More than just letter and booze

To Aristotle, the only division among people that mattered was between the Greeks and the non-Greeks. Not all that much has changed at IU 2,400 years later, except instead of referring to non-Greeks as "barbarians" (though it sounds nice), we call them GDIs: God-damned independents.\nAnd there is just about the same amount of hostility between IU greeks and non-greeks as with the ancient Greeks and Persians. Why? We're not fighting about control of land or money or world-domination, yet the differences between the two communities seem irreconcilable. Greeks see the non-greeks as boring and invariably anti-greek, and the non-greeks see greeks as revelers, drunkards and hussies.\nI have seen both perspectives during my college career. I once had the common, stereotypical perception of the greek community and vowed never to be a part of it. The only outcome I saw in going greek was ruining my grade point average, my liver and my reputation.\nI was soon forced to eat my words, however. Yes, I became a greek (I expect a collective, "Gasp! A frat boy writing for the paper?"). I pledged Alpha Sigma Phi, one of IU's many un-housed fraternities, and though I can't think of many people further from the stereotypical "frat boy" than myself -- I study chemistry, prefer classical music and cook -- I get along perfectly with the other men in my chapter.\nSeeing the situation from the other side of the divide makes me feel foolish for buying into the stereotypes, and I laugh when I see others either buy into them or consciously fit into them.\nYet sometimes, regretfully, there's truth to the stereotypes. Incidents like Sigma Nu's lawsuit this week only show others the worst side of greek life and ignore the many advantages it offers.\n"Hazing is against the founding principles of ... (our) fraternity," Sigma Nu Executive Director Brad Beacham told the IDS.\nReally? In 1845, the founders of Alpha Sigma Phi did not sit down and make hazing a founding principle either. What a coincidence!\nNone of our greek organizations were founded on these principles. If only fraternities and sororities kept true to their founding principles, we wouldn't give the non-greek community so many reasons to hate us. They'd also see the many advantages to joining a fraternity or a sorority, rather than drinking, partying and lechery.\nThe college greek system is more than 200 years old, so it must have been doing something good to be effective for so long. This system was founded to give a sense of belonging and direction to the unguided and misdirected college-age students. In its conception, I can hardly think of a better organization to offer college students.\nI myself can vouch for its value. It has helped me to grow extensively as a person. It has given me more than friends -- brothers, improved my social life and given me a new perspective on IU.\nI changed from the typical greek-hater into a greek because I remained open to the greek life, and they remained open to me. If both non-greeks and greeks managed to open themselves more, I'm sure they'd find they're not all that different. Just observing the difference in attitude among my greek and non-greek friends, I can see that both have shut themselves off from the other world almost entirely, and by doing so, they have either a skewed perception or no perception at all of the other.\nIt really isn't that hard for both spheres to get along. It only requires a minimal effort on both parts. Greeks must bear the responsibility of living up to their standards. Non-greeks must also see the value of greek organizations and not hastily group them all under one large umbrella.