Reading through Ryan McKinley’s article I found myself confused. What exactly was the point of his article? Was his central argument simply that the Greek community has a substantial impact on the Saint Louis University community as a whole? If so, is this supposed to be a negative thing? Last time I checked, student involvement is a positive rather than a negative. Discouraging any group of students, Greek or non-Greek, from being involved on SLU’s campus should be met with harsh criticism.
While the article does not lend itself to a clear thesis, I think I can see where this student is coming from. From his perspective as a non-Greek, Greek life is taking prominence over cultural groups and other clubs that are also an asset to the student body. I get that. However, the point he is trying to make is flawed in many ways. To begin, he is assuming that the Greek community is homogenous with the same cultural backgrounds, majors and interests. This assumption is somewhat offensive to members of fraternities and sororities who see themselves as individuals. In addition, Greek involvement in student organizations does not exclude other students from engaging in these organizations as well. If we want more diverse Student Ambassadors, the diverse students should apply for such positions. Now before you post a hateful reply to my last statement, I understand that there may be other reasons diverse students are not well represented in organizations such as Student Ambassadors. This may be due to the selection system in place for these types of positions, and if that is the case, blame the system rather than fraternity and sorority members. Criticizing Greek life will not make other organizations more prominent, nor will it increase diversity in programs such as Student Ambassadors. Diversity is an asset, and I personally encourage any student feeling marginalized to get out there and join the multitude of organizations SLU has to offer.
My next point deals with McKinley’s very misguided perception that Saint Louis University is “so avidly supporting and defending Greek organizations.” Many in the Greek community, past and present, would have a good laugh at this statement. If by “support” he means “imposed regulations” and “probation” then yes, the higher-ups at SLU are incredibly supportive. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the liability of having fraternities and sororities on campus and the need for regulation. The Greek community as a whole is more than willing to work with the administration to set a good example (e.g., getting involved in student organizations). What I have an issue with is the claim that Greek organizations are somehow favored. This is simply not the case, and is a clear demonstration of McKinley’s limited perspective on the issue.
The Greek community is tired of being blamed for things we should not have to apologize for. We should not have to apologize for or explain why we are a strong minority or why our members enjoy being involved in leadership positions on campus. Is your biggest complaint really going to be that Greek students are too involved and influential on campus? Of all the things that have been criticized in the past, this criticism is one of the most offensive. Why? Because it attacks something I see to be a positive in the Greek community. If you are going to make an argument that a student group is too influential, there needs to be some support for why this is a negative thing. The real question is, if involvement is the goal, should any group be discouraged from getting involved?
