<p>^ Then the girls have a lot to learn from the guys, as far as I’m concerned when it comes to clothing! ;)</p>
<p>Son of momreads here. </p>
<p>There seems to always be a degree of confusion and animosity towards the Greek system at Alabama, and as a former fraternity president who ran AGAINST the Machine for SGA, I feel that it is important to address these.
- Not all Greeks are racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, xenophobic, or any other label that frequently is applied to them. Actually, this is a sizeable, but nonetheless minority, group in the Greek system that gives everyone a bad rap. In fact, there are plenty of members of the Greek system of diverse ethnicities, sexualities, and backgrounds. And people love them as brothers and sisters just the same. And while surely there are people of less tolerant attitudes within the Greek system, those exist elsewhere on campus too. And elsewhere in the state. And elsewhere in the country. And elsewhere in the world. It’s not good, but it’s real.
- Being Greek is not “paying for friends” and is not designed to foster exclusivity; those who apply labels such as these are frequently speaking from ignorance towards a system. I, along with most colleagues, would agree that being Greek is paying for an experience. Now what each chapter makes of that experience I cannot stereotype because of the diversity of activities many organizations carry out on a weekly basis. Some of it social, but some is philanthropic and developmental. And to those who feel that attire is something that shouldn’t be a defining characteristic for membership, I would counter that most sociologists would agree that individuals tend to join peer groups with similar interests and attitudes, and much of this is manifested in dress. There is a great book out there which attempts to qualify this assumption about why, in elementary and secondary schools, the minority students tended to sit together in the cafeteria. While deliberate exclusivity is improper, it is important to recognize that “birds of a feather flock together” and all groups, outside of GLOs included, are founded on similar attitudes.
- While the Machine is real, it is more of a problem for what it represents than what it is. It’s not this omniscient being hellbent on returning Bama to the antebellum South. It’s a group of 60 or so people who drink together a lot, take dues from their chapters, and endorse candidates. The problem is that it represents a good old boy network that is quite corrupt, and this corruption reaches into the upper eschelon of state officials. I don’t like the Machine because of how that grip helps to prevent the state of Alabama from being one of the best states in the Union by all measurable statistics. It is, however, seriously weakening in its hold on campus leadership, with only the SGA, Homecoming Queen, IFC, and Panhellenic really within its grasp. And as an aside about stereotyping, only 28 or so chapters have Machine reps. And many of those organizations have members who oppose the Machine. Even those who back Machine candidates for office tend to do so because they’re better acquainted with them or because of the “friend of a friend” mentality. It only crossed the line when it ceases to be democratic and begins to be coercive.
- Being Greek does not define an individual. Seriously. Now if someone asks me what fraternity I am in (not was - membership continues into the alumni ranks), I will tell them without hesitation in the same manner that I would tell someone the name of my alma mater, hometown, place of employment, other organizational affiliations, parental background, favorite song, favorite book, favorite TV show, etc. All of these define me to varying degrees, and GLO is only one of them. Most Greek students have plenty of independent friends and don’t look down upon non-Greeks. Those friendships are built on common experiences must like fraternal bonds. Those who act like going Greek is literally this crazy decision on both sides need to step back and examine the big picture in that it’s one of many formative decisions made during the young adult years.</p>
<p>Off-topic for just a moment. Pretzeldude92, it’s good to see you here! You probably don’t remember, but my daughter and I had lunch with you and your girlfriend back in the fall of 2010 when we came to campus for our second campus visit. You talked with her about CBHP, the Honors College, and your general experience at UA. She was already sold on attending UA, but after that visit, I couldn’t even convince her to apply at any other university.</p>
<p>She just received the Randall Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research. She absolutely made the right decision in attending UA. If you want a reminder of who she is, PM me and I’ll send you a link to her Facebook page.</p>