With BU’s Greek Life undergoing internal investigations we at The Voice have more than a few opinions to share on the topic.
We at The Voice believe that if you do the crime, you do the time. If the hazing allegations are true, the fraternity at fault needs to step up and accept the consequences for their actions.
Bloomsburg University isn’t trying to be a bully by putting a halt to Greek Life recruitment, the University just wants to keep everyone safe. In light of the recent hazing tragedy that fell on Penn State can you really blame BU for being a tad over cautious?
Death-by-hazing aside, no student on any college campus should have to fear for their safety, health or well-being when rushing for a fraternity or sorority. Initiating potential new members into a fraternity or sorority is one thing, but how can someone drink three bottles of wine, wake up in a puddle of their own vomit and be proud that they beat the odds of getting alcohol poisoning to earn their Greek letters?
There are plenty of clubs and organizations on BU’s campus that don’t require you to put your health on the line in order to join. So we ask: why is Greek Life so important?
Some might argue that Greek Life allows underclassmen to meet upperclassmen to gain mentors while they are away at college. This is a fair desire for underclassmen to have.
You come to college and you’re without your high school friends, your family is far away, the campus is big and scary etc. A brotherhood or sisterhood among a fraternity or sorority certainly sounds appealing. However, what type of brother or sister would make you prove your worth with an obscene and dangerous amount of alcohol consumption before they make you part of their clique? Also, isn’t it a little ironic that one has to pay more than 200 dollars a semester to be able to keep these supportive siblings. If you can’t pay the dues you can kiss your family goodbye.
If students need mentors, BU offers a mentorship program on campus free of charge. On top of that, there are a plethora of resources scattered throughout the student services center that help students schedule classes, understand financial aid, prepare for the professional world, and much more.
BU is not going to help promote Greek Life as a mentorship opportunity for students because of all the similar on-campus resources they already struggle to promote.
It is a little disheartening to see Greek Life always being reprimanded for the negative attention they bring to college campuses. We hardly see Greek Life being recognized for the good they do on BU’s campus.
No one can deny that Greek Life does a handful of community service projects throughout the academic year. On the same note, several other clubs and organizations are solely dedicated to community service activities and they don’t tarnish these positive behaviors with a hazing scandal, town destruction during Block Party or losing leases because of disorderly conduct.
With other organizations already offering the same, if not better levels of impactful community service opportunities, why do students need to be hazed and join Greek Life to fulfill their desire to help others?
Some might suggest that these hazing problems would never arise if Bloomsburg University took more of an interest in Greek Life by recognizing its positive impact on BU’s campus and by providing clearer guidelines for pledging.
We at The Voice do not wish to see Greek Life go down in flames, but we have to wonder why they receive such constant negative attention.
Reforms on Greek Life recruitment should be considered to make it a safer and more productive experience for all parties involved. We want Greek Life to have a positive impact on our campus and do not want all the negative publicity ruining Bloomsburg University’s reputation.
-The Voice