"These private organizations should be grateful that they have been allowed to participate on campus with power not afforded by every student. These organizations have abused the system and are now falling apart from the inside out. These groups have violated and abused not only their own codes and policies, but the standards set by the institutions they represent."
I want to know how a reporter knows we are falling apart from the inside? How could they? They aren't permitted in meetings, rituals. They couldn't have that sort of information. That is pure hearsay and assumption.
"Now that they are in trouble, fraternities want the people that they neglect and shun helping them. Will banning fraternities stop the hazing, over consumption of alcohol, date rape, and discrimination on college campuses? While fraternities are experiencing a decline in their members, they are being challenged by national officers wanting to change their recruitment practices, and college administrators who want to ban the Greek society."
Ok, If anyone actually bought that line of BS, I'd be surprised. The greek system is HARDLY suffering, and so what if their nationals want to change recruitment practices--they would lose THEIR jobs if they tried to keep us from growing. It definatly wouldn't be in their best intrest. College administrators have wanted to ban greeks for years, it's no different than 20 years ago. And to even imply that getting rid of the greek system would "stop the hazing, over consumption of alcohol, date rape, and discrimination on college campuses" is assinine!
"Hazing is the power and control that the brothers use over new pledges. There have been forty-five deaths in the past ten years from hazing incidents. The hazing and alcohol problems are affecting the quality of fraternity life. Research shows that eighty-six percent of fraternity members living in chapter houses are more likely to engage in binge drinking, and that forty-one percent of fraternity house residents agreed with the statement, "drinking is important" (Harvard of Public Health, 1993)."
I love the scare tactics. . .as if EVERY fraternity in the country hazes. It's lumping the entire greek system together. Ya know, we could have a field day with the american government and drafting. while over 10 years 45 students have been killed by hazing, it's ok that during war, the government can force an 18 year old boy to go into battle and take the chance of dying. Yes, 45 over 10 years sucks, and I'm not trying to justify those deaths, but worse things happen in this world and blaming fraternities--and trying to percieve them as evil has no merit with me. Also, define binge drinking. How many drinks do you have to have to meet the standard of binge drinking. Could a college party be considered binge drinking? Well duh! If they live in the house, they are more likely to to attend the parties that go on there AND, I'm sure if you have college boys, living in a house together, not in a fraternity, you will find that THEY TOO will more likely to be a part of binge drinking, not 'just because', but because their appartment or house will be used for parties rather than the dorms.
"However, trying to change the practices of the Greek society could take years and the only way to get immediate results would be to ban them from campus. These Greek members have a "them" versus "us" mentality. College administrations need to make the changes and replace the Greek system with other organizations that have the same benefits or higher standards. For these Greek organizations to remain on campus, they need to direct a large scale strategy to change their ways of recruitment or be removed from campus."
This story is so one sided, to imply that hazing is something that all greek systems do is totally unrealistic. If you even suggested that college sports be done away with because hazing occurs, you better believe that the schools, fans, and media would be defensive. And hazing DOES occur in college sports, even high school sport, even professional sports. It occurs in the military, should we disban them too? Come on and be realistic. In this artical the author implied indirectly that fraternities are the cause of date rape, binge drinking, alcohol abuse, hazing, and discrimination on college campuses. He/she says we have a "them vs us" mentality. . .well with his/her closing statement, he sure sounds like HE/SHE is the one with the 'them vs us' mentality. He suggest that we should be banned and that we need higher standards. Because we don't meet THEIR standards, we should be banned? Sounds like discrimination against greeks to me!
On a more personal note, I'd also like to point out that the greek system isn't perfect, and I'm not going to argue that it is, however, nothing is. Not the government, not the school system, not the military, not a THING. This author made the greek system out to be nothing but a load of boys out getting sloshed every night, making poor grades, not contributing to society. He never made any refrence to what greeks DO, what their purpose was, nothing. This artical was written for one reason only, to persuade the public that fraternities and sororities are bad. I want to see an unbias view of greeks, not this garbage.
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