Local-bashing

[aephi alum]

I've been following the various threads on the MTV "Sorority Life" show, and there have been some accusations of "local-bashing" going on... sort of a "look at those locals, messing it up for the rest of us" attitude.

I write this as a member of a national sorority whose chapter was once a local sorority - so I've seen both sides of the local vs. national thing.

National GLO's have a number of rules and regulations in place regarding things like hazing, alcohol, etc. If a brother/sister breaks the rules, s/he answers to a standards board. If a chapter breaks the rules, the chapter answers to nationals and may have its charter pulled. So a chapter of a national GLO is, to some extent, a known quantity.

Local GLO's don't necessarily have these rules in place. This seems to be the crux of the "pro-national" argument. Some locals haze their new members, some locals have no restrictions on alcohol use, and that does make the greek system as a whole look bad - particularly when the average Joe on the street doesn't know the difference between locals, regionals, and nationals.

However, what I think some people in national GLO's are overlooking is that a lot of local and regional GLO's do have such rules. A local will hardly pull its own charter for breaking them, it's true - but individual members who break the rules would be made to answer to a standards board just as if they were in national GLO's.

In some cases, locals have even stricter rules. Example: My local sorority prohibited members from wearing letters or other insignia anywhere that alcohol was being served. That meant we couldn't wear letters at a restaurant with a liquor license, even if none of us were drinking. It eliminated the gray area of "How do I know that that sorority girl is really drinking coke and not rum and coke?" but it also meant we couldn't take people out to lunch or dinner during informal rush.

To address the "Sorority Life" issue specifically: Sigma AEPi isn't any less of a sorority because it's a local, or because they have 4 Greek letters in their name instead of 2 or 3. I'm sure these are fine young women and represented their sorority as best they could. But I believe their decision to participate in this show was ill-considered - especially knowing that MTV tends to take things out of context and to focus on partying as the most important thing in life. I'm hoping (as are the Sigma's, it seems) that MTV will include a portrayal of Sigma's philanthropy work, academic program, and other positive aspects of greek life, but I still strongly suspect MTV will be focusing on the parties and the guys, because that's what gets the ratings. I guess we'll find out on the 24th.