Rather than give you many reasons that the Republican Party is the only logical solution to solving our nation's problems, today I want to focus on an aspect of life that affects many Ball State students.
The struggle to maintain an active greek community is ongoing on this campus. Some of the "battles" being waged stem from misconceptions about the overall greek system.
For example, at one time or another you've probably heard a story about what one fraternity or sorority did to another, and how much of a bitter rivalry there is between each different organization. Have you ever asked anyone about the Interfraternity Council? That person might have laughed in your face and told you that IFC was the biggest joke on campus.
Let's not hide from the truth; there are negative views of greek life all around.
At one time I shared in these misconceptions, but times change. For the first time in quite a while, IFC has an executive board that is trying to make a difference. It's an uphill battle, however, as almost every greek organization has lost faith in the ability of IFC to represent their way of life.
Fighting against history can be hard, but the council seems to genuinely want to make a difference. At the very least, an IFC meeting is no longer assembling for the sake of saying the group assembled.
It will take awhile to change the views of all the fraternities and the administration, but it just may happen. There is a united effort underway to increase recruiting numbers as well. Yes, that's right; the greek community is more concerned about increasing overall numbers in the system than building up their own numbers. There are exceptions to every rule, but this is not the same system many of us have stereotyped it to be and we need to start seeing that.
Ball State would not be the same without its greek life. There is much more to it than just drinking, and I really can't believe many still think it is all a fraternity or sorority involves.
I don't speak for every greek organization, but generally speaking, some of the basic requirements include maintaining a high academic standard. Many fraternities, and almost all sororities consistently come out with higher GPAs than the all male/female averages. There are philanthropic requirements, and greeks often lead the way in putting in hours of service to the Muncie community. That only begins to scratch the surface.
The bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood are among some of the strongest I have ever seen. When your sister or brother shares in success so do you, and that includes failures as well.
Greek life isn't for everyone, but as a common courtesy don't knock something until you try it. The same holds true to greeks in respecting the rights of others who do not choose fraternal association.
I'd like to think it isn't a utopian concept for each of us to respect each other's different viewpoints.
Write to Justin at jtsyndram@bsu.edu
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