NBC & Hazing
 

Sisters,
I saw this on the main GC board and wanted to bring it over. NBC is doing a story, well attempting to do a story on hazing. I am completely offended by this and actually responded to NBC stating so. I encourage you all to go to the link and tell them exactly how offensive you think what they are doing is.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/988658.asp


Here is what I typed to NBC:


As a member of Alpha Delta Pi, I was not hazed. I know that hazing exists, but schools and chapters are drastically trying to change this. I find this 'in depth' study to be offensive. Greek's get a bad enough name because of hazing issues, you doing a story on them doesn't help the situation. Instead, why don't you use the power the NBC holds and support the Greeks. Why don't you discuss our philanthropies. How much money we put to our charities a year. Why not discuss how at some schools Greeks have the highest GPA's. Why not profile famous Greeks. Instead of tarnishing our name, why don't you help us bring Greek life to a better light?


Like I said, I'm encouraging everyone to go to the thread and post your thoughts about what they are doing. They wanted Greek thoughts, well they just got mine and I hope yours.

Brianna

P.S. Sorry, I just get really passionate about things, especially ADPi and Greek Life and I don't want NBC to even attempt to run this smackdown on us.

Ok I submitted a response also.

Brianna, that sounds like a very good, well thought out answer - Kudos!

I forwarded the link to our International Office, so the "powers that be" can handle it with their famous "steel hand in the velvet glove".

If you do decide to respond, please take a page from Brianna's book, and be ladylike, concise & intelligent. We needn't sound like trash while condemning the trash who haze!

I wrote a response well here is what it said:

As a member of Alpha Delta Pi, I can personally say that I have never been hazed. Our organization goes to great lengths to ensure hazing does not occur. I believe that it is your responsibility to educate your audience on the policies of hazing of major Greek sororities. I'm am sure that any International Office would be happy to explain their sororitiy's view on hazing.

I emailed EO, just via the contact us on the website. I expressed my concern for what NBC was doing, gave them the link and copied and pasted my response to them.

Does anyone know what the rules are when it comes to the media? Someone on the GC main board said that Gamma Phi has a rule about not talking to the media for fear that comments could be distorted. I understand not wanting my comments to get distorted but the media (NBC) asked and I gave them an honest, no bullshit, answer. I'm not ashamed of telling them that I think what they are doing is offensive to me and to other Greeks.

Brianna

I don't know what they are now, but when I was an active, all media contact was to go through IO. I was once interviewed for the school paper, and spent about 2 hours talking with our rep first, just so I wouldn't say something stupid.

What a LOT of people don't realize is that you will see very few, if any, references to Alpha Delta Pi in novels or books because that's the way we prefer it. It goes back to when a lady only had her name in the paper when she was born, married, and died, but it also keeps cheap shots from happening. So, the next time someone "brags" about seeing their GLO mentioned in a book or novel, you might want to explain that they very rarely see Alpha Delta Pi in one and why. Call this viewpoint old fashioned, if you want, but in the long run, we come out looking more... fresh and unspoiled.

Honeychile, how do you feel about 'this' kind of contact. Via a computer, via email?
Like I said, I'm not ashamed for stating what I did, I think and will always think what NBC is trying to do is wrong and offensive, but I also don't want to get in trouble with EO for defending Greek Life. I hope that I'm making sense.

Brianna

Brianna,
that makes a lot of sense!

Well thought-out answer to NBC!

Brianna, I wouldn't worry. If there's a problem, you would hear about it. I don't think you did or said anything wrong.

I was just stating "the party line" from when I was an active, and the "rules" for actives are different than for alumnae. For all I know, they have changed. I just may ask on Pride Online, just to be sure.

Okay, I posted a question under Pi-Pourri. We'll see what happens. :)

All contact with the media needs to be cleared through our International President. I just got an email about it from Executive Office.

What a coincidence! I just saw my friend Pam earlier, and she said the same thing! :)

I got an email telling me the same thing. Not much I can do about it now. I've already submitted a response.
But I have a question and hopefully someone will know the answer. How could they (NBC) feasibly use what I say without getting more information from me? I mean NBC isn't like a newspaper, they would have to do physical interviews of people. So it seems like they wouldn't be able to use my comments on television because if they don't contact me I can't confirm, deny or defend the comments (not that I would), but does my question make sense?

Brianna

FWIW, I contacted NBC about something completely different than the Greek System. Frankly, I did this from someone else's computer and used a pseudoname. That was almost a year ago.

I still get weekly emails from NBC (my friend forwards them to me), asking my opinion on that topic!

Did this ever air? I never saw anything more about it. Did anyone else?