Contributing Writer
Sophia Sullivan
Over the past few decades, Greek life has become a hotbed for debate. While the system may bring joy and companionship for some, including my rather fortunate self, it is also rife with discrimination and cruelty.
Still, I believe that there is hope for creating a better system. If we accept how far removed the system has become from its original purpose and commit to fighting back to restore it, positive change is possible.
There can be no meaningful solution until we fully understand the problem. We’ve all heard the stories from documentaries like “Bama Rush” that have shown us the darker side as countless horrific hazing incidents have come to light. The Bottom Line had the opportunity to speak to Michelle Guobadia, a Zeta Phi Beta Sorority sister and speaker for The Catalyst Agency. When asked about how her past experiences reflect the system as a whole, she reiterated how “[It’s] still physical, it’s still psychological, mental […] emotional abuse, and people are dying from it.”
While it’s undeniable that the Greek system has its fair share of flaws, Guobadia and I both believe that there’s still plenty of reasons to stand firm and keep fighting for a brighter future.
Guobadia summed it up perfectly when she continued to highlight the positives, such as “lifelong friends, […] networking,” and the philanthropic work that fraternities and sororities still engage in today.
That said, the current Greek life system cannot remain intact as it stands and must be overhauled from the inside out to truly earn its place in our current world.
While many Greek creeds endow values such as leadership, kindness, knowledge, and compassion, they are often not being upheld today. At the moment there is still rampant discrimination within the system as well as hazing, an occurrence which has heartbreakingly turned deadly on many occasions, and these issues certainly don’t represent the sense of loyalty and caring that members of any Greek organization are expected to uphold
I do firmly believe, however, change is possible, but I also recognize that it must come from within. From my own experiences, I know that positive change is rarely ever achieved without a personal drive to do so. This has led me to believe that the system can be repaired and brought back to its original values only if its young members are willing to advocate for such change.
Guobadia shares my sentiments. When asked about how these young people can enact change, she emphasized that they cannot allow themselves to “get burnt out.” She explained that the only way they will ever make the necessary strides is if they “live [their] values out loud and bring people with [them].”
Although my fellow Greek members and I believe that the system can be a force for good, with much of its tradition advancing that goal, it is not there yet. It will not reach that point if members are not willing to fight for change.
While Greek life undoubtedly has its flaws, I don’t believe that it’s reached the point of no return. In fact, I think that the exact opposite is true — with self reflection and dedication, the only direction to go is up. I think this because still people like myself, inside and outside of the Greek system, are willing to fight for positive change. I’m sure of this because I know that — even though they are not currently being upheld — the upstanding core values of the many Greek organizations do still stand, and that myself and many others, inside and outside of Greek life, are still willing to fight to bring them back into common practice and repair the broken system.
I’m sure that I, among many others, are willing to fight for that change. If we can stand united and stay dedicated, we can succeed and create an improved Greek system deserving of the space it takes up on campuses across the nation.