Quote:
Originally posted by sugar and spice
We ask ourselves why Greek numbers are declining, and I see this as a perfect example. Whether or not we like to admit it, the majority of students do not join GLOs primarily for the philanthropy, the connections or even the brother/sisterhood. They join primarily because they think it would be fun -- specifically for the easy access to alcohol and the opposite sex that we're known for. With the kind of draconian rules in place with some GLOs, numbers are going to decline because we're losing out on our biggest market.
<snip>
If people are looking for fun, why SHOULD they join a fraternity or sorority? Provided they're social, they can make tons of friends in the dorms. They can party and drink and have boys over in the dorms -- and let's face it, for a lot of college students, alcohol and sex are a huge part of the college experience. For some they're second and third only to academics. And we as Greek members are subjected to many rules that the rest of campus isn't, and we pay hundreds of dollars a year for the privilege. No wonder Greek numbers are declining!
<snip>
Now I'm not blaming the national organizations because most of the time they're just trying to cover their own @$$es. But I also don't blame students for not joining. It's basically a lose-lose situation.
|
I read this post a couple of hours ago and (not attacking S&S here), I think it shows the kind of thinking that has gotten the GLOs in trouble in the first place. None of our GLOs were founded on principles of access to alcohol and sex yet, at some campuses, this is what students see it as now. That idea is perpetuated by tv shows, movies, etc and it has gotten the GLOs into trouble. I understand that this is how many see the Greek System and this troubles me deeply. All of the GLOs are trying very hard to get back to their founding principles for the betterment of the whole Greek System.
Each time that I hear some awful story (like the 18 year old at the U of Michigan who "fell" out of her dorm window after drinking at a fraternity party a couple years ago), the first thought in my head is "I hope that wasn't an Alpha Gam". Am I thinking this because that means the liability insurance will go up and the lawsuits will fly? No. Am I thinking this because I don't want Alpha Gams to get bad press? No. I'm thinking this because I don't ever want to hear about a sister dying an untimely and unnecessary death. Are the rules in place just because of money? No way! I don't ever want to hear about a sister being raped or drugged. I don't ever want to hear about a sister being killed in a drunk driving accident or killing someone else in a drunk driving accident. I don't want my sisters to get Hepatitis C or HIV because of risky behavior. I don't want my sisters to deal with the stress of getting pregnant while in college or dealing with pictures taken of them doing embarassing things which then get posted on the internet. I don't want any of my sisters to go to a job interview in 5 years and be recognized by one of the VPs of the corporation as the girl who slept with all his brothers in college.
What I want for members of Alpha Gamma Delta (and all GLOs for that matter) is to see confident young women with strong self esteem who care enough about themselves and their health to NOT engage in these risky behaviors, most of which could have life long effects.
When I think back to my collegiate years, my fondest sorority times are not when we were dragging some drunk sister out of some guy's bedroom or taking away the car keys or taking a sister to ER because of some trauma that had occurred. This isn't what Greek Life was about. My fondest memories are alcohol free, sex free... the night in December that the two sisters I lived with decided it was time to decorate for Christmas and we created a paper tree on our wall... the support I received when my father had a heart attack... the sisterhood retreat where each Initiation class performed a skit or song about our sisterhood and played Scruples all night long.. those are the things you remember, those are the memories you want to build. Sometimes, the alumnae of your chapters may seem like they are just laying down the law and not letting you have fun, but maybe they have developed some wisdom over the years and don't want you to make the same mistakes they (or their sisters) did.
Lastly, there were a lot of honors organizations, Christian organizations, student government, and other activities that got a lot of members without having to use the promise of alcohol and sex to get them.
Dee