tried to run a show a while back (some of you remember this) and it was canceled because of the negative reaction of the greek community. Sometimes our voices are heard, at least when we stick together.

Everyone here is as normal as the everyday tv viewer. If you think we are being vicious, then just imagine what those hundreds of thousand young, non-greek affiliated individuals may be thinking or saying about you based on the commercial as well. "Oh my, those sorority girls! Well, that's what they do..." I'm sure I could survey some people and get a more harsher statement, but you see what I'm saying. Nobody here is trying to attack your org. or chapter, but we are concerned about the rollercoaster effects of this show. We are worried this could become a disaster and we care about you and your members. With colleges having a trend in banning greek orgs around the nation, adding to an already false stereotype would forever condemn us.

Want proof? Two words ... Animal House.


- RUgreek

I think its rather funny that sigma insider etc are saying that they didn't do it for the money, fame and that this won't hurt peoples impressions of greek life. That is the biggest BS statement i've heard in awhile!!! Ok lets take a look at this, you get new furniture and lord knows what else(on your webpage it even says you needed a way to boost chapter funds). You say hardly anyone knows who you were on campus and it was good exposure for you girls....this is the fame part. And i bet you that a large percentage of your new members now aren't jewish and your heritage that you appreciate and love will soon diminish within the next few years due to your lack of jewish sisters. There is nothing wrong with accepting people of different religious/cultural backgrounds, but when you choose girls based on their looks to boost your campus popularity, your ideals will soon fade away. After reading the sigma statements on here and your webpage it seems to me and others, that you did this for money, personal fame, boost your campus/party reputation on campus, and boost your numbers. Ya there are a lot of pros here in this whole situation...AND THEY ARE ALL PERSONAL PRO's...not for GLO's as a whole. I feel once the dollar signs from MTV got passed around in your chapters minds, your responsibilities to the greek community as a whole went out of the question. And if and when you see how bad this could become don't say "oh well its not our fault cause the big bad corporate MTV people tricked us." You decided what to do, you knew the risks and possible and likely outcomes. It is your fault. And about this whole GDI thing. Im not concerned nor should their be concern about the GDI's already in college. Its about the in-coming freshmen girls that just graduated high school who will be watching this...and in some cases with their parents. Yes im sure a vast majority will already be wanting to join because of fraternity parties etc, but do they REALLY need to see sister so and so, SO drunk and dancing on the bar, making out and going home with a guy....this on TV. Because im so sure that their parents will be like,"oh thats just a local sorority and those MTV people are so not showing all aspects of greek life hehe." GET REAL SIGMA'S!!!!! Most people both college age and adults see something on TV and think that 100% of it is true no matter what small percentage of it happens. They will believe it happens every night of the week and that all sorority girls are sororitutes and wouldn't want their daughter belonging to a "whorority." And if you think otherwise than you are the most naive and gullible person ever! Now yes I feel we should all watch the first few episodes to see what goes on, but comon, we all know whats going to be shown. Yes you could have logged hundreds of hours of community service, showing how great of a bond your sorority has etc, and three hours of drunken debauchory, but guess whats going to be shown girls...yes the drunken debauchory believe it or not. The only reason i intend to watch a few of the episodes is so in the fall when girls ask me if xyz sorority is like sorority life i know what they are talking about and can give them an acurate response and point out the fasalities the show presented. Other than that i really don't care about it. Sorry this is so long but its getting towards midnight and im rambling on so im off to bed. But seriously sigmas...don't say you think MTV will show a full aspect on sorority life..comon now think about what your saying here girls. I mean really think about what you girls are saying....MTV haha.

