Since this is my last column as Interfraternity Council vice president for public relations, I feel the need to share some thoughts with the greek community. Over the last year I have been fortunate enough to have the chance to work with several very dedicated members of that community, the Rensselaer administration, and national leaders in greek affairs. Now, honestly, to the average greek this may not mean very much at all. However, if you take a moment to consider the following, it might help you to see the “bigger picture.”
As our economy boomed over the last decade, greek life, sadly, has not. Greeks came under fire from major media across this nation in the ’90s, most recently in a cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Campuses across this country are taking steps to remove greeks from their campuses. This movement isn’t just some distant event though: We can bring that closer to home by looking to Union College in Schenectady, where the administration has taken a very hard line with their fraternities, removing them from long-standing college housing. Just on a historical note, Union College is considered “the Mother of Fraternities,” with at least three national organizations being founded there.
Even Dartmouth College, the basis for the fictitious “Faber College” of Animal House fame, has been taking steps to make its greeks go co-ed. There is even a “movement” at the Ivy-League school to remove fraternities completely. Greeks are an academic oddity, and most universities really don’t know what to do with us.
The popular culture images of greeks include drunks, pranksters, and “hooligans.” And maybe some of us are. But someone must see the value in the greek community in order for it to have achieved such great successes in the social, philanthropic, and academic worlds. Believe it or not, Rensselaer loves its greeks. A tradition dating back to 1864, including a number of RPI presidents, countless trustees, and one of the largest donating alumni groups to the Institute, it has every reason to support the greeks. Major improvements are ahead as Student Life re-invests itself in greeks and our heritage.
Rensselaer is our friend, never forget that, and remember that every time you or your chapter do something that puts greeks in a negative light, you strain that friendship.
Whether you have agreed with the Interfraternity Council this year, or even know what the IFC is, you must realize that it is essential to the well-being of our fraternities to have a unified voice. Just as a corporation requires it’s divisions to abide by a corporate mission, our greek community must come together as one and recognize the need for accountability and mutual respect. Responsibility is no longer required to remain out of trouble, it is required to stay alive.
I am certain that Interfraternity Council President-Elect John Muller of the Rensselaer Society of Engineers will lead the next council into great days, but the executive officers cannot go it alone. It is the responsibility of every greek, from the alumni advisor to the new associate member, to bring dignity to the greek name. Our letters may separate us, but our dignity will bring us together.
Best of luck to all of our chapters, and the new executive board of the IFC, in the days ahead.
