Greeks Aren’t the Problem

Micayla Chade

A couple of weeks ago a video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) fraternity members from the University of Oklahoma chanting racist and derogatory lyrics was posted online.

Within days the video went viral. Protests were held at the university and around the country as more and more details were released. Greeks, unaffiliated students, parents, teachers, celebrities, and politicians all spoke out against the incident proving that it is something that needs to be talked about.

ΣΑΕ nationals immediately shut down the chapter and issued an apology and official statement regarding the incident.

While everyone can agree that the words in this chant were entirely unacceptable, it shouldn’t necessarily evoke demands of shutting down all Greek chapters in general. This is definitely not the first time a fraternity has faced some heat for their actions and to be completely honest it probably won’t be the last.

Scandals like this give Greek life an awful name. It can be easy to assume that everyone associated with the community acts and thinks like those few who have made headlines. But in reality not all those involved in Greek life are racist and self-interested. Many fraternities and sororities raise thousands of dollars a year for a number of charities and volunteer at multiple philanthropies for hundreds of hours a semester. Yet all we hear about are the bad apples in the system.

What we need to do is change the perspective of Greek life around the country. Every U.S. president and vice president except for two since fraternities were founded has been Greek.

 

It proves that leadership and persistence is taught by being a part of an organization like this but that sometimes members can get sidetracked. Focusing on the good in these communities will inspire other chapters to step up and make the change. It is time to approach the problems we face being Greek and fix them.