While I do feel bad for all of the repercussions that Sigma is getting from their decision, I think it is well deserved. Not only did Sigma make a bad decision, they made a bad decision for the entire greek system. I believe that the reason that everyone is so upset about this is because we feel like we are being represented without being consulted first. Our reputation is at stake, and we have no say in the matter. Although I know that there is no way to get consent from every greek member nationwide, I believe that this should not have been a decision solely for them to make. It is obvious that while their house may get the brunt of the bad publicity, we all are unfortunately being dragged down along with it. As a member of the Davis and greek community, I feel as if I am getting hit twice as hard from this decision. While I'm sure that Sigma did not realize how outraged the greek community would be, maybe they should have brought it to other houses on campus directly before making their decision. While they may have brought it to Panhellenic, each house individually should have been consulted. I know that my house was informed about the filming after the decision had already been made, when ideally, we would have liked to contributed input beforehand.

RUgreek -
Thank you for your comments! I think everyone here needed to be reminded that this is a forum for discussion and we are all just sharing our thoughts and opinions on the topic. I don't think this entire thread is meant to be a personal attack on Sigma - many of us are simply sharing our thoughts and concerns and reading what others think about it. That's what GC is all about.

Ok, I have been following this thread for a while and at first I was very angry, I have been trying to convince my sister to rush when she goes to college and I thought this would ruin any chance of her rushing or my parents allowing her to rush. But after reading some of the recent posts I’ve changed my mind. I’m not saying I completely agree with Sigma’s decision to allow MTV to tape them, It may not have been the best decision a GLO has made but it isn’t the worst either.

I think what’s most important was that their intention was good, they wanted some good PR for Greek life on a nationally television station, as well as help their house financially. However, just like anything to make them look bad makes all GLO’S look bad, anything that makes them look good makes everyone look good as well. For example the first thing that struck me as interesting on their web sight was under pledging, and then dues information, there is a section where they talk about girls who can’t afford to pay dues. They collect money from the community to help them pay for dues. I can honestly say that is the first time I have heard of any GLO putting a plan like that into action and is a huge showing of sisterhood, and careing. Also it defiantly breaks the stereotype that we are buying our friends. One stereotype I very much hate.

Having said that in their defense I will next say I’m not naive about how MTV works: Fights and drama = ratings. Of course this will in some way have a negative impact or all GLO’s, while we don’t know the extent of this bad publicity I’m positive pointing our respective fingers at the Sigma’s wont help anything. So my question is what are we going to do locally nationally to counteract any bad press? Anything we do on my campus as a charity event we try to get on a local radio station; is there anything else we can do?

Lastly I would like to remind everyone “no matter what the letter we are all Greek together” (I know its corny but it makes a point) And even though we would like to say that we had no part in this and the sigma’s are all wrong for representing the Greek system this way, I would like to remind you that at one point in time (insert your letters here) fraternity or sorority was probably in the news for hazing or something worse than partying too much. I seriously doubt any organization is exempt from this. So instead of pointing fingers let’s try to take the positive and promote it and counteract the negative the best we can. After all isn’t that what MTV would do if they were in our shoes?

I hope this makes sense, after all it is just my opinion.
:p

Colleenie wrote:

"RUgreek -
Thank you for your comments! I think everyone here needed to be reminded that this is a forum for discussion and we are all just sharing our thoughts and opinions on the topic. I don't think this entire thread is meant to be a personal attack on Sigma - many of us are simply sharing our thoughts and concerns and reading what others think about it. That's what GC is all about."

I agree. Mistakes were made. We need to discuss them so the same thing won't happen again.

But...

No personal attacks? What the hell was that thing that UNFSigmaChi did above? That was vicious and over the line. It was somebody's opinion stated as if it were fact. It was absolutely uncalled for.

Even if it is totally true, it's the wrong way to say it.

To submit these women who are fighting for the integrity of their sorority to this kind of frontal assault is beneath the dignity of this forum.

I've said I believe they made a mistake. I've said I believe MTV has taken advantage of them. With my professional broadcasting experience I may be more worried about this than most.

But I hope I haven't sounded that strident. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt to some extent. And when a mistake is realized, everyone deserves some degree of compassion -- especially from their "brothers and sisters."

