<p>I often see many negative posts here on College Confidential reagarding Greeks in general. I found this article which is very touching. I could only hope that if my daughter were faced with a significant tragedy, that she would also be surrounded by her sorority sisters..here's a postive aspect of belonging to a Greek organization..</p>
<p>The</a> Odyssey: What it truly means to be Greek | USA TODAY College</p>
<p>What a great story. I have to add…my DD was desperate ill in mid October of her freshman year at Iowa State. I was 5+ hours away and not able to take off long stretches of time. </p>
<p>Her sorority (not sure if I can name it) sisters were AMAZING at taking care of her. They brought her soup, upper classmen (who really didnot know her that well) took her to many doctor appts and sat with her in the waiting room. They even loaned her their cars so she could get to the appts without taking the bus. They checked up on her. They even made sure that was taking her meds and just in general helped her get through. The level of care that these girls had for a very new pledge was so impressive. I would have had to bring her home, and she would have lost the semester if it was not for them.</p>
<p>I was pretty dead set against her joining a sorority, but I let her make the decision to rush. So very grateful that she did. Now with her little sister getting ready to pick a college, the Greek culture of each campus is a part of our considerations. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for sharing this heartwarming story.</p>
<p>This isn’t really surprising to me. I had a good friend in my sorority whose mother died when she was a sophomore, and we all rallied around her as well similar to what was described in this article. I would expect nothing less from any sorority, frankly.</p>
<p>^^That’s exactly why I posted the link. I get tired of people bashing Greeks here on CC so I wanted to show a very positive aspect of Greek Life…</p>
<p>Thanks so much Busymom for sharing your D’s story!!</p>
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<p>The best way to reduce or eliminate the “bashing” is for those organizations to clean up their act. You posted an article about sororities, and they tend to be much milder versions of their male counterparts and much more inclined to do good deeds. The same cannot be said about the male frat boys who generate the bulk of the negative publicity. Negative publicity is always well-founded and supported by abject evidence. </p>
<p>In the meantime, it remains that NOT ENOUGH can be said about the criminal actions that take place at fraternities on a regular basis. And, like it or not, not enough has been done and should be done to make those organizations entirely trivial to college life. </p>
<p>Too many people have died at the hands of the idiots who masquerade as … leaders. The title is excellent “What it truly means to be Greek” but it is a shame that this lofty goal has been lost a long time and replaced by a totally different objective.</p>
<p>^I was just about to post what Xiggi said. </p>
<p>All the negative comments about the Greek system are directed against fraternities, and they generally deserve it.</p>
<p>What criminal actions are taken place at fraternities that are not happening outside of fraternities?
[williams</a> on how colleges should deal with risky alcohol-fueled student events / 26 / 04 / 2011 / Views / Home - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://m.insidehighered.com/layout/set/dialog/views/2011/04/26/williams_on_how_colleges_should_deal_with_risky_alcohol_fueled_student_events]williams”>http://m.insidehighered.com/layout/set/dialog/views/2011/04/26/williams_on_how_colleges_should_deal_with_risky_alcohol_fueled_student_events)</p>
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<p>Schools without Greek life are having just as many as problems with alcohol poisoning, sexual assaults, vandalism as schools with Greek life. This dean had 7 observations as to why young people behave foolishly - they like to drink, to take risk, mob mentality, sense of immortality…To put all blame(problem) on Greek life is just an easy way out, and not really addressing some more foundamental problems with young people.</p>
<p>Nice try, SWTCAT. :(</p>
<p>Oldfort, the difference is hazing. Hazing can occur in fraternities because the pledges are in a subordinate position. Hence, the problem is not alcohol abuse or naked runs, but the coercion of those activities by people who are in a superior position (brothers) over subordinates (pledges.)</p>
<p>All the fraternity drinking deaths I’ve seen occurred when a pledge drank to mutch in a hazing ritual.</p>
<p>These sorts of things tend not to happen in sororities, so it doesn’t take away from the OP’s article.</p>
<p>It is not just Frats. Any type of organization can have a potential for hazing. The military acadamies, dinner clubs, the Corp at A & M, even reports of hazing type behavior at boy scouts and younglife…call it pack mentality…leaders and followers. I personally believe it is human nature to band with others that have similar interests and if colleges decided that banning specific groups will cure hazing…they are misguided. I certainly believe there is a country wide issue specifically with Frat hazing, but it is important to realize, not all hazing is associated with greek letters, (Just as not all sexual abuse happens in the Catholic Church) but I assure you it is the most public.</p>
