In recent weeks, the campus has been bombarded with opinions about the irresponsibility of the students on campus. Students have been called to take a more active interest in the community around them. I feel that in many ways this is unwanted criticism. Many students on this campus are involved in community service and philanthropy, but are rarely given the spotlight. Greeks are particularly overlooked in this respect. There is so much community service being done by the same people who are being arrested by the police that it is difficult to resolve these two separate images.
Among the sororities, the houses have made major strides in helping the community. All the houses send sisters down to the Troy Boys and Girls Club to help with afterschool tutoring every week. The houses have just made baskets to be donated to Clothe-A-Child. These baskets will be raffled off to help raise money for the organization.
The houses individually have done some amazing things as well. Both Alpha Phi and Alpha Gamma Delta raised incredible amounts in their recent fundraisers, the “Jail and Bail” and “Money Wars,” respectively. Pi Beta Phi has been doing some great work with Samaritan Hospital as well as Joseph’s House. They have several sisters who have regularly given time. Sigma Delta is constantly having fundraisers for Latino Heritage Month and clothing drives, and many other projects that are too numerous to mention. Alpha Gamma Delta and Alpha Phi also recently helped Lambda Chi Alpha in their annual food drive.
It isn’t just the sororities either. All the greeks have made an impact with their community service and philanthropic efforts. This push is so great that the IFC has decided to institute an annual Philanthropy Banquet to honor those who have made significant efforts.
I think it’s about time that we give students credit for all that they do. We are part of this community and many of us take that responsibility seriously. The problem isn’t that we aren’t responsible students, but more that no one sees us as responsible. The real change that needs to be made is the publicity that students receive. To those who have been making great strides, I’d like to congratulate you for the difference you’ve made in so many lives. I also encourage the rest of you out there to get more involved in the community and prove to the residents of Troy that we are responsible citizens; they just haven’t taken the time to notice it.