This is a discussion, not a bar fight. Let's all try to act like adults -- like the Greek family we are supposed to be.

re: UNFSigmaChi's post and other misinformation
 

Please let me make it clear, for the sake of not misrepresenting Sigma, I am not in Sigma or in any part of their organization.

• UNFSigmaChi, that was uncalled for. Please try to be constructive here and not stoop to that level. You only make yourself look bad. You are not accomplishing anything with low-brow remarks and rehashed ideas that have been stated many times and responded to. UNF, you have not made much sense, let alone offer any valid points that are even worth reading. I know all the Sigmas, was first-hand to the entire situation, and it is obvious to me that they are genuine and did this show for all the right reasons (none of them being 9 weeks of rented IKEA furniture).

I do respect any valid concern and realize that there are many different perspectives on this issue. I applaud forums like this one
where concerns and issues can be addressed.

Please leave posting to the informed and concerned, not the rants and raves of misinformed pessimists.

It's not even worth responding to the unfounded comments/assumptions/interpretations made by UNFSigmaChi.

What's ironic is that everyone is concerned with MTV's manipulation of the facts and failure to contextualize things, yet some people, like UNFSigmaChi, are doing just that.

I urge you all to look at the Sigma website once again and see what it really states. http://www.sigmaaepi.com

Another Voice of Reason
 

Makes perfect sense to me, SigEp42!!

THIS IS SOMETHING POSITIVE!

last night, i saw the commercial again with one of my friends who is also greek and in an national sorority other than mine. She had a really good point, and it went something like this:

"ok, so these girls go and do this. and then all this hoopla is going to come out of it, and sooner or later you are going to have the major networks jumping through hoops to talk to people on both sides of the fence and looking into what really goes on in the greek system both nationally and locally."

If this were to happen, i think that this is the one positive thing that could come out of all of this. i mean, maybe greeks will finally get the positive exposeur that the deserve that rises out of this debotchery of a tv show.

*stands up and applauds* Very well said, Honeykiss. The next time you complain about negative views of the Greek system, stop and think about what you have done to portray a positive image of Greek life. It has been my experience (both online and off) that the people who complain the most about Greek stereotyping are the same people who live up to the stereotypes. Whether you are on TV or not, somebody is always watching. Will they like what they are seeing?

As for "Sorority Life," I think I'll wait till it actually airs before commenting on it.

I make no claims to know will happen on the show and if it'll all blow up in Sigma's faces or if they will benefit. I do know that if it does blow up, blaming MTV for making a program that folks apparently want to see is not the way to go. As I've re-read the Sigma website, I still believe that they were advised by the community, by attorneys and others, and they chose to take this route.

You asked in an earlier post if I really believed that my national sorority would have turned down the show if National hadn't stepped in. I spoke for MY organization, not anyone else's, when I said that Delta Zeta wouldn't have had any part of it. So, I wasn't talking about "every single organization." I was only referring to Delta Zeta. Just wanted to make that clear. :)

However, like I said earlier, I really hope that I'm wrong about the show and that things turn out well for Sigma and the rest of the Greeks who are going to be affected by the series. I'm certainly not wishing Sigma ill when I voice my opposition to the show on this thread. I'm just questioning the initial decision to participate in general.

As a sidenote: I brought the show up in conversation with one of my sisters yesterday as we were leaving an alumnae meeting. I only got as far as "MTV is doing a real-life documentary on sororities..." before she cut me off with a sarcastic "Oh greeeeeeat. This is going to do wonders for Greek stereotypes." :rolleyes:

She hadn't heard anything about the show, so I gave her a basic summary of the idea behind the series. In the end, all she said was that she was just thankful that DZ's name wasn't on it, and that she was dreading Rush this year because she knows we'll be dealing with the fallout if the show is negative. That's basically how I feel as well.

I found this while I was searching for articles about MTV's show online... Thought it was kind of interesting because it gives the view of some Sigma members and also the view of a non-member who is friends with a few of the girls... It's from the non-member's online journal.

