Written By: Rachel Majors
Many seniors in high school apply to colleges all over the country, and have a list of demands each university must meet. Some students want to be close to home or far away from their parents. But most students are curious about the partying that takes place at each school. A lot of young adults associate fraternities and sororities with how they are portrayed on television and in movies. They think Greek life means having ridiculous parties and getting wasted seven nights a week. SelfHelp Magazine states that Greek life has an impact on binge drinking because students are more likely to drink when people around them are drinking. But college life is filled with many parties that are not centered on fraternities and sororities. Binge drinking occurs among all students who make the decision to place having partying over their academics, and is not the result of being in a sorority or fraternity. But Greek organizations in universities have gotten in trouble in the past for involving alcohol in their events. A study done by the Journal of American College Health states students who involve themselves in Greek organizations are more likely to end up as alcoholics and are more likely to indulge in drinking more and studying less.
However, at the University of Oregon, this common stereotype is false. As stated on the University of Oregon Greek life website there are many more aspects to Greek life such as community service. The new president of Panhellenic (the governing body of sororities on campus), Barbara Titus, shared her thoughts on the false stereotypes of Greek life on the U of O campus, and what sororities and fraternities are really about.
Many very important people in our country have come from a Greek organization. According to a Student Affairs website, all but two of our U.S. presidents since 1825 have been Greek. Also, 71% of Greeks graduate college, while only about 50% of non-Greeks do. As Barbara stated in her interview, at the University of Oregon Greek members are required to meet a certain grade average, the all-Greek student grade average the U of O is higher than the average grade point average of non-Greeks. College binge drinking is a very serious issue that should not be blamed on Greek life. Students need to take responsibility for the choices they make on their own.
1. SelfHelp Magazine – Fraternity and Sorority Drinking Patterns
http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/article/fraternity
2. Examiner Eugene – Sororities in Trouble for Drinking
http://www.examiner.com/a-991707~Sororities_in_trouble_for_drinking.html
3. Associated Content – Greek Life and Alcohol
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1109980/greek_life_and_alcohol.html?cat=4
4. University of Oregon – Greek Life
http://www.uoregon.edu/~greek/index.shtml
5. Student Affairs – Greek Life
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/greeklife/statistics.cfm
6. Barbara Titus
Panhellenic President
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