Quote:
Originally posted by decadence
Ther're a lot of other very very common statistics used to promote Greek Life, I think it would be a fantastic resource for the future and provide powerful advocacy tools if we could verify sources for each of them (where verifiable). Anyone agree?
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Yes and no. The statistics may be powerful in some instances, but not nearly as powerful, I think, as the local experience with Greek life. I mean, how many people do you know who said "I wanted to be Greek because 80+% of US Presidents since 1900 and 85% of Fortune 500 executives are Greek"? No, you hear "I wanted joined because this was a great group of guys/girls who seemed to be doing great things and having fun in the process." The statistics may be more useful in changing public perception, but seeing as many of the people who think Greek life is all about elitism may be the same people most likely to dislike politicians, corporate executive-types and the like, I'm not even sure of that.
And as for the statistics themselves, the problem is that the numbers can be so slippery and can take on a life of their own. Take, for example, the claim that 85% of Fortune 500 executives are Greek. As of what date? Yesterday? Last month? Last year? Ten years ago? Executives come and go with some frequency. And who qualifies as "executives"? CEOs? CFOs? Assistant Vice-Presidents? And do we count Ken Lay? (See distrust of corporate executive-types above.)
See, even if the statistic is correct when first published, it will soon be out of date. Nevertheless, it will continue to circulate, probably being misquoted in the process. Bottom line: if the statistic comes from a group like the NIC, the NPC, the NPHC or the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity, I would be more inclined to trust it, especially if there is background information to prove veracity and timing (such as "As of date, 65% ....", or "these statistics were taken from..."). Otherwise, I'll stay skeptical.