I was never very excited about Greek life
at Denison. Although I never signed up
for recruitment, my brief interest in Deni-
son’s fraternities vanished shortly after the
spring semester drama began.
I am aware of the multitude of benefits associated with traditional Greek organizations. Denison’s fraternities and sororities
sponsor some of Denison’s finest events.
Some events, such as Anchor Splash, manage to attract large numbers of both Greek
and non-Greek students. These types of
events are integral pieces of social life and
community outreach at Denison.
What I fail to understand is why my peers
emphasize Greek life, especially during
their first year at Denison. I understand
that students (primarily first-years and
sophomores) are looking for brotherhood
and sisterhood, but recruitment often has
unintended consequences. One of the
most notable is disciplinary liability. In
many cases, you can be held accountable
because one of your “brothers” or “sisters”
has broken rule Z of paragraph 5 of chapter
4 of some organization’s guidelines. You
might be completely unaware of the alleged infraction, but you may still be held
accountable by Denison or the community
at large. By joining a fraternity, you are effectively signing a contract that holds you
accountable for the actions of your brothers. Most people invest a decent amount
of time with the organization they’re joining beforehand, but is it possible to really
know 40 or 50 people after a semester at
Denison? The risk you take when you enter the contract is not easy to estimate.
A second unintended consequence of
joining a fraternity or sorority is the drama
associated with the recruitment process
itself. Certain regulations require secrecy
during recruitment, especially for sorori-
ties. When college students are told to be
discreet or not to drink and party, they
don’t stop gossiping, and they certainly
don’t stop partying. Gossiping and underage drinking continue behind closed
doors, limiting social interaction and
making Denison eerily peaceful. It’s a
shame that the peace on Friday night before Bid Day does not last...
A third consequence (maybe this one is intended) is tradition without valid
cause. In this week’s Our Voice section,
editors highlight Denison’s sorority sisters decorating their personal vehicles
and then driving around campus, honk-
ing their horns and screaming. There is
nothing funny or cute about this practice.
It’s wasteful and ridiculous. Perhaps less
wasteful, but still ridiculous is blasting
AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” from the steps of
Sigma Chi for hours on end during Bid
Day. Both of these immature traditions
limit the perception and progress of Greek
life at Denison.
I have been caught in the crossfire of
Greek-related drama enough to know
that going Greek at Denison is not for me.
But the fact that Greek life is not for me
is insignificant. You should evaluate Deni-
son’s Greek system scrupulously. Consider
as an individual if you really want to pay
substantial dues to be part of a charitable
organization when Denison offers far
more productive and positive ways to be
genuinely charitable, including service
learning programs, student organizations
and class-related community outreach
projects.
If you didn’t receive the bid you were
hoping for, you will not be worse off at
Denison. If you are part of a Greek or-
ganization (as are many members of The
Denisonian staff), or are joining one,
please ask yourself if what you do with a
Greek organization reflects who you are as
an individual.
