The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Greeks should have values

Alcohol. Hazing. Drug abuse. Apathy. No doubt any student organization incl one or possibly more of these vices. Sports teams are investigated for hazing offenses. Multiple clubs suffer from an influx of illegal narcotics. Alcohol abuse is rampant on this campus, and it certainly doesn't take a student organization to facilitate that. Apathy and the Undergraduate Student Government go hand-in-hand. The Greek community, however, is one of the few that must answer for all of these problems.

Why is that? Why is it that the non-Greek population sees fit to investigate and demonize the fraternities and sororities of this university when other organizations suffer from the same plagues? The answer is in what I like to call a contradiction of objectives. Every student organization has listed objectives. The soccer club plays soccer. Hall councils program for the residence halls. Clubs within one's major plan and participate in different events that support that area of study. Specifically, the listed objectives of individual Greek organizations are secret, however. What each fraternity and sorority strive to promote (in terms of values and ethics) is hidden in the recesses of their ritual. However, I cannot almost assure you no Greek organization was founded on the ideals of what most fraternities and sororities promote today.

Greek organizations were founded in the beginning as opportunities for students to discuss issues outside the curriculum. The first Greek letter organization (Phi Beta Kappa) founded in 1776, was indeed founded at the local tavern at the College of William and Mary. Early Greek members met in secret and discussed philosophy, literature, and science. The groups were tight-knit brotherhoods and sisterhoods of individuals with similar interests and principles. No doubt the objectives upon which most fraternities and sororities were founded have been brushed aside for the more immature, less responsible student. Unfortunately, many of these individuals have made their way into the Greek system.

Believe me, I'm not proposing that all Greek members should discuss Socrates and Plato on a Friday night, but rather that the next time you perform your ritual you take fifteen minutes, sit down, and really read it. What were your founders trying to say? Why did they start this organization? What need were they satisfying? How does your organization fulfill or not fulfill these objectives? An honest, open discussion with the leadership of your chapter should yield some interesting results.

I know my chapter's ritual. I'm well aware of our stated objectives and what our fraternity stands for. Regardless, I don't always live up to that. Probably very few do. But I at least know what I'm striving to achieve. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Religion always makes a good comparison with Greek life. Having a Christian upbringing, I can't help but be more familiar with the principles of Christianity so spare my lack of multiple religious philosophies momentarily. If a stated Christian (i.e. someone that wears a cross and attends church regularly) were to openly attack and combat other individuals, that person could be perceived as a hypocrite. They're going against the stated values of their religion, namely the philosophy of peace and understanding. The same holds true for Greeks. If I'm in a fraternity, and I claim to be a gentleman and a wholly respectful individual, and then turn around and get into fights outside of Gatsby's on a Saturday night, am I not a hypocrite as well? Greek members fail to make this connection, because for the most part they are so off-balance with their ritual they couldn't tell you face-to-face what their organization's objectives are. Next time you perform a ceremony, or read through your ritual book, take some extra time, gather your brothers or sisters together and really read your ritual. Don't just say the words, but ask yourself some insightful questions about what your organization believes in and whether or not you as an individual and a chapter are living up to that. I cannot almost assure you that none of you will find the first four terms I wrote in this article.

Corey is a senior in history education and cinema and photography. Living the Greek Life appears every other Friday. These views do not necessarily reflect those of the DAILY EGYPTIAN.

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