Tigger-
Here's my answers! A lot of them overlap, but you get the idea!
I'd like to hear some opinions on what caused these social labels.
1) The biggest reason is the media + our need for sensationalism (by 'our' I mean American society)
2)The seriousness of recent hazing incidents. (And of course, the fact more people are aware of them thanks to the media!) A lot more deaths + serious injuries in the past years.
3)Animal House: maybe this falls under media, but that's what I thought of Greeks until I got to college. My general opinion of Greek Life was that it was a bunch of WASPS buying their way into the hippest club, to look for a husband/ get laid as much as possible + drink a lot of beer.
BTW- I'm so
happy I learned otherwise!
What can we do to shake these negative labels?
I think Greeks in general are aware of these labels and over the past 5 years or so have been trying their da**dest to correct it. You'll notice the number of people on these boards that boast of their community service + all the good they do. Most (if not all) national organizations have official "no hazing" policies. Recruitment seems to (+ should IMO) focus more on what the GLO can do for you as a person than what parties it can get you in to.
Heck, consider this board itself. Greeks are finally coming together + sharing their ideas (+ occassionally fighting it out, too
)with the overall goal + result being
improving + preserving Greek Life
Do you think we'll lose some local chapters due to the bad rep circulating?
I think this depends on each school. At my school, the only social chapters were locals. (There were nationl chapters of professional + service GLO's). Plus it's just a tiny little school. So I think they have a pretty good chance of staying right where they are for awhile.
If we would have been a large school and/or had national social chapters + local chapters, it would have been a totally different story. I think locals have a hard time competing w/ nationals anyways, but with less people rushing, the chapters are spread even thinner.
So basically I think the answer to this is circumstantial.
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SilverTurtle@greekchat.com
Phi Beta Fraternity