Greek system more than togas and hip-hop
By Alex Johnson — The Daily Iowan
Zeta Tau Alpha knows how to host a formal banquet with an impeccable aura of style. The sorority's soirée on April 12 encamped at a renovated train depot in Rock Island, Ill., designed by the prolific railway station architect Charles S. Frost in 1901. And from what seemed like candlelight bequeathed by the chandeliers to the Renaissance Revival architecture of Abbey Station, the atmosphere surpassed comeliness.
It was magical.
The entire evening, even, was mesmerizing. As it began, the sun slowly set over the flocculent pink sky. Thereafter, as we drank wine and finished our four-course dinners, accompanied with cornucopias of jollity and frolic, one could feel those halcyon moments in the air. There we were, young, clad in suits and elegant evening gowns, listening to Sinatra's "Summer Wind" in the background, dreaming and conversing until midnight.
One of the amicable sisters spoke to me about becoming a wine connoisseur. Then there was a gentleman with whom I spoke about his successful Web-site ventures in India. Needless to say, everyone's enthusiasm for life seemed eternal. It was a depot of diverse and kindred spirits who were all planning to travel somewhere far in life as we danced the night away, waiting, in this mystical train station.
And that's how it shall forever be engraved in my memory.
I'm sure it's easy to understand that during the ride home, as I rested next to my girlfriend on the bus, I felt beckoned by nostalgia. As an alumnus of a FIJI chapter out in Oregon, even when I glance at my fraternity letters tattooed on my ankle, I'm reminded of my fraternity days as being some of the most productive and memorable times of my life.
So I'm always caught off guard when I hear about the animosity directed towards fraternities and sororities.
For instance, why do students criticize the Greeks for being elitist? Granted, Greek alumni are disproportionately represented in areas of business, law, and government. All but two U.S. presidents since 1825 have been Greek alumni, for instance.
But what is elitism? When you see athletes at the Olympics, do you cheer? Why? Is it because you support their dedication to elite performance?
Or, look at someone such as John Pappajohn, a former FIJI. Here's a man who won the Horatio Alger award in 1995 for becoming a self-made multimillionaire. Now, he generously bestows millions to the university.
So is he an elitist? And, if so, explain to me - why this is a bad thing?
And just what's with the comment, "I didn't join a chapter because I didn't want to buy my friends."
Look, Greek members don't buy their friends. They pay their house dues just as all people pay to have a roof over their heads. And I don't think anyone would say that people buy their friends by paying rent, right?
Spare me. Where does anyone buy friends? There isn't even a
www.buy-a-friend.com. What are people talking about? Define "friend."
Yes, most chapters will, hopefully, encourage a spirit of friendliness throughout the chapter. But there are varying degrees of friendship, just as there are different types of love. As with anyone, some people we Greeks meet in college will become best friends with for life, while others are just acquaintances.
And that's fine; chapter life is about learning how to get along and be sociable with everyone. It's the social norm to feel like there aren't any strangers either in the chapter or in life. Whereas, in my apartment complex, most of the student tenants don't even know each other's name. It's sad. There's little sense of community.
Plus, isn't it more appealing to live in an actual home setting with Sullivanesque terra-cotta detailing and Ionic columns? For me, it's more meaningful than the lifeless, postmodern, and yucky architecture prevalent on most campuses today.
Honestly, look at the dorms. They're retro! And I'm sorry, but the only people who like retro are retro.
If you have an open mind, just go up to those good looking Greeks as they volunteer their community-service hours, give them a hug, and tell them, "I'll let you be my friend." Or check out FIJI soccer in Hubbard Park by the IMU. Because you're really missing out if you cluster all Greeks into the stereotype of being alcoholic trust-fund brats who never do anything but party and listen to hip-hop.
You're also being a bigot.
How about you also go by and visit the cultural centers on campus after you've finished making some new Greek contacts. Or sit in on student group meetings you normally wouldn't. Attracting diversity to this campus - diversity of ideas, socioeconomic classes, ages, and ethnicities - is only beneficial to enhancing the educational experience if students transcend prejudices and develop relationships with people they normally wouldn't.
We'll always have a lot to learn from each other.
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