Anonymous wrote:I haven't commented before, but as a foreign it seems extremely cliquish and unpleasant.

It is...very American.

You go to parties for a week. Then people treat you like shit for a week (called hazing). Then you pay a fee and are "best friends" and brothers and sisters forever.

Hate isn't an appropriate characterization, but....the fact is that Rebecca Martinson's crazy e-mail surprised almost no one.

Greek life was the best part of college for me. It was the 80s at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and I have maintained close relationships with my sorority sisters. My daughter pledged last semester and we will attend national conventions together starting next spring. I am very active on the graduate/national level. My husband is active in his fraternity. I highly recommend Greek life for undergraduates and graduates.

I haven't commented before, but as a foreign it seems extremely cliquish and unpleasant.

I haven't even given it a thought in years, I had to click on this to see if there was something going on in Greece I wasn't aware of.

Are there college people posting here?

Greek life was fine was college didn't cost 50K a year, post graduation employment wasn't so competitive, and finding a husband was a female student's main reason for being at college. Now Greek life isn't relevant socially and only attracts the mediocre or lower level students.

Here's why...I was best friends with two other girls my freshman year. They rushed and happened to join the same sorority. (I decided not to rush.) At our school, you usually live in the sorority house sophomore year. I was so pissed about the sorority rule that as a non-greek, I could NEVER visit their rooms where they lived. Non-Greeks were only allowed in the foyer area but I couldn't hang out with my best friends where they lived.

The sororities all claimed that a visit was prohibited because it could potentially bias a future rushee for or against a house. My friends and I asked if I could come in to hang out or study if I signed something stating I would never rush while at the college. The head of the house said no.

Of course, my friends snuck me in sometimes but still - this is so stupid. They act like being in a sorority is so special and more important than outside relationships. Plus, it makes no sense!!!!

it is exclusionary

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate Greek life because of the binge drinking and date raping, but I've never actually commented about it on DCUM before now.

Same here. why would you imagine there is only one vocal person on this topic? I imagine there are more "non-Greek" people in the world than "Greek". but maybe that is just my limited worldview!

I don't hate it, but I don't need to pay money to get friends....

As a college instructor, I just see more negatives than positives associated with Greek Life. I have students who tell me that they couldn't complete the readings or do assignments because it's rush (parents, please tell you kids that rush is never a good excuse!) I see drunk crowds of students staggering between frats, young men sitting outside frats making lewd comments about the young women walking by, and the students who are really vocal about being in a frat or a sorority are inevitably my worst students. In my experience, Greek Life just institutionalizes bad behavior and college administrators are scared to crack down.

(I don't think I've complained about this topic before on DCUM.)

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a sizable contingent of people (or one VERY persistent person) here who dismiss or try to diminish anything to do with Greek Life or schools that have an active Greek Life. I thought it might be useful for you to have a thread to spew all your venom and perhaps work out all those issues from your past that have formed your view.

Maybe it not related to the past, but rather the view that Greek life is such a facade? In the same way country clubs are? They have their uses, yes, but it's like paying or pledging to get a set group of friends. The 'in' crowd is how they view themselves. But to people who are really cool, there is no such thing as an 'in' crowd.

I personally hate Greek life because of the binge drinking and date raping, but I've never actually commented about it on DCUM before now.

I recently asked about Greek life because my DC is very introverted and would not be comfortable in that environment. I also went to a SLAC with no Sorrorities or fraternities, and I was relieved not to face the social pressures that some of my friends faced freshman year rushing sororities at other schools. Nothing against it from me for those it suits.

There seems to be a sizable contingent of people (or one VERY persistent person) here who dismiss or try to diminish anything to do with Greek Life or schools that have an active Greek Life. I thought it might be useful for you to have a thread to spew all your venom and perhaps work out all those issues from your past that have formed your view.