How do parent feel about Greek Life?

Pizzagirl
Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:52:26 +0000

[quopte] admit to finding this conversation a little disorienting, after reading all these stories of students who benefitted so much from Greek life, where the selection system was “mutual,” where they didn’t drink that much, where they were all studious, etc. Are the stories I read in the papers of frats closed down for hazing, of alcohol poisoning, destruction, etc., just made up? Or maybe the kids (and parents) involved in those “bad” frats and sororities just don’t post on CC?




Both can be the case. Honestly, if you want to turn your frat experience into 4 years of drunken debauchery (or is that 7 years of college down the drain – shout-out to Belushi), sure you could – but you could do that just as easily without going Greek.

Here’s my admittedly imperfect analogy - football on a college campus. In some places, it’s just a fun way for the student body to enjoy a crisp fall afternoon and have some school spirit and camaraderie. In other places, it’s the raison d’etre of the school in the first place, academics take a back seat, the library shuts down, classes are canceled, the administration focuses more on the coaches and the stadium than on the academic facilities and professors, and students who can barely add 2+2 are recruited and essentially paid to be semi-pro athletes. Are both systems in place at American colleges? Sure. Can you generalize when you hear the word football as to which system it is at any given college? No.