The Real "fake" Greeks - Page 2

#16 10-19-2002, 02:16 AM

I'm going to have to disagree with texasprincess.

Honestly, the Phi Chi group, to me that sounds like it could be the start of something. It sounds like a group of guys that have gathered together for a greater ideal....which i think is how a lot of us think about our founders. The lunch group one, and the tri-zeta one to me are just jokes. To me, it's like being in elementary school or middle school and forming a secret clique because some of the 'cool' kids don't like you.

To me, being Greek is more than just Greek letters and parties and tshirts. I don't want to speak for everyone here, but i think a lot of us take the pledges we made and continue to make in our rituals seriously. I know that i hold mine very dear. I know that the fraternity history that i learned as a pledge is probably a little biased based on it's source, but to me, being a Sigma Nu is about 'Love, Truth, Honor' and the ways that i try to apply these principles to my life and relationships. To me, being Greek means making sacrifices and learning how to work with, and love people that might be complete opposites of you and that you never thought you could get along with.

I don't know, i kind of took it as a mocking sort of thing. And as much as these tshirts they've made, i've never seen them on campus. I don't know, the idea of those girls walking around lubbock claiming that they were in sororities at A&M bugs me too. But alas, no biggie. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery i guess.

Kitso
KS 361 times i'd laugh if i saw a Lunch Group Date Party tshirt

Optimist Prime · #17 10-19-2002, 02:26 AM

That is the dumbest thing i've ever read. This has hazing violation written all over it. They need to nip this in the bud before the real greeks get the boot.

PM_Mama00 · #18 10-19-2002, 10:45 AM

We got u beat.

A few girls who left my chapter because they weren't happy (Drama Queens... what do u expect?) decided to start their own sorority. Two other girls who left our chapter a year ago decided to join, also. Their name?

Kappa Omega Chi.

Think about those letters.

It's agreed by many that if they had a good reason for starting their new club, that it'd be fine. But to start it to spite another sorority is wrong.

These "fake Greeks" are being hypocritical. If they don't want to be a part of Greek life, then why choose Greek letters?

IvySpice · #19 10-19-2002, 10:56 AM

Can anyone here honestly say that you've never met a single member of your GLO who joined for T-shirts and socials and stayed for T-shirts and socials? That you don't know any "real" greeks to whom the pledge meant very little and the ideals of the founders nothing at all? That you've never heard of "real" greeks who are dead weight in the chapter and expect everyone else to do the work?

Greekchat is full of people who are passionately, almost religiously, devoted to their rituals and their obligations. That's fantastic, and Greekchat-type people are the reason each national GLO has survived for 100 years and more. But that's not what "real" greek life is about for everyone involved. Let's not pretend that all members of national GLOs are hardworking heroes devoted to truth and light.

There was nothing in the article suggesting that these people are doing anything other than having some harmless fun. Maybe in the future they'll haze, but there's no evidence of that here. If they identify themselves as fake, there's no danger that GDIs or the school administration will get confused about who is who. And so what if they die out after the founders graduate? They achieved their stated goals of having fun in college. How does that hurt anyone else?

If your "real" GLO is strong, it has nothing to fear from imitators. Why should we care if other people print up some T-shirts and throw some parties? Different strokes for different folks.

Ivy

CarolinaCutie · #20 10-19-2002, 10:59 AM

It sounds to me like Phi Chi is a lot like a local GLO... I don't understand why they would call themselves "fake". Why not be official? (LGLO members, if you disagree, don't be offended... I don't know much about the process).

The other girls though... sad. You can have a group of friends get together and hang out without having to assign Greek letters to yourselves and make Tshirts.

Optimist Prime · #21 10-19-2002, 11:10 AM

No ritual=fake greeks.

texas*princess · #22 10-19-2002, 11:14 AM

AggieSigmaNu,
I understand your point about "being Greek is more than just Greek letters and parties." You're right it is. I too take my organization and the pledge I took to my organization very seriously.

And I can understand your take on how you feel these self-proclaimed fake Greeks, but I just feel some of these groups may have started in quite the same way (minus calling themselves "fake" and talking about their sole purpose being to make cool t-shirts and things like that.)

Delta Sigma Pi for example was founded by 4 men that met in class and shared the same subway route on their way home.

There is *a lot* more history to us than that, but that is basically the way it started and how my founders met. So if the "sorority" who makes t-shirts eventually decide to channel their efforts for a greater good, become involved with philantrophies and what not, they just might be a local, and then maybe regional, and then maybe a national someday.

That's just my $.02.. i'm a really positive person

edited for my terrible spelling

Quote:

Originally posted by AggieSigmaNu361
I'm going to have to disagree with texasprincess.

Honestly, the Phi Chi group, to me that sounds like it could be the start of something. It sounds like a group of guys that have gathered together for a greater ideal....which i think is how a lot of us think about our founders. The lunch group one, and the tri-zeta one to me are just jokes. To me, it's like being in elementary school or middle school and forming a secret clique because some of the 'cool' kids don't like you.

To me, being Greek is more than just Greek letters and parties and tshirts. I don't want to speak for everyone here, but i think a lot of us take the pledges we made and continue to make in our rituals seriously. I know that i hold mine very dear. I know that the fraternity history that i learned as a pledge is probably a little biased based on it's source, but to me, being a Sigma Nu is about 'Love, Truth, Honor' and the ways that i try to apply these principles to my life and relationships. To me, being Greek means making sacrifices and learning how to work with, and love people that might be complete opposites of you and that you never thought you could get along with.

