Yesterday, ONU’s Greek life was gifted with a prominent
speaker from CampusSpeak, David Stollman. He has spoken at over 500 campuses
about fraternity and sorority life, and he continues to inspire Greeks across
the nation to live up to the values that they pledge. He brought humor, energy
and a hefty call to action that impressed everyone in the audience.
What makes Greek life so different from any other group on
campus is we pledge to be better women and men. We make oaths, and we wear
letters that symbolize what we stand for in our fraternity. However, not
everyone in our organizations make decisions that align with these promises.
It is very difficult to live in the Greek community when we are
constantly being stereotyped and criticized for mistakes made by other members.
Greek life use to be an honor and privilege, but now it feels like I have to
constantly defend our organizations. Every day Greeks are being ridiculed in
TSM, TFM, movies and TV. All of these jokes are funny, but it has become
detrimental to what we represent and who we are as leaders on campus.
I’m not saying all Greeks are perfect, and it is almost impossible to live up to every standard that is expected of us. However, we try our best to be someone that would make our founders proud. I hope people will start seeing us more as the leaders we aspire to become and less like imposters who can’t commit to the image we are selling.
I’m not saying all Greeks are perfect, and it is almost impossible to live up to every standard that is expected of us. However, we try our best to be someone that would make our founders proud. I hope people will start seeing us more as the leaders we aspire to become and less like imposters who can’t commit to the image we are selling.
Meredith, I loved hearing David speak and I took a lot away from his presentation. I do think many Greeks wear empty letters. They don't realize the meaning behind the letters and they're not in their sorority/fraternity for the right reason. If you're there just to socialize and add to the stereotypes, then you don't belong in these organizations that mean so much more. If you're in it for the sisterhood/brotherhood and the potential to help others, then you're in it for the right reasons. I hope we can help change the image we have on ONU's campus.
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