When fraternities stop running from bad press

As a member of a fraternity, I have drunk the Kool-Aid, but I also know when to spit it out. Which is why I find media coverage of the greek system fascinating.  

One of the most interesting bits I’ve heard on campus before is the idea that the press has it out for greeks — allegedly because the press inadequately covers all the greek system’s commendable efforts while underscoring its shortcomings.

The coverage many in the greek system decry might actually help save it.
Last week the national headquarters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon announced the fraternity would officially ban pledging, the process used to initiate new members into
fraternities.

As reason for the change, the fraternity cited the high number of hazing-related deaths that have occurred under its pledgeship in chapters across the country, which led Bloomberg News to label SAE “The Deadliest Frat In America” this past December.

In January, Bloomberg’s Editorial Board called for a ban on fraternities on college campuses because of the state of the greek system nationwide.

It now seems SAE got the message. And it’s only a matter of time before other fraternity chapters follow SAE’s cue.

What has otherwise been dismissed as vitriol-laced press for fraternities is now being recognized as legitimate criticism.

In the age of smartphones and social media, the national offices of fraternities can no longer sustain the cognitive dissonance they’ve employed to respond to criticism.

In the past, national offices have beautifully articulated what their organizations should stand for while what is really going on at their chapters — many times shared via Instagram and other social media — ends up on the Huffington Post, to the dismay of alumni, university administrators and fraternities’ legal counsel.

Too often, national headquarters choose to distance themselves from the individual chapters. They blame chapters instead of the national office taking responsibility for their chapters’ behavior.

This is why SAE’s move to end pledging should be commended. The national organization is finally holding itself accountable for its chapters while also being proactive in maintaining the safety of its members.  

More pointed commentary has underlined another less-publicized reason for the pledging ban. As TV analyst Joe Concha pointed out, “Why the change? ... More scrutiny from the two types of people greek members fear most: cops and lawyers.”

Regardless, the increased scrutiny facilitated by technology wouldn’t be possible without the bad press that results from it, which many greeks and national offices can’t stand.

While Twitter hashtags and philanthropy events will not change the dangerous culture that exists in some chapters, it seems public scrutiny facilitated by one of the greatest institutions — the free press — can.

If our community can’t be accountable, the media will.

edsalas@indiana.edu