The Online Reflector

By Haley Vannarsdall | Staff Writer

POSITIVE

For incoming freshmen, thoughts of fraternities and sororities usually come from depictions on television or movies. It’s a different story for transfer students who have experienced Greek life. UIndy should incorporate Greek life into its campus because of the many positive benefits that it would create.

Many fraternities and sororities host academic speakers. By hosting speakers, fraternities and sororities promote the most important aspect of school–education. They also may provide educational and counseling services to members, as well as community service and fundraising for national and local causes.

A local university offering Greek life, Butler University has a Phi Delta Chi chapter for both males and females that performs many community service projects annually, such as health fairs, canned food drives, meal services at a local men’s shelter and service at an Indian reservation in South Dakota. Many fraternities and sororities demand that students perform several hours of community service and the maintenance of a certain GPA to keep their membership in the organization. Students are encouraged to meet their obligations as citizens and students.

The main concerns of Greek life include community service and involvement, which is why membership looks good on a resume. Becoming a member also helps shape character, help cultivate responsibility and organize priorities.

Some students tend to frown upon Greek life because of the way media portray it. Although Greek life can include alcohol, this doesn’t necessarily influence all students, but rather students who already are prone to drink and party. UIndy is a dry campus and prohibits alcohol of any kind. Students trying to start a fraternity on campus have stressed that it will not associate with alcohol. They focus more on community and student involvement instead.

Greek life can create a positive social atmosphere for those involved. Events are held regularly that promote socialization for new or returning students wishing to meet more people with similar interests and values. Greek organizations can create a support system for these students. On the other hand, joining also could mean that students learn about different cultures, faiths and values than what they’re accustomed to, which is an important aspect of going to college.

Other than sports, UIndy doesn’t offer many activities in which students can take part. Greek life would be a great way to connect the thousands of students on campus. UIndy can often become very monotonous and boring. Having somewhere to go and something to get involved in is a fresh idea many would take advantage of.

Adding a Greek life would attract new students of many different backgrounds and would maintain enrollment. If UIndy had a Greek life, more students would apply and want to be a part of campus. This, in turn, would accrue revenue and build the university’s reputation. It also would be a way to help solve the overcrowding problem in the dorms, since many members would live in the selected house.

By joining a fraternity or sorority, students can learn time management, which is especially beneficial for freshmen who have never lived on their own and are adjusting to an ever-changing schedule. Most Greek organizations require that you live together in the house, which is another benefit because students wouldn’t have to worry as much about having a roommate with whom they don’t have nothing in common. Leadership and teamwork skills also can be acquired through Greek organizations.

Students who join have a better sense of responsibility and social skills. They are more informed and have a wider range of networking contacts, which can create job opportunities. Many of us want to have a memorable college career, instead of just walking in and out of class every day, seeing the same faces. Introducing Greek life to UIndy would give students the confidence to make and keep friends, to take pride in their school and to make the last years of youth worthwhile.

By Kaley Belakovich | Staff Writer

NEGATIVE

Greek life can be a rite of passage for some college students. This is an organization the University of Indianapolis lacks. However, Greek life at our campus would be more detrimental than beneficial.

Greek life is too great an expense to the university and its students. Considering that the university just built East Hall, it would be unnecessary and too costly to build both a fraternity and a sorority house. This also would empty the pockets of students, who would have to pay dues ranging from around $100 to $1,000 per semester to be in a fraternity or sorority. This would not be helpful to the student whose money is dwindling due to all the other expenses he or she has faced recently.

The pledging process to join a sorority or fraternity is questionable. Some Greek organizations still have hazing—a process in which the pledges hoping to gain membership are required to embarrass themselves by performing actions that are morally or in other ways repugnant. Some tasks just involve cleaning the entire Greek house, but once more pledges are eliminated, current pledges might be asked to go streaking through the streets or consume large amounts of alcohol.

Greek life can make activities such as parties more possible. Parties as a whole aren’t necessarily bad, but if you throw alcohol or drugs into the mix, there’s a problem. Not only will the house be filled largely with upperclassmen who can provide alcohol, but the buildings also can become host to these parties. Since UIndy has a dry campus, this would cause nothing but trouble.

Fraternities also can be dangerous. According to a 1991 article by Chris O’Sullivan entitled “Acquaintance Gang Rape on Campus,” an alarming 55 percent of all gang rapes occurring on a college campus are committed by fraternity brothers. This is a statistic we don’t want coming to our campus.

Putting sororities and fraternities on the University of Indianapolis campus could also cause a lot of drama between students. Stereotypes surround fraternities and sororities. Fraternity brothers can be seen as smooth-talking egotistical partiers, and the sorority sisters as rich, stuck-up snobs. These stereotypes may be entirely untrue, but that doesn’t make much difference if the stereotypes are still attached to these students. This can cause tension between the student members of the Greek organizations and other students, and can stop interaction between the two groups.

For example, say a rumor is going around campus that the new sorority girls think they’re all that and a bag of chips. What girl in her right mind would strike up a conversation with the sorority girls and try to become friends with them, when all she’s heard about those girls makes her believe they would look at her as if she were an idiot, then criticize her wardrobe because she doesn’t have all the newest designer name-brand clothes? No one would do that. In turn, why would a sorority girl go up to another female student outside of her sorority knowing that some of the girls might try to look right through her and see if she’s just being fake? Two girls in a situation like this could turn out to be the best of friends, but if stereotypes get in the way, they will never find out, because they will never give each other a chance. If Greek life came here, this problem could occur.

This university has a reputation to uphold. Since the University of Indianapolis is a private university, it may be seen as more prestigious than other, public state colleges. Bringing Greek life to our university could damage that prestige. Since sororities and fraternities come with bad stereotypes, these beliefs could spread to the reputation of the university as a whole. Some current students would not wish to return here, and some prospective students would not want to enroll here at all if the University of Indianapolis earned the reputation of a party school from a new campus culture that included Greek life.

Students have enough to worry about these days. Why pile on more problems? Keeping Greek life off the UIndy campus is a way to avoid all this.