PRO

KIRK HENDERSON
Contributing Writer

At universities across the country, new students come to campus with preconceived notions of what Greek life is all about. The general stereotype is that members of Greek organizations are party-going halfwits who need to pay for their friends. At least at Pepperdine, things are different.

Greek life is important because it has helped to shape the Pepperdine community in the past decade. Greek organizations shape the experiences of students who participate and help create bonds between them and the rest of the Pepperdine community.

Through membership in Greek organizations, students are given the opportunity to hold leadership positions, encouraged to take active roles in other student groups and partake in Pepperdine traditions. Being a member of the Greek community doesn’t define who you are, but adds depth and purpose to your college experience.

Each Greek organization may seem similar at first glance, but each group has different principles and ideals. These all have the same goal of preparing Greek students for a life of purpose, service and leadership (not unlike the goals set forth by the administration). Because of this, Greek life is a natural fit for the Pepperdine community.

As a member of a Greek organization for all four years, I’ve become much more attached to Pepperdine than I otherwise might have been. The Homecoming competitions, painting the Rock as part of a new member class, and participating in the Greek philanthropies are just some of the memories that I would not have otherwise had without my affiliation.

In addition, there are the lifelong bonds I’ve formed with the other members of my fraternity. Finally, there are the post-college benefits, which include a network of hundreds of thousands of members throughout the country and an opportunity to give back to collegiate members through alumni chapters.

While I understand that for the past few weeks there have been numerous rumors surrounding Greek life and its future at Pepperdine. As a former Inter-Fraternity Council president, I have had the opportunity to work with the school officials in the Student Affairs office. After speaking with Dean of Student Affairs Mark Davis, and Greek adviser, Chris VanVelzer, I have been reassured that the administration is not “out to get” any group or Greek organizations in general. However, they feel that it is necessary for us to adhere to the Pepperdine code of conduct and have increasingly made this a priority on their agenda when dealing with problematic situations.

Associate Dean of Students Tabatha Jones once told me, fraternities and sororities are held to a higher standard than all other student organizations because we make a lifelong commitment to our respective organizations. This is a powerful and appropriate observation because our relationships with our Greek organizations do not end with graduation, as do affiliations with any other Pepperdine student group. We, therefore, must bear this responsibility and live up to the expectations and ideals set forth by our national organizations and university.

Look around campus. Nearly 25 percent of Pepperdine’s student body is Greek affiliated.  The scope of Greek involvement permeates every aspect of the Pepperdine community. A large number of resident advisers and Student Life advisers are Greek, as are a significant percentage of the students employed by the Pepperdine Volunteer Center. Numerous New Student Orientation counselors, almost the entire staff of the Student Activities office, several members of Student Government Association and the Student Programming Board are also members of Greek organizations.

With one in four students belonging to a Greek group, there is no way that one stereotype or even a number of broad generalizations can label such a large sector of the student body.  Greek organizations are an important part of Pepperdine’s diverse student life and provide multiple opportunities for leadership, involvement and growth.

CON

RICHARD NAVA
Contributing Writer

On a college campus that strives for Christian values, moral choices and humble attitudes, where does the exclusion of individuals from Greek life help to promote Christian values? The answer is, it doesn’t.

According to the frequently-asked questions about Greek life on the Pepperdine Web site, Greek life is different from that of other schools. Pepperdine apparently does not fall under the “Animal House” stereotype of other Greek systems.  In other words, our fraternities and sororities do not have the same alcohol issue as other campuses. If this were true, however, then why has Pepperdine suspended Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and scheduled hearings for Sigma Chi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and already held a hearing for Delta Delta Delta and Kappa Alpha Theta? The truth is that our Greek groups fall prey to the same draw of alcohol use at other schools.

According to the Office of Student Affairs, these groups have allegedly violated the university’s policy for alcohol and drug-free activities. Though the degree of alcohol use may not be as far gone as other colleges, the problem lies in the fact that the consumption exists on our dry campus.

The national death tolls of college students related to fraternity and sorority drinking are staggering and on the rise. According to the 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, 75 percent of Greek-affiliated males admitted to binge drinking within a two week span compared to about 49 percent of non-Greeks. Additionally, 62 percent of sorority women were found to binge drink during a two-week period in comparison to about 41 percent of women who were unaffiliated.

The statistics become even more frightening when hazing is brought into the mix. Hazing is a type of initiation into Greek groups that is illegal in the state of California. On Sept. 30, 2004, University of Oklahoma pledge Blake Adam Hammontree was found dead in his fraternity house, his blood-alcohol content was at five times over the legal limit. On Nov. 19, 2004, Steven Judd, a student at New Mexico State, died after binge drinking while celebrating his 21st birthday with his fraternity brothers. Underage sorority member Meredith Kenneff died March 12, 2005, after partying with her sisters at a St. Patrick’s Day party in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Alcohol use and hazing are not the only problems posed by Greek systems, however. Fraternities and sororities have long carried with them the stereotypical image of being a set of popular jocks and rich beauties. This kind of image can seem extremely appealing to young adults searching for their places in the college world, especially when it comes with the promise of joining the elite “popular crowd.” Yet this innocent desire can often be manipulated into an obsession to fit in and precede frightening consequences.

Brittney Suryana, a Berkeley student and member of Sigma Kappa, said she joined a sorority because she wanted the sisterhood aspect.  Suryana said that being in a sorority has taught her how to market herself and put on a good presentation. She said that she was forced to do both when applying for Sigma Kappa.

This would seem to suggest that fraternities and sororities are more interested in appearances than in the people themselves. In that respect, the skills they obtain may be little more than tools to build superficial relationships with college peers.

Fraternities and sororities can indirectly inhibit students from finding their individuality and exploring it to the utmost. As stated by the members themselves, these organizations encourage assimilation into the group, which in turn compromises the uniqueness of one’s own ideals. By placing themselves in their own separate assemblies, they inflict upon themselves a type of self-imposed segregation, which divides them from everyone else. Though Greek life at Pepperdine may not be as stereotypically wild as other campuses, we still share the same issues with them. The irony of division through unity should not exist in a college environment, least of all, on one with a Christian mission and foundation.

09-15-2005