Wednesday, February 06 - MTV is Calling

The cat's out of the bag... KCRA did a segment on Monday evening, The Aggie printed an article yesterday and publicity is just beginning. This is something that has finally been announced to the public but has undeniably been on two of my housemates' minds ever since November. It's not just a fantasy idea anymore as we are starting to realize its magnitude. This will be the biggest thing to hit the Davis greek system and our campus itself.

Three of my closest friends (Stepha and Housemates Pauli and Jenn) are sisters of SigmaAEPi and since this will directly affect them, it will somewhat affect me, as well as everyone else close to us. The Sigmas are the only chapter of its kind and do not have the reputation for being a stereotypical "Legally Blonde" sorority, which is probably why MTV has chosen them out of thousands in the country to be filmed. MTV will buy a house here in Davis to accommodate 8 sisters and pledges and will film their daily lives as well as regular sorority activities for the entire Spring quarter (think: a pseudo-The Real World). Because it's not a done deal yet, I should be careful not to say more because I don't fully understand the legal issues and rules of confidentiality. But if we're thinking of MTV and the huge media corporation it is, yes, the benefits that have been offered to them for being filmed are mind-blowing.

Not that I think MTV produces high qaulity viewing experiences or anything, but I have been known to be suckered into oh, a few shows now and then (remember the days of My So Called Life and when TRL was actually cool?). And these days I especially think The Real World, Cribs, Flipped, Dismissed and Becoming are quite amusing (so sue me). But when something like this hits close to home, you are forced to look at the entire television industry from another angle. The legal issues are boggling and I don't even know half of it. The Sigmas have sat through hours of deliberation and debate about whether they should do it or not, questions, concerns. Some are vehemently against it, afraid that MTV might portray them in a negative way and while most are excited about the idea, they are well aware of the disadvantages that filming will have. My other housemate, a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma, has already reported that no greek members are allowed to even talk to a Sigma while a cameraman is next to her. But the Sigmas are handling it well. They have legal representation, are aware of their rights on and off camera, and are taking every precaution to keep the experience a positive one.

I knew Stepha, Pooli and Jenn before they were Sigmas. To this day, we still make fun of silly Greek rituals and pretty much agree on a majority of its stereotypes. But the Sigma group is such a positive one, promoting sisterhood over tradition, that it hasn't changed my girls one bit. This is not to say that there isn't drinking or partying or other "looked down upon" activities. There are of course all these conditions that come with any sorority and greek life, or just being in college alone, which probably tickles MTV funny to be able to catch it all on tape.

Besides my housemates and Stepha, I am also fond of and have gotten to know a few of their other sisters. I am nervous for all of them, not that there will be cameras trailing 24/7 and not that their dramatic lives will be captured on film and changed forever. But I'm scared of the negative feedback from our community, from the greek members whose sororities and fraternities did not get chosen, from the entire country when the series airs, from people who do not know them enough to be validly critical. But I guess this is just one of the prices you have to pay for sharing even a little part of your life to the world.

Even so, it's not everyday that something like this happens; it is quite exciting indeed. Last night Pooli and I were discussing who the sponsors might be for this show and I imagined them coming home with loads of Abercrombie gear and cases of Pepsi. You know, those bad ass companies have so much freaking money, it wouldn't hurt for them to share every now and then. (But no diet coke for Stepha because she might O.D. on it.)

Anyway, permits and legal issues are currently being negotiated with the Chancellor's administration and Davis city officials. More updates about MTV later on.

Maggie, while I hope that your friend is right and this is the case, I don't think it'll happen that way. Even if the media does try to go out and see what Greek Life is really about, many people will write it off as Greeks trying to "cover up" what MTV "exposed."

Whoever said that basically the news will be all over the other GLO's to get their opinion, I totally agree. Good point there.

