Yet another reason....
 

So did anyone catch ER tonight? Typical fraternity storyline...pledge gets hazed (while wearing the letters of the fraternity he is pledging) and then dies from drinking too much. Yet another reason why I will recieve a "look" from people when I tell them I am in a sorority!

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Sarah Lyon
Sister Lots-a-Heart, #9
President, Iota Beta Chi Sorority
http://welcome.to/iotabetachi

I missed it and i usually watch ER too....another reason why finals suck. So out of curiousity...what was the fraternity of choice this time?

Sheesh - what about all the GDI's (btw, that is an affectionate term for me since all my boys were proud GDI's) that get pi$$-a$$ drunk and end up in the hospital or worse...at the funeral home? What about the greeks that go get them and call for help -- I was that greek. During my pledge semester a girl at the end of our hall (GDI) decided that since she'd never been *away from mom & dad* and since she'd never been drunk before, that a fifth of Wild Turkey would do the trick! Oh and did it ever!! A trick on her poor little 110 pound body that almost killed her. And yes I did go and get her and the medics who saved her life. She got kicked out of the dorms for the rest of the semester, but I was just glad she lived. People who are ignorant when they drink get themselves into trouble -- not the letters that they may or may not wear.

I just wonder why TV writers like to show this type of activity. Of course all this PR comes right before kids decide what school to go to and recruitment. I feel like families who know nothing about the system think everything on TV is real. It just goes to show that the media would rather scare veiwers and get ratings than really educate them, I haven't heard anything about our programming or philanthropy mentioned in any story.
Maybe NPC and IFC could do a joint PR venture on positive education.
On my campus I feel as if the fraternities are more wide open and are more likly to have accidents, but I think that goes back to how each campus is set up and ECU is very different than the schools I have been reading about here on GreekChat.

Ecukd, what do you mean about being set up differently?

[This message has been edited by preppie (edited April 26, 2001).]

I am so glad that someone else saw that episode!! I was pissed off as soon as I saw the letters on the guys shirt, I called about half my sisters, no one was happy. We were thinking of starting a letter writing campaign and suggesting that they show a few good sides of greek life, does anyone know if letter writing campaigns really work?
Xi Love,
Emily
xoxo

If you have enough folks writing letters, then it will work. Count me in... I decided I was writing one the second I saw a sorority girl getting treated for being kicked in the mouth while chasing a pig in the mud. When did that become a Greek Week competitive event??? I'm glad I don't have a computer at home, because I probably would have typed a few unladylike comments to NBC immediately after the show. I've had some time to calm down, but I'm still furious.

I don't know what the fraternity was...I do remember seeing the letter Phi...how do tv/movie people decide what letters to use? I mean you can say a fraternity name...they did on "Friends" the other night when Rachael mentioned a Sigma Chi party (there is ANOTHER tv show, the SAME night as ER, who simplified sororities: Rachael and one of here sisters were drunk and started kissing in college! Happens in every sorority am I right http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Geesh!) But do these writers/prop people consult the NPC about what letters they CAN use? ie: Ones that are not already a farternity/sorority? Because since the things they do on the show are fictional, shouldn't the fraternity/sorority be?

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Sarah Lyon
Sister Lots-a-Heart, #9
President, Iota Beta Chi Sorority
http://welcome.to/iotabetachi

A member posted a reply to this same topic in another thread, and it was so perfect that I have copied it below:

I really can't understand what you are all so upset about. So ER did a show where a pledge dies from consuming too much alcohol. IT HAPPENS!!! Yes, it was negative but it was accurate.
And the pig thing....uh, ever heard of "cow tipping?" IT HAPPENS!
And a bunch of Greeks being drunken idiots? IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY!
Before anyone accuses me of "Greek bashing"...I'm a Kappa Delta.
Yes, Greeks do a lot of great things, but they do stupid things too. Why can't you accept this?
You have every right to contact NBC and complain, but ask yourself some things first:
1. In all the years that ER has been on the air, has it repeatedly depicted Greeks negatively?
2. Given the subject matter of the show, how would they depict Greeks positively?
3. Have you ever seen a Greek being a drunken idiot?
4. Have YOU ever been a drunken idiot?
5. Have you ever seen a fellow Greek drinking so much that you've worried about the possibility of alcohol poisoning?

Greek pride is fine, but let's be realistic!

Cheers!

