Allow me to quote the first line from our university’s Oath of Inclusion: “We, as students, form a diverse and vibrant university community.” I am grateful for our Oath, and how our university incorporates it into the classroom and beyond. My favorite word in the entire Oath is “community.” How unique and inspiring it is to belong to the SLU community, one that embodies the individuality of each of its members.

I mention that the Oath extends beyond the classroom because it also states, “…We obtain greater knowledge when we consider the perspectives of our fellow students and we begin to strive for a better world when we build a stronger community.” This is my favorite portion of the Oath, as it encourages the SLU community to acknowledge that we are a part of something larger than our individual selves.

I am a member of the Panhellenic community, and as a Greek student I often find it challenging to feel the presence of the inclusion aspect of the Oath. It is articles like yours that pervade this influence of exclusion across our campus, and I feel the Greek community is targeted based on its flaws. Instead of building upon the progress we made in recognizing our weaknesses last semester, I feel as though this action is taking a step further in dismantling the positive effects of our efforts. I have decided to write a response to your article not to convince you that Greek organizations are perfect, for they are not. Rather, I want to come to a mutual understanding of the benefits of every single organization on our campus. Greek included. For I am not only a Greek affiliate. First and foremost, I am a Billiken.

You mentioned that you are not in accordance with the statement “Greek life is not that big here.” I can agree that we represent a large portion of the SLU community and our presence is felt throughout the student body. However, your accusation that we are “too influential” and student ambassadors who are Greek do not represent the diversity that exists on SLU’s campus is a bit ignorant. I believe that the value of our fellow students has less to do with the letters we are wearing and more to do with the career paths we are pursuing and our dedication to SLU. The student population, Greek included, is made up of students with different backgrounds and experiences. We have different goals and aspirations. Not one person is identical, so coming to the conclusion that all Greek students share a similar SLU experience is based on erroneous presumptions. I hope I am not wrong in asking that we be respected as individuals first, for our letters are a mere sliver of the extensive list of qualities that make us who we are.

You included in your piece that you didn’t intend to offend individual members, yet you claimed that not enough individuals are being called out. I find this hypocritical, especially since you called out the sorority member who committed an error in the spring. I do not condone such behavior, and I do find some validity in the anger and frustration that followed. But I also respect that individual as a fellow human being and fellow Billiken. My compassion for others extends to those whose actions do not always embody the Jesuit mission statement, for I believe that support goes a long way in spreading a positive message. I appreciate her presence in the Greek community because we all have something positive within ourselves to bring to the table that contributes to further development.

As the president of a cultural club on campus and a student who attempts to live out the Jesuit mission of “being a woman for others,” your article excludes me and others throughout Greek organizations who value the integrity of diversity at our university, and this is not “building a stronger community.” Let’s keep striving to make this community stronger, and build upon the progressive steps we take collectively. Let us not point fingers and tear one another apart. When we are weak, let us strengthen each other. When we are wrong, let us exemplify the right. When we fail as a SLU community, each member feels the impact. It does not matter in that moment whether 20 percent of our population is Greek, for we are 100 percent Saint Louis University together.  Once we start dividing ourselves into factions, we become a cracked society that will never be able to accomplish anything together. Let’s continue to be “men and women for others.”

“This is the SLU I believe in.

This is the community I am building.

This is our SLU.”