DAN QUAGLIANA
News Editor
Depending on who you talk to, Greek Life organizations can seem like they’re the best things or the worst things to join on campus.
Fraternities and sororities have had a polarizing reputation for as long as they’ve been staples at colleges and universities. But how did they get this reputation, and is it actually deserved?
SUNY Fredonia has seven different Greek Life organizations: the fraternities Delta Chi, Kappa Sigma and Sigma Phi Epsilon, and the sororities Delta Phi Epsilon, Sigma Gamma Phi and Sigma Kappa. Additionally, sororities are overseen by the Panhellenic Council, which, according to Fredonia’s Greek Life website, is “the governing body of sororal life on campus.”
While not all Greek Life groups are precisely the same, they do all share a somewhat common goal. Delta Chi’s mission statement is “to promote friendship, develop character and assist in the acquisition of a sound education.”
The statements of the other fraternities and sororities aren’t much different.
To join Greek Life, prospective members, called pledges, must go through the recruitment process which has traditionally been called “rushing.”
According to Fredonia’s director of Campus Life, Mark Suida, “Greek Life organizations, on a national level, have had incidents that involve severe forms of hazing or initiation.” Suida believes that the recruitment process is where a lot of the controversial opinions about Greek Life stem from.
Campus Life does what they can to make sure students are educated enough to prevent hazing.
Over the last few years, nationally known anti-hazing speakers Kathleen Wiant and Kim Burch have both visited campus. Both speakers have lost their sons due to hazing when they were in college.
“These personal stories are important because it’s much more effective than lecturing on policies and procedures. Our student feedback and assessment have proven that speakers who share their personal stories are a powerful educational tool,” Suida explained. “In addition, we make it clear to students that there is no tolerance for this type of behavior.”
According to the Office of Student Conduct, the University’s official policy on hazing says that, “No organization may engage in any form of hazing. A student found responsible for hazing may receive a permanent transcript notation on their transcript.”
To be fair, Greek Life organizations say that they aren’t trying to promote this type of “initiation,” either.
Hannah Rich, the president of Fredonia’s chapter of Sigma Kappa, said, “Sororities, in particular, have moved away from using the term ‘rush,’ as it comes with negative connotations associated with intimidation and pressure, which is not at all what this process is about.”
Delta Chi President John Maher believes that, “If the student body really took time to learn about Greek Life and their benefits, rush [week] would be a way bigger event and seen in a better light on our campus.”
Recruitment for Greek Life spans about two weeks at the beginning of each semester and traditionally allows prospective members to “learn more about the values, philanthropies and overall atmosphere of each [Greek Life] organization,” according to Rich.
It also serves the purpose of gathering like-minded individuals and involving them in organizations and activities that will better themselves and the community.
Greek organizations look to grow and expand through increased membership, but mainly so they can have more leadership and service opportunities to, in turn, be more accessible to new members.
Troy Lanski, the president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, believes that the rush period, “allocates a lot of time where both the Greek Life organization and the person interested in the organization can determine interest in each other, ways that the relationship can be symbiotic if the member decides to join and lay out the expectations and commitments of joining.”
Rush week, as the rushing period is informally known, looks different in the fall semesters compared to the spring. “In the fall,” explained Sigma Gamma Phi President Alyssa Marley, “there’s formal recruitment where potential new members (PNMs) get to meet all three sororities here on campus.
In the spring, PNMs can choose what sorority they want to meet and try to join; this is called informal recruitment.”
While Rich does say that recruitment is viewed as controversial because of its “undeniably problematic past,” she also says, “Regardless of the campus you find Greek Life in, past associations and concerns with hazing and discrimination are present, and completely valid concerns to have.”
Just like the university itself, Rich says that Greek Life organizations are trying to address concerns and ensure “unacceptable” hazing practices don’t happen anymore.
“Stereotypical Greek Life” shouldn’t be the end goal when someone joins a sorority or fraternity — while those organizations stand firm on their core values and commitment to service and personal betterment, they claim that diverse perspectives are what make growth and positive change within the individual chapter possible.
Suida also says that “[W]e make it clear to students that there is no tolerance for this type of behavior. Most importantly, we encourage our students to have the courage to stop anything considered hazing or risky and report it.”
Recruitment, Rich said, is about finding the people who will embrace who you are already, and are willing to support and hold you accountable to be the best version of yourself.
“If you ever feel the need to put aside your personal values or question your self-worth for the sake of joining a particular organization, then that is not the place for you to be supported and grow,” she said.
Rich revealed that a positive difference in Fredonia is the opportunity to have meaningful conversations and make several genuine connections throughout the recruitment process.
“At bigger campuses, you may not be able to successfully gauge the atmosphere of every chapter, due to the number of organizations or the amount of time you get to spend with each one,” she said. “[But c]onsidering that Fredonia has three fraternities and three sororities, there is plenty of time to get to know any and all organizations you are interested in.”
Marley relates how, “I originally wanted to join Greek Life to find a group of girls that could help support me throughout my college experience. Sigma Gamma Phi has given me my lifelong friends and a home away from home; there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for any of my sisters.”
While it’s true that initiations into Greek Life organizations carry certain negative connotations, the sororities, fraternities and colleges themselves are working to change that.
When their goals align, they believe that real, meaningful change is bound to happen.
“I understand some people’s concern for rushing a Greek Life organization, as I used to have the same concerns before I joined myself,” Lanski said, “but after … having everything explained to me … [in my mind] there is no reason for controversy.”
Rich believes that, “College campuses are … capable of bringing about social change,” and Suida agrees: “Our organizations … engage in many community service activities at food pantries, nature preserves, animal shelters and after-school programs. I am thankful and appreciative of their efforts to serve others and our community.”