Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Greek life more than writer's view

To the editor,

This letter is in response to the commentary offered by Ms. Ashley Weaver on the greek community here at the University of Arizona.

During my four years here at the university, I have seen and heard a lot of things that go on within the greek community. Such activities as athletics, philanthropies and socials are an integral part of being in the fraternity and sorority system. Each house commits to different things, and like a snowflake no two houses are the same. People have many reasons to join houses, whether it be to make friends or even just to have a place to party when the urge to have a good time arises. People on this campus are too quick to judge, specifically about how the greek system runs here. Rather than looking into what and how things occur, people like Ms. Weaver, a freshman who in two months on campus has assumed she knows all there is to know, feel they have the right to rip apart a system that they have never experienced first hand.

If one were to actually go through the process of being greek, one would know that there is more to the greek system than "buying our friends and acting like Neanderthals" as Ms. Weaver so bluntly put it. One would know that philanthropy like the Date Auction, which Sigma Alpha Mu, a fraternity which I am proud to say I helped to restart, puts on. Last year alone we raised over $1000 for Pediatric Aids Charities, and this year's version will bring in even more.

But the media would never acknowledge a good deed such as that, only the bad things which we supposedly do.

Finally, I would like to commend Ms. Weaver on the mature way that she handled writing this commentary. Her use of such examples as the "Elephant walking" and her blatant use of categorizing the fraternal system as being Homoerotic was quite entertaining. For a person of her age to have a grasp on such high thinking as she does amazes me. I offer you this, Ms. Weaver. Before you go off and spread the evils of a topic you know nothing about, take a good look at the greek system here. Look beyond what you and your media buddies normally write about and see that being greek is something special; not something that should be mocked, as you have chosen to do.

David Herskovic

Media arts senior