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Never too late to go Greek!
Greetings all.
Gee, am I the only Fraternity Guy to respond to this thread? ;-)
Ah well, hope you gals don't mind hearing my two cents worth - and being from Canada, my Canadian two cents worth is worth a little less than an American two cents worth ;-)
But seriously, Amalia is not alone in her desire to go Greek at a later age. I have heard this kind of thing many, many times and I think it is kind of sad that older students are not really encouraged to participate in Fraternity/Sorority life.
Now, I understand that in many cases, social fraternal organizations on college campuses are designed to provide 'socialization' ie, a 'home-away-from-home' for young undergrads, but the fact is that nowadays, in the 21st Century, things have changed a LOT.
Many students now fit into the 'non-traditional' student category. Not all are young, 19 - 25 year olds with little life experience. Yet, there are many folks with a LOT of experience and the desire to participate who are denied the chance based on their age.
Well, I think that in this new Century, where everyone is working hard to eliminate prejudicial barriers to race, gender, sexual orientation and the like, we should also be paying attention to a type of bias that is still prevalent: Age discrimination.
I have the good fortune to be part of a fraternity which sees older students (Undergrads as well as Grad Students) as valuable potential members.
As a holder of more than one Baccalaureate degree, and now, an older student, I can certainly see how a person might miss out on the chance to go Greek while younger, but still want to contribute at an older age.
So, to Amalia as well as any others who still want to go Greek, I say: "Keep Trying!"
To the Recruiting and Rush committees of College fraternities and Sororities, I say: "Consider the value and experience of older people."
Mike Wolf
Gamma Beta Lambda Fraternity
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