Northern vs Southern Schools

[proud2bgreek]

Hi! This is my first time posting. Ok here is the situation. I belong to a NPC sorority in a nothern liberal arts school. Well, this lady posted a message on my school's forum stating how northern schools make a mockery of greek life and that if it were not for southern schools, greek life would not exist. she also seemed to imply that all northern schools should get rid of greek life. she told people to check out greekchat to "see what she means."

anyways, to make a long story short, i would appreciate everyone's opinions--do southern schools really have a better system of greek life? do northern schools not deserve to have it?? i would be interested in knowing ya'lls opinion!!

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Someone actually said that???????? The word snob comes to mind to describe that woman. Bet she didn't leave her name either.

I'm not sure that even dignifies any more of a response especially since I come from a large, very old sorority founded in the NORTH.

One is no better than the other, they are just different.

[CASIGKAP]

Umm...What they would she say to sorority life in California?

Just ignore this pretentious loser. If she's posting crap like that, she obviously has no clue herself what the Greek System is all about.

[33girl]

Whoa!! Please please please point me to this....I'm sure you could find just as many people who think the Southern way of doing things is ridiculous.

[DeltaSigStan]

LMAO

I'd LOVE for this girl to see Southern CALI greek life....non-traditional in every sense...

[OleMissGlitter]

I love all my sisters, whether they are from Canada, California, Florida, New York, etc! Ignore that person who said that! Trust me I've learned some great ideas from sisters all over the country and Canada!

[proud2bgreek]

I just wanted to thank ya'll so much for your responses to my post!! They have made me more sure about my decision to go greek!!

Someone requested to see this lady's posts on the forum--instead of giving you the website because it really isnt a good representation of my school, im just going to copy her three posts here:
(to keep this anonymous, i replaced mention of my school with NORTHERN SCHOOL)

post 1--

I’m not sure where to post this on these threads, but I guess this will do. I was asked to post my experiences with the NORTHERN SCHOOL Greek System by some friends who graduated in ’96. Yes, believe it or not, alumni check out this board! I transferred during my sophomore year to the Big Southern University with a tremendous Greek System. I don’t feel comfortable saying more than that. I rushed at NORTHERN SCHOOL and dropped out because I knew I was going to transfer and I did not think it was fair to take up a spot in a new member class, possibly learn rituals, etc. I probably would have ended up in a NPC organization and could have affiliated with their respective chapter at BSU, but I thought that was cheezy. Plus, I am a double legacy for ZTA and I wanted to check them out at the school I was going to transfer into. Sorry, this is so long winded!! Honestly, I was very disappointed in the quality of the Greek System at NORTHERN SCHOOL. Rush seemed unprofessional; I was asked about hooking up and drug usage by the local sorority and one NPC group! Sadly, the NPC groups at NORTHERN SCHOOL also haze. I was surprised to witness the BS many girls on my floor would go through just to be a part of a weak Greek System. I won’t go into too much detail, but there is some sexual degradation. Why? It’s so unnecessary! I know that each org. submits a formal pledge program to the office of Greek Life, but so much flies under the radar. It is so easy to take advantage and put a group of pledges, who look up to you as sisters, in harms way.

I was really scared to go through rush again, but my mom told me it would be different at the BSU. My experience at the Big Southern U. was way more positive. Rush was exhilarating. The questions were reasonable and the skits were very classy! I loved my pledgeship. Most of my sisters were wonderful. We were treated like princesses. No one was EVER forced to drink!! We were taught to drink responsibly and not over indulge. If someone did, a sister would take CARE of you! My impression at NORTHERN SCHOOL, was that this NEVER happened!! We were respected on campus. There was tons of Greek unity. Some fraternities serenaded us and treated us with respect. I didn’t go ZTA, but wore the blush and bashful proudly (Phi Mu)! BTW, my second choice was Chi Omega and they had sisters who were Jewish and Asian. Please don’t single out Chi Omega--All the NPC groups used to discriminate according to color and religion. This is why there are some historically Jewish sororities such as AEPHi and DPHiE. Even Catholics were barred from joining NPC sororities. Most of the changes didn’t come about until the 70’s. How horrible!

I don't think there is much of a solution. A lot of schools like yours are doing away with the Greek System. I think it will only survive at larger schools. People at the BSU were horrified to learn Tri-Delta was dying. Tri-Delta is a southern powerhouse and carries a tremendous amount of influence in Atlanta!! They cut me after the second round. I am surprised the local did not try to affiliate with them.

Post 2--
My, you are rude. Look, if it wasn't for southern universities, the Greek System would never have survived. And that's the truth. You can thank Ol' Miss, Alabama, FSU, Auburn, LSU, UT, Texas, Carolina, etc., Greek alums for funding your nationals! Some schools with smaller Greek systems have bastardized version of what Greek organizations should be. Look, check out Greek Chat to see what I am talking about. And if you think there is NOTHING wrong with what you do with your new memembers then you should proudly post these ideas on their message board. I'm sure you will get a warm reception.

Post 3--

I thought I mentioned there were abuses in the system. I never said Southern sororities are exempt. Yes, I’ve read Pledged, but you can find out about northern sororities by watching the 2nd season of that wretched Sorority Life show. How would you feel if I judged northern greek life based on DZO? Is that fair?

