EDITORIAL: Greek life remains questionable staple in college culture

Though a popular avenue for making friendships and network connections in college, Greek life’s racist, classist and elitist tendencies are more than enough reason to question its function on college campuses.

Upon joining a fraternity or sorority, you are guaranteed entrance into a community of people equally interested in making friends. You are granted access to connections and resources in a variety of industries. This family experience is one often unique to rushing.

However, the appeal of joining a like-minded group of people spirals into perpetual sameness, and every member ultimately ends up coming from very similar backgrounds. That background is not one of diversity and inclusion, but rather of superficial and classist qualities.

Strong generalizations can be made about Greek life, but each chapter can determine how deep it falls into this trap of reputation. At schools such as Boston University, Greek life is not the societal anchor it is in the South or Midwest. There are no Tri Delta or Alpha Phi mansions on campus, and students are not blacklisted from social life if they are not in a sorority or fraternity.

However, certain attributes remain true, even in the Northeast — one being that Greek life is expensive and, in more ways than one, holds on to a classist barrier.

The pay barrier fluctuates with each organization, but at some schools, members pay thousands of dollars a year in dues. Chapter dues go toward expenses such as maintenance, parties and other situational costs.

Students who can afford to join then gain access to a wide range of business connections and opportunities that give them additional advantages in the job market, thus perpetuating the cycle of generational wealth.

However, the dues and other fees they pay also help fund national organizations, including non-philanthropy-related ones, that many members are not aware they are financially supporting.

The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee, for example, collects dues from Greek organizations and uses those funds for political lobbying. FratPAC can even protect fraternities and sororities from lawsuits involving sexual assault and hazing. Pledges can then inadvertently support organizations that do not align with their personal beliefs.

Additionally, commitments to legacy admissions exclude first-generation college students by systematically lowering their chances of getting a bid.

The recruitment process as a whole serves as a surface-level assessment of whether somebody can be compatible with a particular circle of friends. If someone isn’t pretty enough or outgoing enough by the councils’ standards, they can be dropped after 15 minutes of conversation.

As a result, Greek life often comes across as a racially segregated cult looking for the superior race of college students: wealthy and white.

These organizations have also been known to take part in horrific acts of hazing. College students have repeatedly died from acts as obscene as doing calisthenics in a basement filled with sewage while chugging gallons of water.

We would hope that out of human decency, those who endure these acts would not want to carry them out in future generations. However, many have the mindset that if they had suffered these disrespectful displays of power, then future pledge classes must as well.

Beyond hazing, serious sexual assault and misconduct allegations plague fraternities. But when wealthy and powerful students are the ones who manage these chapters, evading consequences isn’t difficult. Plus, these events usually occur off campus, so administrators don’t have much jurisdiction to incite punishment.

Despite their reputation for these misdeeds, sororities and fraternities conversely radiate goodwill when they partake in philanthropic activities each year, running a 5K or holding a fundraising event at Chipotle for good causes.

While some people may join Greek life because they are aware of the chapter’s commitment to certain causes, most join for access to parties and friends. The desire for a fun social life is understandable and valid, but to act as though philanthropy is your primary motivator is to deceive everyone, including yourself — and it reeks of white saviorism.

Students around the country have now gone out of their way to make all-Black, Hispanic or Asian sororities as a way to create a space they feel welcome in. The “regular” sororities are unspokenly white.

Greek life operates on world constructs that we haven’t been able to rid ourselves of, and is thus a direct reflection of our society as a whole: one that caters to the rich and the white.

The passionate movement to abolish Greek life comes from failed attempts at large-scale reform against the seemingly indestructible pedestal these organizations operate on.

We must address the tradeoff between college fun and the historically damaging effects of Greek life. Inclusivity efforts differ between every chapter, but as a whole, Greek life serves as a concentrated hub of some of the most harmful aspects of our society.