As a member of the Greek community at Tufts, I was outraged when I read "Questioning the Greeks" in the Daily on Wednesday. There are many reasons this editorial was incorrect in judging the Tufts Greek system, but it was most blatantly wrong in making blanket statements about a community that is comprised of individual members, not just the stereotypes that represent them.
In addition to being a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi and the Public Relations Chairwoman of the Inter-Greek Council (IGC), I hold many positions in the Tufts community. I am a co-director and co-founder of the Tufts Burlesque Troupe, a student assistant at Career Services, an aerobics instructor for TSR, a choreographer for TDC, an In the SACK facilitator, a member of PACT (Prevention, Awareness, and Consent at Tufts) and a Tufts cheerleader.
Beyond these extracurricular activities, I am also a student who strives to achieve the best grades and knowledge possible, and I have been on the Dean's List every semester I have been at Tufts.
How, then, is it that the Tufts Daily can say in "Questioning the Greeks" that the members of Tufts' Greek chapters "place more importance on alcohol and partying than on upholding the values of their parent fraternity and sorority groups?" Firstly, is the Daily aware of what those values are? In my chapter, service, scholarship and leadership are three primary values on which our national organization was founded, and as a member, I continue to uphold those in my everyday life.
I am not alone. In this Greek community, I am surrounded by other Dean's List students, founders of non-profits (yes, more than one) and hard-working leaders, including the president of our student body, Neil DiBiase, a brother in Theta Chi. Do our students recognize that, historically, the average GPA of sisters in Tufts sororities is higher than the average GPA of women students at Tufts, according to the Dean of Students? As a community, we recognize that there are always areas for improvement, just like other organization at Tufts, but we are continually taking time to acknowledge those subjects and work on them.
Patrick Romero-Aldaz, our new Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, may be reinforcing chapters' awareness of alcohol policies at our school, but that should not be taken to mean that members of Greek organizations concentrate only on parties and alcohol. Does no one else on this campus take part in these parties? Why are those people exempt from the judgment heaped on Greek students?
As chapters and as a community, we do a lot for our members that is not always seen by the entire campus. After all, if every student at this university could enjoy all the benefits of the Greek system without actually being a brother or sister, why would anyone join? Behind the scenes, each chapter has educational programming, community service and other social activities available to its members. We put time and energy into the betterment of our individual members to further carry on the values set forth in our respective rituals.
For me, the everyday aspects of being in a sorority are what keep me involved. It is not the parties, but rather the bonds of friendship I have been able to build with an amazing group of women and the opportunities for leadership and service that have made me want to be involved even further in our Greek community.
Lastly, an important aspect of every chapter on this campus is philanthropy. Each chapter holds annual or semesterly philanthropic events. What is sad about these events, however, is that the attendees are always other Greeks. For a campus that is so active in community service, why does it refuse to recognize or attend Greek chapters' philanthropy events? If the Tufts campus recognized and advocated for the Greek system's service events, those events could be larger and more beneficial to the national organizations they benefit.
"Questioning the Greeks" holds little truth for readers other than to serve as yet another example of this campus' perception of its Greek community. I believe the editorial only truly speaks when it notes that there is a campus-wide "conception" of how Greek life has diverged from our core values.
We work hard, we value the rituals our chapters have bestowed upon us, and we incorporate the values within those rituals into our everyday lives. Greeks do not just exist on Friday and Saturday nights. They exist as the students who come to class prepared or as the leaders of influential student groups. If we stop writing Greek members off as alcohol-obsessed partiers, perhaps this campus will be able to recognize them for the good works they perform, the hard work they put into making this school a better place, and the values they truly hold.
Jessica Snow is junior majoring in political science. She is a sister in Alpha Omicron Pi.
