greek101.com
646 Saw Mill River Road Yonkers, NY 10710
Phone (888) 473-3550
Fax (914) 476-4333
info@greek101.com
"Greek101.com Severs Relationship with MTV's Sorority/Fraternity Shows"
Greek101.com, a leading provider of Fraternity and Sorority apparel and
accessories, recently severed our relationship with the reality-TV shows
MTV's Sorority Life and MTV's Fraternity Life. We no longer will
provide our apparel to the shows' participants, and at our request, MTV
removed our name from the shows' credits. Additionally, we are seeking
to have an anti-hazing organization's logo appear in its place.
Greek101.com has always believed in the importance of celebrating the
many good works performed by Fraternities and Sororities throughout the
country. For us, Greek life is synonymous with forging lifelong
relationships, giving back to the community through service and
philanthropy, fostering leadership abilities, and having good, clean
fun.
It was in this spirit that we forged a relationship with MTV roughly 18
months ago to supply Greek101.com apparel for MTV's Sorority Life and
MTV's Fraternity Life. Before we entered that relationship, we conducted
our due diligence on the scope and nature of the shows and were assured
that, although they were unscripted and spontaneous reality shows, they
would most certainly seek to highlight the wholesome, philanthropic
activities for which the Greek system is well known.
When the initial episodes of the premiere season of MTV's Sorority Life
portrayed Sororities in a less-than-favorable light, we publicly
expressed our disappointment, but were hopeful that we could influence
producers and participants to abide by the original spirit of the show.
Our feedback had some positive impact on the rest of the first season,
which led us to believe that the second season would portray the Greek
system more favorably. Unfortunately, when the second season began, it
became apparent that the show - along with the new MTV Fraternity Life
program - was going to continue in a direction that was contrary to the
principles and standards of Greek101.com.
As a result, we feel that we can no longer, in good conscience, continue
to provide our products to the two shows. Unfortunately, future
episodes bearing the name Greek101.com have already been filmed and
produced. Until October, you will continue to see what appear to be "new
episodes," which where filmed prior to April 1, 2003, as well as reruns.
We urged MTV to remove the Greek101.com name from those episodes, but
were told that the shows cannot be edited, nor can our name be removed,
digitally altered, or blocked out.
Greek101.com is completely committed to the ideals of Greek life, and we
will continue to pursue a number of charitable activities, including
donating thousands of dollars to the Fraternity/Sorority Community each
year.
In recent years, the Fraternity/Sorority system has made great strides
in abolishing once pervasive negative stereotypes. As such, Greek101.com
and all people concerned with the image of the Greek system must take a
stand and insure that Fraternities and Sororities remain the strong,
wholesome institutions that have positively impacted so many young
people over the years.
We encourage you to discuss the image of Greek life in the media with
your chapters and students. By acknowledging accurate portrayals and
expressing our disapproval of misrepresentations, we can play a major
role in shaping the way Fraternities and Sororities are depicted.
Thank you for your understanding of this matter. Please feel free to
contact us with any questions, comments or concerns.
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