I don't know, i kind of took it as a mocking sort of thing. And as much as these tshirts they've made, i've never seen them on campus. I don't know, the idea of those girls walking around lubbock claiming that they were in sororities at A&M bugs me too. But alas, no biggie. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery i guess.

Kitso
KS 361 times i'd laugh if i saw a Lunch Group Date Party tshirt

Beryana · #23 10-19-2002, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
No ritual=fake greeks.

I would actually have to disagree with this - either that or I was a member of what you all are considering a 'fake' sorority! The local that I was a member of was named Delta Kappa Phi. It was founded by Deanna and Kim (the Delta and Kappa) and they chose Phi because it was more aesthetically pleasing than Theta. We had a crest, motto (only open, no secret mottos), a 'badge'/pin, colors, flower, founding principles, pledge program (which DID include 'minor' hazing), participated in Rush (the campus sororities were predominantly locals), had socials, t-shirts, etc. We did not have a ritual per se - we had more along the lines of ceremonies because we really didn't have anything secret like NPC sororities do (and that's not to say that we allowed others at our initiations). Does this mean that we were not 'real' greeks? The other locals on campus were at one time chapters of NPC groups (AOII and Theta Phi Alpha) and the only national sorority is Kappa Beta Gamma.

I reading the article, I saw the groups as local orgs - I don't remember if the mention of 'fake greek' was in the quotes from members of the groups or only by the writer of the article. In short, just because a group doesn't have a ritual does NOT mean they are not a real greek org.

Sarah

Delta Kappa Phi '94 (Alpha pledge class)

ChiOJenn78 · #24 10-19-2002, 12:22 PM

(said in my best Janice-from Friends-voice) Oh...My...God...
This is the dumbest thing I have ever read.(T-shirts) I'm sorry, but it is. Let's form a sorority because we all eat lunch together and call it Lambda Gamma? (T-shirts). And the only reason they called it a sorority was because they were tired of answering that they weren't in a sorority?(T-shirts). Get real people!! I had my little named lunch group too...in highschool.(T-shirts).

Now, Phi Chi down here is a co-ed medical fraternity-technically, they're professional, but they're also very very social.(T-shirts). It sounds like the group at A&M are now, and could in the future, be a large productive GLO.(T-shirts)

This whole article pisses me off, because, like AggieSigmaNu said, being Greek is more than getting a great wardrobe full of T-shirts.These girls are being complete hypocrites.(T-shirts).

I'll get off my soapbox right about now.

p.s. the first person the get the subliminal theme in my message wins!!

roselampturtle · #25 10-19-2002, 12:27 PM

Our local Sorority is Phi Chi...

texas*princess · #26 10-19-2002, 12:29 PM

ChiOJen: is your subliminal message about t-shirts?

have a super day everyone!

33girl · #27 10-19-2002, 01:01 PM

I don't think any of us have rose-colored glasses thick enough to say that some of our members didn't join for bogus reasons...but these sound like the people we all know who say that Greeks are (insert stereotype here) and then turn around and do the same thing they are slamming.

aephi alum · #28 10-19-2002, 01:35 PM

Next season on MTV: "Fake Sorority Life"

At least they're not claiming to be real fraternities and sororities... that would be true hypocrisy. But a lot of people won't know the difference, or won't care. They'll see that all these groups do is throw parties and make t-shirts, and conclude that that's what the real greek system is all about too.

Glitter650 · #29 10-19-2002, 01:59 PM

I agree with A e Phi alum, these groups are making no pretenses that they are greek, they state quite clearly they are fake greeks and know it.
Although I don't understand why they wouldn't just try to do something and legitimize their group by making a constitution and ritual and such, I don't really see anything wrong with it. Especially the Phi Chi group. It sounds like they really just wanted some people who shared their beliefs and would support them in pursuing those beliefs. Doesn't sound too different than why my soror. was founded.
The other group I don't know about them makign t shirts and having greek letters, but they do not even plan on letting anyone else in... so it seems to me it's just something that bonds them closer as friends or whatever... so... As I said I don't really understand why they need to use greek symbols, or why they wouldn't just start their own group if they felt what was there wasn't for them, I don't really see any harm in them doing it. Does anyone remember when the 90210 girls started their own sorority that met at the Peach Pit because the sorority they wanted to join made Andrea uncomfortable because although they still gave her a bid, they didn't support her being Jewish and she would've had to "keep it quiet"

Rio_Kohitsuji · #30 10-19-2002, 03:04 PM

This is going on at my campus currently, some FRESHMEN are starting a new fraternity. The only reason they are is to make a freakin' mockery of it. Hell, they didn't even rush ANY of the other fraternities. Can't wait til I see the letter combination they pick out. *growls*

Ya know, a group of my friends and I are forming a new sorority on campus, but hell, we want to be 'real'. Those ppl in the article are just pussies. They don't want to do the work that is associated with forming a new GLO, it's pretty freakin' hard. My gawd, if I just wanted to wear some letters on a shirt I'd just dance around in my bf's letter shirt. I dont' think they realize or want to realize what those letters mean to the 'real' Greeks. Okay, I'm finished w/my rant.

Kayla