I love being a Greek, so please don't interpret this message as anti-Greek.

I've been watching ER since the first season, and as far as I can remember, this is the first episode where they've portrayed Greeks negatively. The show has already aired, and thinking realistically, what could a letter writing campaign do? Prohibit the show from being shown on reruns?

I was really sad to see the young man die on the show last night. However, I am aware that things like that have happened and still happens today. I am a staunch advocate against hazing, and that was why watching last night's episode was really difficult.

However, it is the actions of Greeks that give Hollywood the ammunition to portray us this way. Greeks are easy targets for the media, and from what we've seen so far on TV and films, they're really hungry to portray Greeks in a negative light. Oftentimes many Greeks are overlooked when they do positive things for the community, and this is very unfortunate.

If some organizations stopped doing the bad things they did to their pledges/new members...then maybe Hollywood would back off a bit.

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"Talk doesn't cook rice."--Someone smart

Visit Alpha Gamma Delta-Delta Sigma chapter and help some sisters out!

Well, my dear friend PREPPIE, how are things?
What I mean by being set up differently is: ECU is wide open when it comes to usual Greek Life. Not in a bad way, all the time, but compared to many schools I have visited or chatted with through convention and or Southeastern Panhelllenic Conference, we are very liberal when it comes to social life.
ECU is very easy on our chapters, we have no set times to register events, fines if we do go against the one regulation we do have and try to inforce or a max number if events to hold per semester. We are very lucky to have such a forgiving system yet we still fight the small regulations we do have or try to find a loop whole. I feel that ECU should go with the flow and be very thankful, many schools have very srtict policies on social activity that supercede any national policy, but ECU is not any more harsh than our individual polices, whichs makes ECU look like a party school when compared to places that only allow 2 mixers a semester and a cocktail, if lucky.
P.S. are you going through Formal Recruitment or did you pledge this Spring?

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Lexi

Teeny and Ivy are correct, yet again. And I've said the same thing in post after post.

DeltAlum

[This message has been edited by DeltAlum (edited April 28, 2001).]

Two snaps up for OTW & lovelyivy84!

In no way am I saying that these things don't happen...in one year Two fraternities here got busted for something or other. Why I posted the topic was basically because it sucks that they do that and it was an area in which to vent.

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Sarah Lyon
Sister Lots-a-Heart, #9
President, Iota Beta Chi Sorority
http://welcome.to/iotabetachi

So just how bad does it look that Jenna Bush, a Kappa Alpha Theta, just got a citation for underage drinking? How does this make her sisters feel? How does this make Greeks look? I think it's bad enough that she is the president's daughter, but how would you feel if she was your chapter sister?? This is not meant to sound like blame or accusation, but a what if scenario.....

I agree with you Sigmagirl! It is quite embarrassing that Jenna Bush got caught drinking. You'd think she would have a little discretion being the President's daughter and KNOWING that people are looking to her to AT LEAST not BREAK LAWS! jeez. What was even more confusing was...why didn't the secret service agents with her prevent her from drinking? I know they can't tell her everything NOT to do, but at least they could tell her not to break federal laws. Ugh...Just plain DUMB!

In defense of Jenna Bush, you have to feel a little sorry for the girl. Underage drinking, like it or not, is a major part of college life. Greeks and non-Greeks alike do it. For basically her whole college career, she is going to be held to a higher standard than any other college student in America. I'm not condoning what she does, but it does kind of suck that she will be scrutinized much more than her peers. It would be one thing if she were the president, but she's the president's daughter. She's only a public figure because the media makes her one. It can't be easy http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

ps how is everyone making these awesome new smilies?

Thats pretty funny they mentioned Sigma Chi on Friends. I haven't been following the show cause i've been watching survivor though. Probably the reason why they said sigma chi is because Brad Pitt is a sigma chi.

Hey Kappagirl! I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your posts, and that I totally agree with you about what you said about Jenna Bush! BTW...to the person who asked...she asked the Secret Service Agents to let her be by herself and party with her friends...

Come on, think about it...how would you feel if you were stuck with those Agents everywhere you went...no freedom really...

It's too bad that Theta is getting a bad light b/c of this...but I would think that any other sorority would also have the spotlight put on them if they had the President's Daughter as a Sister...

Kappagirl, by the way, go to my thread in the Chit Chat Forum, titled "Testing, Testing, One Two Three," there I explain how to do the smilies. have fun!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif