by Mahek Khetani | arts and entertainment editor
Graduation is just around the corner, and after you walk that stage its kumbaya to the current crew. So what comes next? For some it’s an independent road but for others it’s a transition to some of the most well renowned Greek sororities and fraternities universities have to offer.
Channels like MTV and Lifetime have given us a glimpse into what may or may not go on in the houses of Kappas, Thetas, Sigmas, Alphas, Betas, Omegas and other things that remind you of Teen Wolf.
“I think there’s a lot of benefits that come with being in a sorority and fraternity, like people always say you make friends for life, which is true but the additional benefit with that is that you make tons of connections through all these people, and along with that it helps your skills as a leader. A lot of business people were affiliated with Greek life, so it’s not just about the material aspects like alcohol,” junior Nate Garza said.
He’s not wrong. In fact 85% of Fortune 500 executives were in a sorority/fraternity. Impressive number, so where does the stigma with Greek Life come from if numerous business people, politicians and astronauts are Greek alums?
“There’s the traditional Greek life that surrounds partying more so and speaking to Greek life personally it seems that the money in terms of frat parties goes to alcohol not enough of their funds go toward actual humanitarian acts, and while the intention is there, I think that there’s not enough supervision for it to be legitimate and safe for all people involved,” senior Mariana Lozano said.
And recently, media coverage seems to have reduced the concept of Greek life to partying, heavy cases of assault and payments that will drain you out. Even the internet has done its part to make Greek housing eye-roll worthy. The term ‘Total Frat Move’ is the almost equivalent to the term ‘Meninist.’
Hashtags like #TFM and #WhyINeedFrat contribute to the popular belief that Greek life is only for rich kids that think Vineyard Vines is trendy.
“My feelings towards [Greek life] are in the middle because my sister is in a sorority and it has positive effects, but I’m not really into sororities myself. It’s kinda cliquey for me and the rush process is ridiculous,” Bandy said. “In my opinion, freshmen just want a place to be and it’s also this mainstream thing where every girl and every guy has to be in a sorority so it’s something for social acceptance rather than personal gain.”
Bandy is the daughter of a Tri-Delt legacy and, as a result, has seen the life of Greeks firsthand. A few of the cons she explained were lookism and forced uniformity during the Rush process.
“My view is kinda negative because of the cliquishness and with the rush process you have to have your pictures and every single detail about your life and if there’s one qualification that doesn’t fit that sorority they automatically X you out, it’s as if you’re conforming before you can think about it,” Bandy added.
The elitism that’s heavily portrayed among these students are what induce horrifying Lifetime movies and ‘total frat moves.’ There are benefits to being a part of a house, no doubt, and members do their best to exemplify this.
“There are a lot of organizations who do use the funds accordingly and do in fact use their authority to do good things, but when you are going to a new school and there are a bunch of people, it is almost like buying your friends in a sense to guarantee a social group so thats a very attractive thing for new students. I think we need more supervision for the Greek life coordinations. I know that my friends who are in sororities are always weary walking at night, like walking back to the house and there’s fear of frat boys who are unsupervised and try things with them. So the stigma can be reduced if students are being looked after better,” said Lozano.