Also, DZRose (i think?) was talking about the fallout this fall with rush. I totally agree there because I'll be Rho Chi this fall and I'm sure I'll be hounded with questions like, "Is ZTA like that ? I have to say that this whole thing kinda freaks me out for this fall because there are bound to be some really naive freshman (as I was) who won't know the difference between Sigma AEPi at UCDavis and ZTA at GMU. All I can do is hope that the show portrays some positive aspects to greek life as well. In a way, I'm glad I'll be Rho Chi because then I can say, no every chapter is different, blah blah blah, you know? I'll be the one talking to all those PNM's and making sure they have their facts straight. I just hope this doesn't deter girls from even rushing in the first place... :(

DZRose, I agree with you. I too don't think any KD chapter would have said yes for so many reasons. #1: Any taped event of ONE NPC chapter would be assumed all over that all sororities function the same. And my chapter is so new that they cannot break rules or be a bad example yet!

The issue is, many peolpe including parents of PNMs do not understand the difference b/w local/national & chapter/chapters. And for that reason alone, I would say no to anything like this, I cannot be an example for all of the system and I consider myself a pretty good example of an alumna in good standing so for the same reason it is hard to have one local chapter represent an entire system.

And as for the comment about Greeks that are concerned about sterotypes being the ones adding to the issue: I am concerned b/c I strive everyday to be a better KD and be an upstanding member of NPC, but when we are constantly taking steps forward it is attiutdes/actions that think this show will be great PR that make us take 10 steps back. That is why I am concerned...I hope I'm wrong and the show is great....we will see.

I have to say that what Sigma did was ... well, naive is probably the best word for it. But heck, they're a young chapter, without a lot of very experienced alum advisors, so I find it hard to come down too hard on them.

Nevertheless, I don't see this as producing any good publicity for sororities.

Example: I was in SD for the last few days, and one morning I was listening to a morning show on the radio. The guys were talking about the allegations that a producer was dating one of the sisters, and that they had "ringers" in to make the chapter look better. What really surprised me was that THEY REFERRED TO THE CHAPTER AS A E PHI. Yeah, I know lots of non-Greeks aren't up on their Greek letters - do we really think that when these adolescents watching this show go to college, they'll remember which chapter it was that was portrayed?

The DJs then went on to discuss which chapters at the schools they had gone to were the ugly ones. Really nice.

The thing is, I don't think Sigma is that different from any other chapter. In any sisterhood you could find a girl who would say that she was attracted to Greek life for the social aspect, or one girl who gets drunk one night, or someone who thinks philanthropy is boring. Any of us could be made to look bad if we were edited in the same way.

The one advantage nationals had over this local in this case is that nationals have a lot of old alums who are absolutely terrified of being mentioned in the press. They've learned the hard way that practically any publicity re. Greek life is BAD publicity. There are many locals that have learned this as well, especially those chapters that have been around a while. Sigma didn't have that advantage, and I suspect they'll learn the hard way. (I don't mean to imply that nationals are superior to locals in any way other than they have more woman-hours of accumulated experience to draw from.)

I mean, honestly - if MTV focused on how much philanthropy these girls do and their good grades, the morning DJs of the world would still manage to say, yeah, they do it 'cause they're the ugly ones! Or, "I remember how hard the Mu Mus partied when I was in college." Not that it excuses MTV for sensationalizing everything it touches, but a lot of folks will only latch onto the things that fit their preconceived notions of Greek life. It's a lose-lose situation for all Greeks, I think.

(The post above from FuzzieAlum was added as I was writing the thought below -- I agree with her. She has echoed many of the things I have talked about with some of you on IM's, etc.)

One final beating of this dead horse.

From the reaction and comments on previous threads right here on CG, I am absolutely convinced that had the Nationals not stepped in, there would have been MANY chapters of major sororities who would have jumped at being taped by MTV. It is difficult to look past the "showbiz" aspects at the really serious potential ramifications.

Again, the two or three of us with TV experience were pretty lonely voices in opposition to this kind of project originally.

Be honest with yourself. Have you really ever given any thought to the process behind Road Rules, Real Life and others of that ilk? Or have they just been somewhat entertaining programs, always with a fair amount of controversy. Did you ever really stop to think about the "formula" of these shows.

