The good, the frat and the ugly

A hopeful sea of Sperrys and Ralph Lauren descended upon Dunn Meadow Thursday afternoon in the yearly tradition known as Rush Kickoff.

Just as there’s a myriad of chapters on campus, there’s a myriad of reasons why young men choose to join one of the most dynamic and controversial parts of our campus — the greek community.

For some, it’s expected. For others the decision is made by the portrayals they have seen in the media.

And lastly, for many it is based on what they have seen on IU’s campus.

The word “greek” unfortunately conjures images of red solo cups, alpha attitudes and an association with sexual assault for a lot of IU students.

But let’s be clear. Greek life is much more than that.

For far too long the actions of a few have eclipsed the larger purpose of fraternities, which is to foster a sense of brotherhood, make members into better men and make a life-long commitment to something bigger than themselves.

Instead, we’ve seen a viral acceptance of the Total Frat Move mentality that’s more focused on an asinine philosophy of coded intolerance, the explicit objectification of women as nothing more than “slam pieces” and a pretty tactless emphasis on the assertion of status, as seen by the many guys on college campuses that look like they’re going yachting in their dad’s clothes.

But I digress.

Ripping greeks is too easy. What isn’t easy is making a case for why we need them at IU.

At IU we’re lucky to have one of the largest and most active greek systems in the country. Each year we have chapters that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for various philanthropies and devote countless hours to community service.

So many of our student leaders are greek, while also being involved in a lot of other areas on campus.

Unfortunately, this is often the exception, when it should be the standard.

Year by year oppositional voices argue the greek system is dangerous, it’s elitist, it gives IU a bad name.

At the end of my freshman year, I was on that side of the fence. But last semester, I had the opportunity to meet some exceptional people who opened my mind to what a fraternity should and could be. And I haven’t looked back since.

As rush season is underway, many students will face the decision of what type of college experience they want to have, and, more importantly, what type of culture they want to create at IU.

I give them only one piece of advice: there’s a very stark difference between a frat and a fraternity. We have both at IU.

Which is which? That’s for you to decide.

Just know being greek is a life-long commitment.

Choose wisely.

­— edsalas@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Eduardo Salas on Twitter @seibbe.