Some students feel the pressure in college to go Greek, regardless of their personal preference or situation.
Whether you”re a legacy with immediate family members who are Greek or you”re starting your own legacy, becoming a member of a Greek organization is an important decision, and it”s not for everyone.
Some argue that Greeks are held to crazy high standards. Members of a Greek organization must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA, and they generally have to attend social, philanthropic and house events. If you think living with 60-80 members of the same sex is easy, you are definitely wrong.
Being Greek imposes many restrictions on those within the system, like not being able to drink during certain occasions and being required to follow a house”s systems and rules.
Alexander Milles
Greeks are expected to coexist and work with people who often have conflicting opinions. At times, the expectation to act a certain way can be hard.
When I meet someone at a social event, I usually first ask them what house they are in. Greeks are often asked this question for two reasons.
First, it is used as a networking tool. It”s to see if there is a chance I may be friends with someone from their house, who they may be close to or they at least know.
The second reason is to get a quick idea of what type of person they are. While all houses are diverse and listening to stereotypes blindly is stupid, houses usually have some type of commonality, a common thread that binds them together.
It can be embarrassing if I ask this question and the person is not in a house. I feel so rude. Contrary to belief, we Greeks do not just care about Greek life. It doesn”t run our whole lives, but rather it sometimes enhances or influences how we interact with others. Greeks respect someone”s choice to join a house or not join one.
Honestly, a lot of Greeks don”t understand why some people aren”t Greek because most of us love it so much. It”s hard to understand why there is any reason not to rush at all.
Recently, I spoke with someone who is essentially an unofficial member of my organization. He comes to our social events, competes in philanthropies and is closer with some of my brothers than even I am.
He asked why he should become a member when all it seemed to be is an extra bill and an official title. I told him that as a Greek, you don”t just have friends, you have brothers or sisters. That means something. You have family.
Not only do Greeks go through college together, we go through secret rituals that bind individual chapters together.
Being Greek means you get a pin that makes you feel proud every time you wear it because you belong to an organization that has improved you as a person. Your pin will be something you can look at, and come back to in 50 years and get the same feeling every time. You join a lifelong circle of friends.
I believe there is truly a house for everyone if people keep their minds open to the experience. It can take what could be an amazing college experience, like the one offered to us at the University of Idaho, and make it even better.
But if you really think Greek life isn”t for you, it”s no big deal, and you should never feel pressure to rush if you aren”t into it.
Alexander Milles can be reached at [email protected]