It is possible that there may be some good to come out of this situation. I'm not holding my breath, but it's not totally out of the question that some of the upsides mentioned in some of these posts might happen. I doubt it -- but maybe MTV or the producers will have a sudden attack of morality. Or maybe the Sigmas character is so strong that it will show through even the selective editing process. It's not impossible. Just unlikely.

But, I digress (again!). I simply point out that we have shined that harsh spotlight of hindsight on these women. What will probably happen is most unfortunate, but if these women hadn't done it, and if the nationals hadn't stepped in (and, thank goodness they did), somebody else would have.

Actually, in some preverse way, it might have been better if a Pi Phi or Chi O or Alpha Gam chapter was the one chosen. At least then there would be a national organization with thousands of alumni (however you spell the female version of that -- it's always confused me) and membership in one of the Greek umbrella organizations to bring whatever pressure they could to bear on MTV. I don't know what good that would do, but maybe some. Maybe.

In any event, it's a done deal. Unfortunately. But again, if the Sigmas hadn't done this, it would likely have happened anyway -- and who knows who would have been in their place and now be taking the beating that they are.

It would not be a comfortable position -- put yourself there. It could easily have been you.

Sounds familiar
 

Sounds a little familiar huh Deltalum!

That other thing with the reality based tv show involving a fraternity event. But this is a little different. A whole series? When I saw the commercial, it started off pretty good but then quickly went aray( I think thats how you spell it).

Could it be possibly that the opening commercial for this show is the hook to get everyone to watch, but actually shows the greek community in a positive light? Just a thought. I guarantee that a whole bunch of greeks are gonna watch that very first episode. Unless there is a World Cup game on. However, I think its a little unfair to judge a show before it comes out. I know you've had experience way beyond me, but not all publicity is bad. If it is protraited well, I think that it may do wonderful things for the greek system. I personally had no idea how it worked until I was in it. Maybe if people knew more about it, they would be more apt to rush rather than stereotype it like everyone does.

"In Reality" Fraternities and sororities are a place where people live with eachother but carry a special bond that no TV show will ever portrait. A rule. A unwritten law. A moral. If we can get closer to showing this aspect by taking a chance, I say go for it. I actually applaud Sigmas for taking the opportunity. And they can come party with me any time.

Like anyone ever takes college kids seriously anyways!

While I agree with those that have posted that have said it is too early to judge the show, I would like to point out that they have already spun the show to portray the negative stereotypes associated with greek life. I am sure that when they asked these ladies why they joined the sorority they answered with all of the answers that you saw but the producers split the answers up to make it look like the real reason they joined was to party.
I have very little faith in any "real tv" portrayal of greek life and while the show has not aired yet, I think the commercial gives a good indication of the direction it will head in. :( A G D

Trying to be Positive On This
 

K, from a report that I saw... even though many greeks think badly of Animal House, the movie actually helped to bring interest in the Greek system after the devasting decline that it took in the earlier '70's that almost DID eliminate the system.

Who knows, maybe Sorority Life will do the same?? People may want to know more about sorority life (even if some do have those pre-conceived notions) and if what they saw is really true? Maybe they will go into it thinking the stereotypes but finding out what it truley means to be Greek and that there is so much more to it then partying, guys/girls, excahnges etc.

I just have one question for the Sigma sisters. I have taken a look at your site before (months ago when it was first brought out that this would be your org participating in it) but I just want to know if you guys have Public rituals such as DU (Delta Upsilon) where nothing is a secret or are they somewhat private? Trying to educate myself a little here :)

Also, thanks Delt Alum for the info. Its what I kind of figured anyways, but I thought there might be different route they could have taken. :D

UMgirl, to answer your question, our rituals are private, and no matter how hard the producers tried to convince us to let them tape them, we wouldn't budge and we're keeping them private. Thank you for gathering the facts before coming to conclusions; I hope everyone will do the same.