Let me start off by saying, I’m not affiliated with SMU’s Greek system. Let me follow my previous statement up by saying, I love Greek life here at SMU.
It’s no secret that recently SMU Greeks (specifically IFC) have had a lot of negative attention on them. The hierarchy of SMU is making a flawed attempt to protect the students rather than look at the positive aspects an established fraternity or sorority house has to offer the campus.
It seems as if SMU has spent too much time watching “Old School,” “Animal House” or even “Sydney White” (I have a younger sister, don’t judge me for that last reference). However, I can’t help but wonder what our campus would be like without any sort of Greek life on campus.
For starters, all parties would be off campus. Currently, if a party is off campus, fraternities supply sober drivers to make sure that students can safely get from campus to the off campus house, to a bar and back to campus again. Without the organizational skills of the individual fraternities, I find it hard to believe anyone hosting a party would be able to drum up six people willing to stay sober and subject their car to the potential damages that driving large amounts of students can cause. As it stands, all a student has to do is call a member of the house holding the party and that member will be able to find a ride, or at least give the number of someone who can help. Without this, there will be not one, not two but three times when a student will be tempted to drink and drive on an evening out.
Sober drivers also give out sober judgment that would be unlikely without, you guessed it, the sober drivers provided by fraternities. For example, has that girl had too much and now needs to go home? Should that guy be running with a broken bottle? Or even the ever popular question can be answered, “Dude, is she cute?’ The sober drivers can also become sober babysitters that are very valuable during an evening on Greenville.
Because many of the members of each house live on campus still, SMU has much power in the way that they regulate the men. By revoking charters and kicking houses off campus, SMU is releasing the partying onto the grounds of Highland Park and University Park with around $2,000 extra per year that would normally be spend on dues. I wonder what a 20-year-old male student could do with an extra $2000?
On top of purely social benefits, Greek life gives back to the school. It may come in the way of alumni donations later in life, enrollment in general because of the allure of becoming Greek, or even because SMU Greeks are more trained in alcohol related medical conditions. This education comes from programs like Mustangs Who Care. Without Greeks at parties, virtually nobody would have the levels of training that those members possess. Not to mention, the Greek GPA is higher than the overall University GPA.
So being part of IFC isn’t just about smashing a can on your forehead or seeing how far you can throw a folding chair, its important to look past the stereotypes and realize that Greek life on campus holds benefits other than the intoxicated ones listed on TV.
