Dispelling the Rumors about Greek Life

pirate00 · #1 03-19-2001, 06:08 PM

When I pledged Alpha Phi Omega, a "friend" would notice my pledge pin or jersey, and would remark, "I would never pay money to have friends," or "You're pledging a frat? I would've never figured you as an elitist."
These comments disgusted me because they never asked me intelligently about the brotherhood I was about to join. They appoached me with archaic stereotypes from "Animal House" and "Reveng of the Nerds" movies. What can we do to quell these rumors about our way of life? I call on you, my brothers and sisters, to answer this question.

Fraternally,

-Gerald

MaryMayXO · #2 03-19-2001, 07:13 PM

I have had many people come up and tell me that I "pay for my friends." I guess they assume that Greeks pay for friends because they simply do not know what Greek Life is all about. I usually just explain to them what my dues go to. I pay for the socials, the date functions, the bus rides. I pay for the sisterhood events which help brings the chapter as a whole closer together. The money just allows us to be able to do all those things. I certainly don't pay for my friends. It just happens that my sisters and I (along with other Greeks)are in a great organization and we share a wonderful sisterhood.

~May

Lil_G · #3 03-19-2001, 07:23 PM

Yeah i've heard that a lot too...
Alpha Buy-ya a-Freind

Hootie · #4 03-19-2001, 07:23 PM

I've posted this quote and I'll do it again. The best way to combat a stupid remark like, "Oh you pay for your friends" is:

"If I paid for my friends then surely I did not pay enough"

Who can argue with that. Everyone knows how close friendships feel and so by putting it on their own personal level, they'll get the point!

Hootie

------------------
What do you get when you cross and Alpha Omicron Pi and a Sigma Phi Epsilon? A beautiful Chi Omega!!!

DGPhoney · #5 03-19-2001, 07:57 PM

I believe greeks do get a bad rep, especially from "friends" a lot of people relate being greek as to what they see in movies, or the negativitey from the news for a fraternity or sorority acting badly. I believe the only way to squash Greek bad reps, besides acting in good taste, is to just let your friends know why you choose to be greek and what your actual org stands for and the good things that u do.
One and Always Much Love Delta Gamma Pi Sorority

33girl · #6 03-19-2001, 09:08 PM

Yeah, I "paid for my friends"....I guess that is why they showed up 10 years after graduation to sit through my mom's viewing with me. I guess that's why I still speak to my sisters every single day.

If it was as easy and shallow as "paying for your friends", would we ever have chapter conflicts? Wouldn't everything be happy-happy if the organization meant as little as that?

I have no time for bigots of any stripe, the anti-Greek kind included. Anyone who prejudges people because of the organization they join can just bite me.

ShawnUTK · #7 03-19-2001, 09:59 PM

I'm planning to rush this fall.I have friends who are in the greek life and they tell me its the greatest thing,one says he has better friends now than he ever did.If thats what you pay for then I'm for it.Also me and my brother got to the same school and I'm not telling him I'm going to rush because he has such a negative attitude about it.he would tell me what a loser I am for doing it. My mom says he should grow up!!

UNFSigmaChi · #8 03-19-2001, 10:58 PM

You just gotta show them through your and your fraternities good works that we aren't a bunch of drunken party animals. If we have a campus clean-up or we do a soup kitchen then i always invite them to see the good we do. Most of the time they make up an excuse but they always manage to make it to the parties. So whenever they bring up the whole "greeks don't do anything good" im like hmmm well i was at the soup kitchen for a few hours the other day....where were you??? That usually shuts them up. But every year we have an MS walk, raise money etc. and i usually get a few GDI friends out and afterwards they are like, "man you guys had a good turn-out and got a ton of money, this isn't what i expected." Basically the people that say we buy are friends are of two backgrounds:1. They went to a college where there are no greeks. 2. They don't know a SINGLE person in a GLO.

pirate00 · #9 03-19-2001, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ShawnUTK:
I'm planning to rush this fall.I have friends who are in the greek life and they tell me its the greatest thing,one says he has better friends now than he ever did.If thats what you pay for then I'm for it.Also me and my brother got to the same school and I'm not telling him I'm going to rush because he has such a negative attitude about it.he would tell me what a loser I am for doing it. My mom says he should grow up!!

I'm glad you're deciding to rush. Going Greek is just like joining any other organization in the sense that you get out of it exactly what you put in to it. You'll make bonds that will last a lifetime. Hate to sound like a brochure, but it's the Honest-to-God truth.