As a Greek member of the UNews Editorial Board, I am deeply saddened by the closed mindedness of other members of this staff, and the school as a whole. I am especially saddened, by the recent articles from a fellow staff member, because I feel that journalistic integrity and ethics were not taken into account, and proper research was not done on the matter.

First, I want to make clear that the UNews has no position, positive or negative toward Greek life, or any other organization on campus. On last year’s staff, there were four members who were Greek of the fourteen member staff. For anyone that did the math, that’s about 29 percent, which is perfectly representative of the SLU population (about 25-30 percent Greek). This year there are only two Greek people on staff, an underrepresentation based on the student body,

The UNews is just one example where the Greek population is relatively reflective of the student body, and I’m sure that if you did this in a number of different organizations and clubs, the same would hold true.

A friend of mine raised a great point the other day in asking, “Are you Greek because you’re involved, or involved because you are Greek?” I would argue for the first part of this. In high school, I was involved in eight different clubs, so naturally I wanted to get involved at SLU, and my sorority is just one of the four organizations I am a part of. I choose to get involved because the clubs interest and challenge me—not because of the letters I wear. There are also a number of upperclassmen that go through recruitment; roughly 15 percent of our new members, and most of these students were already involved in things on campus prior to going Greek. Rather than organizations choosing Greek students, I believe that Greek students seek out organizations. Members in my sorority are part of over 89 different organizations on and around campus, not only showing our involvement but also our diversity in activities.

After college, chances are a former Greek will run the company you work for. According to thefraternityadvisor.com, 85 percent of Fortune 500 company executives were Greek, and since the founding of fraternities in 1825, only three U.S. Presidents have not been Greek. The first female Senator and female astronaut were Greek as well, according to College USA Today. Three-fourths of Congress is also Greek, and 85 percent of Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were too.

Another important point was raised about diversity within Greek life. It is true that Greek chapters were not founded on principles of great diversity, reflective of the times. However, the very institution of college used to be only for Caucasian, upper-class males, so the same argument can be made for higher education. My sorority was founded in 1851 before the desegregation and gender mixing at most schools. SLU didn’t desegregate until 1944, almost 100 years into the existence of my sorority. As colleges have become more diverse since their founding, Greek organizations have too.

According to a 2010 UNews article, SLU received a “C-“ in diversity from collegeprowler.com. SLU is 71 percent white, about six percent Asian and African-American and about three percent Latino (the remaining percentage are people who identify with more than one race or classify themselves as other), according to Forbes.com. This isn’t exactly the pinnacle of diversity, and while I do not have exact data on the racial diversity of my chapter or Greek life in general, I feel that it is reflective of these numbers. Again, we can only select new members from the population we are given, and those who sign up for recruitment.

On average, less than two percent of college expenses go to paying Greek life dues according to the UTEP Greek Life website, attacking the stigma that Greek life is only for those with deep pockets.

The Greek community members are also singled out from  the rest of the student body. Last year during finals week, only members of Greek organizations received an email telling them not to “overindulge themselves” in drugs and alcohol, a message that easily could have, and should have been sent to the entire student body. To me, this is definitely not putting Greek life on a pedestal, but rather a microscope of scrutiny waiting for the organizations to misstep. Also, Greeks were the only people who had to attend a rape seminar, a talk that would have been beneficial for all to hear, not just members of Greek organizations.

Overall, Greek life is beneficial for schools. Greeks account for 75 percent of all alumni donations to colleges on average, according to Elite Daily, which shows a strong connection and positive feelings toward their school. Greeks graduate at a rate of 71 percent as opposed to 50 percent for non-Greeks, according to the UTEP Greek Life website.

Current Greek collegians also give an average of $7 million to philanthropic organizations, and over 10 million hours of volunteer service per year, according to thefraternityadvisor.com. If this doesn’t align with the Jesuit mission, I’m frankly not sure what does. The mission also states being men and women for others, which is the main principle sisterhood and brotherhood: being there for others. The values of each organization are specifically given at an interest meeting open to the entire SLU community at the start of each year.

Most importantly, no one should ever feel embarrassed or ashamed to walk around campus in their letters, as I often feel people are. The side glances or immediate conclusions people reach just because they see someone in letters isn’t fair, and hurts the inclusive community SLU is trying to foster. People are so much more than just Greek. The bottom line is, as the saying goes, “From the outside in, you can’t understand it, and from the inside out, you can’t explain it.” Until you are a member of a Greek organization, and have firsthand experience of it at SLU, give Greek life a break.