<p>I understand what you are saying xiggi and in some instances I agree with you…however, I did not start the thread to cause an argument. I was merely trying to point out that there are some very positive aspects of sororties AND fraternities. I am sure if I looked hard enough, I could find a similiar article about fraternity brothers and how they supported thier fellow brothers in a time of tragedy. All we tend to hear about it the negatives and I was just trying to point out a very positive experience. Please dont make this into an argument…that was not my intention.</p>
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<p>Thank you for posting that. My son has had an overall positive experience with his fraternity. He grew up an only child, but now he has “brothers” who look out for each other like family. During the years he has lived in the frat house, they have helped rush other members to the hospital for emergency surgery, nursed them back to health when sick, gone to rescue brothers who have been in car accidents, and brought home brothers for the holidays when their own families could not afford plane tickets to bring them home. They have been groomsmen at several brothers’ weddings, and have welcomed brothers visiting from other chapters around the country. And they support each other in school with study tips and academic advice. I don’t think he would have been as successful in college if he had not joined the fraternity.</p>
<p>A good friend tweeted/posted on FB yesterday in rally support of a fraternity brother and many of his brothers also came together quickly. And this is now over 20 years from when they were in college together - it’s things like that where I know there are positives involved for many. I see the same of many female friends who are still very connected to their sororities - it makes me wish I had that sort of network. I may/may not have gone greek but my college path was a more circuitous one due to D1 :)</p>
<p>Hazing occurs outside of fraternities too. Kids do stupid things in order to be accepted. They drink to death because they want to impress others. A student died at UConn´s spring weekend, due to excess drinking which led to violence. There are drinking deaths outside of Greek life, and most of them are due to binge drinking (must have enough to drink to give me a buzz all night).</p>
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<p>Hazing occurs more readily when there is a clear superior-to-subordinate relationship and a set procedure to become a fully accepted member, and when hazing is a tradition. Unfortunately, drinking rituals are often pledging activities.</p>
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<p>Pledges drink to death at frats because they are given x amount of alcohol and told to drink it in y amount of time or they won’t become a member. There may be some peer pressure to drink outside of a fraternity, but rarely is it set up that they have to drink a certain amount or they absolutely can’t be a part of the social group.</p>
<p>great article swtcat!! thanks for posting it… i really have minimal knowledge of sororities as i have boys…</p>
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<p>They do, and that is why the solution entails educating the young and gullible about the dangers of certain activities AND universities having the courage to both recognize there is a problem and forcefully address the source of most of the problems. Forcefully and permanently.</p>
<p>Although it is tiring to point to the same stories year after year, this might open the eyes of some: [The</a> Gordie Foundation - Home](<a href=“http://www.gordie.org/home.aspx]The”>http://www.gordie.org/home.aspx)</p>
<p>And to show that history repeats itself, check the parallels between Gordie Bailey and George Desdunes. How many have come between Gordie and George, and how many have been left to die by … brothers? </p>
<p>[Student</a> Dies Friday Morning; Police Investigation Ongoing | The Cornell Daily Sun](<a href=“http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2011/02/25/student-dies-friday-morning-police-investigation-ongoing]Student”>Student Dies Friday Morning; Police Investigation Ongoing - The Cornell Daily Sun)</p>
<p>[Cornell</a> Hazing Victim’s Family Files $25 Million Lawsuit - ABC News](<a href=“Cornell University Frat House Sued for $25 Million Over House Hazing Death - ABC News”>Cornell University Frat House Sued for $25 Million Over House Hazing Death - ABC News)</p>
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<p>Why five years only?</p>
<p>Sadly, not just fraternities misbehave…</p>
<p>[Sorority</a> at Miami University of Ohio accused of drunken debauchery at Underground Railroad museum - New York Daily News](<a href=“http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-05-14/news/27064434_1_sorority-slavery-museum-urine]Sorority”>http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-05-14/news/27064434_1_sorority-slavery-museum-urine)</p>
<p>[Miami</a> Of Ohio Sorority Suspended After Wild Formal](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost)</p>
<p>[Pi</a> Beta Phi Sex Romp? Ohio University Sorority Accused of Naughty Behavior - Crimesider - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20005885-504083.html]Pi”>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20005885-504083.html)</p>
<p>Sadly, not just Greeks misbehave…</p>
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<p>Not all fraternities haze, though. H’s fraternity had what I’d call “hijinks” kinds of activities (jumping into Lake Michigan in the middle of winter, that kind of thing) but absolutely nothing that required one to drink / chug / be paddled / do anything demeaning. In fact, he was telling me about one fraternity brother of his who drank milk when everyone else was drinking beer. Everyone was cool with it - the guy just wasn’t a drinker, and that was that. H was never a drinker either.</p>
<p>Plenty of drunk kids in dorms on Saturday nights who aren’t Greek, that’s for sure.</p>