It’s funny, though. When I was at NORTHERN SCHOOL, people swore up and down that things were worse in the 80’s. I guess there’s a trend of critiquing greek life from the previous decade from one’s involvement in the system.

I will say one more thing though…many of you would have never received a bid from any southern chapters of Phi Phi, Theta, Kappa, or Tri-Delta. If you don't believe me, surf the Web and check out chapters at Ol' Miss, Florida, Alabama, etc. I hope you realize this and treat independents with respect, realizing your aren’t that special. The national offices know which chapters bring home the bacon and garner statewide respect. Can you say the same for any of your chapters? When your chapters raise 100k for a charity, then we'll talk

[33girl]

what a f-ing idiot...anyone who says "I wore the blush and bashful proudly" needs to be shot on sight.

oh, and I know what the school is but I won't say.

[winneythepooh7]

My chapter was at a small campus in Upstate NY. My school's Greek system is completely different from the Greek systems in a 2 hour radius, say NYC schools and Long Island. I think Greek life has nothing to do with "the north" or "the south" but everything to do with the campus the GLO is located. People who have no clue shouldn't make comments about something they know absolutely nothing about.

[Kevin]

Well, if what she's talking about regarding some sorities at "Northern School" regarding the hazing, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, etc.. Then, yes, those particular chapters are an embarassment and a liability to their respective national groups.

She could have been a little more diplomatic in her presentation. She could have also taken into account that GLO's are just different from state to state and school to school. It's just a cultural issue.

*If true*, I don't think she was too off base except for in the way she chose to express herself.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by proud2bgreek
Post 2--
My, you are rude. Look, if it wasn't for southern universities, the Greek System would never have survived. And that's the truth. You can thank Ol' Miss, Alabama, FSU, Auburn, LSU, UT, Texas, Carolina, etc., Greek alums for funding your nationals! Some schools with smaller Greek systems have bastardized version of what Greek organizations should be. Look, check out Greek Chat to see what I am talking about. And if you think there is NOTHING wrong with what you do with your new memembers then you should proudly post these ideas on their message board. I'm sure you will get a warm reception.

That person is a complete idiot. Not a partial idiot, but a complete one. I'm a Phi Psi from FSU, one of the Southern schools cited, and I can name several Northern greek systems that rival it. I can also name Southern schools that have oppressive climates towards greeks.

My fraternity has also raised more money than any other GLO over the last 5 years, and I know where the money came from. Some was from the South, but most wasn't.

Then there is the issue of standing by struggling chapters at "anti-greek" schools. One of my favorite stories is our chapter at Stanford. We were the first fraternity there, and did well for many years. Then the Vietnam era hit, and by the mid 70s we folded, and lost our gargantuan house. We came back in the late 70s, but had no house. And the school hated greeks. When I joined Phi Psi in 1987, they were known as a struggling chapter on the verge of folding. They had membership in the single digits. From this time, and for the next ten years, they ranged from "struggling" to "almost folding," but they stayed afloat. Then in the late 90s, this still unhoused chapter saw its membership climb to the high teens, then into the 20s. In the early part of this decade, their membership continued to climb. They improved so much that in 2001, they won the award as Phi Psi's best chapter. In 2002, after a quarter of a century without a house, Stanford finally gave them one. They have decided to cap their membership at about 50 so that everyone lives in house. But what about the "dark years" when that poster would have been ashamed of such a chapter? One of my best friends is a Phi Psi from this chapter, so I am personally glad they survived. But what of this unprestigous chapter? Isn't prestige important? During these "dark years" they had a chapter vice president named Jerry Yang. He went on to co-found Yahoo. A few years after he was initiated, a Stanford Phi Psi named Ben Lutz was initiated. He went on to co-found Excite. Not bad for a struggling chapter at a school that should get rid of its greek system.

[OleMissGlitter]

She called us Ol' Miss instead of Ole Miss....she must not be familiar with us at all! What a narrow minded person! I know for a fact that we have WONDERFUL CHAPTERS OF NPC's here at Ole Miss, all nine of them (AOP, KKG, KD, DDD, CW, KAQ, PBF, FM, DG)!

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

I'm just taking a stab in the dark, but most of our money comes from alumnae in California. We don't even have a large alumnae base in the south and we seem to be doing no worse than anyone else......

No offense to anyone but I'm glad she's not a Gamma Phi, even though I'm sure we have our share of ones like her.

[KnightDU02]

A pretty ignorant comment, even though I am from the south I couldn't disagree with her more. I have a good time when I visit some of my brothers from northern and midwest chapters. I think there are different norms in the north, east, west, and south, but thats only normal.

[Tom Earp]

Hm, is there a difference?

Yepper, it has nothing to do with regions of the Greek World.

There are good and bad in all of our Groups of Secret, Vile Societies!

Oh, The Chapters in the South Say Yall, some in the North say All Of You!

I have always a said Ya All, Hell, I am an the Border of the Great USA, Kansas and Missouri, now, there is one hell of a mix!

Just be simple minded and tell them to bite off!

Life is good when there is another alternative, Lilys on the Chest!