By The ladies of Alpha Omicron Pi
As members of the Greek community at Cal State Long Beach, we are outraged by the portrayal of Greek life by Daily Forty-Niner guest columnist Geoff Ensley.
Ensley's position as director of public relations for the Interfraternity Council has given him the opportunity to publish a column that would appear to be on behalf of the Greek community as a whole and with our support.
But why should he be allowed to represent the Greek community when only a portion elected him to his current position?
The IFC is a governing body consisting only of fraternities. Sororities have their own governing body, panhellenic. Therefore, the IFC election process has no input from sorority members or fraternities which are not members of IFC.
We would like to assure the university community that Ensley does not represent us.
Greek life is often stereotyped as unproductive and a waste of time and money. The Greek column was implemented to try to dispel some of these stereotypes and offer some insight into the benefits offered by being part of such an organization.
We, as Greeks, support endeavors, but this is not what Ensley and IFC have succeeded in achieving with this semester's articles.
In fact, the articles have only succeeded in reinforcing old stereotypes and creating some new ones. With the recent bad press for Greeks nationwide, the last thing that we need is more bad press at home.
The Greek community has much to offer individuals, the university and the community. Joining a Greek organization gives students the opportunity to learn and develop their leadership and social skills. Greek life and organizations stress the importance of being a well-rounded individual.
Being in a fraternal organization is very similar to joining an athletic team or a club. There are common goals that all members must work together towards in order to be successful.
You connect with others. These organizations offer brotherhood and sisterhood with like-minded people. These ties of friendship last a lifetime.
Our fraternal letters, symbols and rituals represent those ideals, values and morals which we feel are important. One such value is giving more than you take, within your organization, family an community.
All Greek organizations have high academic standards and fraternity and sorority members must maintain certain GPA standards in order to remain active members at CSULB. We have tutoring programs, scholastic scholarships and awards.
Our members continually are included on the Dean's List and the President's List.
The Greek community is an integral part of the university as well. We are active. We are the go-getters and the doers. Many past and current student leaders are Greek.
Being Greek adds another dimension to college life. We tend to have more school spirit and Greeks overwhelmingly outnumber other participants for homecoming.
We also give to the community in which we live. IFC and panhellenic organizations each have a philanthropic cause which they support.
Support comes in both the form of donations of time and money to our individual charity. Many groups also participate in events to raise money for other Greek organizations' charitable causes.
Of course there is a social side to Greek life. We do have formal dances, exchanges and parties. However, we have strict rules that govern how, when and where such activities are permitted to take place.
These rules ensure the safety of ourselves, our guests and they ensure that these extra-curricular activities are not and do not become the focus of Greek life.
In fact, with all our other commitments, these activities tend to be much more of a rarity than a norm.
The picture of wild parties, scandalous attire, provocative behavior and hangovers are not a fair and accurate description of what we are about. We are outraged that Ensley chooses to portray us as hussies and drunks, and he does not speak on our behalf or with our support.
By Laurie Sipkovich, Spanish major
I am a student at Cal State Long Beach and I am a member of a sorority.
As you must already know, Thursday Nov. 20 seemed to be "let's bash the Greeks day" for the Daily Forty-Niner.
We were called yahoos, drunks, and were generally made to look bad in the eyes of the campus.
Well, I must say that there needs to be an article discussing the positives of being Greek.
For one, I did not join a sorority to buy my friends. I joined to belong to a social group that not only enhances society through philanthropic work but also enhances my leadership and study skills.
I did not join a sorority to wear short tight dresses, drink Jack Daniel's and end my night with a bang. I believe I have the most fun in a pair of jeans with good friends and no alcohol.
The two articles that your newspaper ran failed to mention that each fraternity and sorority has a scholarship chairperson who monitors our studying and encourages us to achieve good grades.
If we need a certain grade point average to be involved, how can it be said that we never visit the campus?
I hate missing class and I expect to earn a 3.5 GPA this semester.
All in all, I feel it wasn't fair to characterize all Greeks as yahoos and drunks, as I - and many others who I know - don't fall into those categories.
By Emiliano Torres, theatre arts major, Delta Sigman Chi pledge
I feel compelled to respond to Geoff Ensley's Nov. 13 column concerning Lambda Theta Phi and other campus organizations.
Ensley suggests that a group based on ethnicity does not allow people to become members if they are not part of that culture. However, being a member of a Latino based fraternity, Delta Sigma Chi, I know that to be false.
In our co-ed fraternity, anyone who believes in our ideals - one of them being multiculturalism - may join regardless of color or origin.
The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic say they represent a multitude of races, colors, creeds and backgrounds. However, I do not believe that including a handful of members from diverse backgrounds does not truly mean that those members are represented by the fraternity or sorority.
Also, in regards to Ensley's suggestion that students casually "form a campus club based on race or heritage or whatever and slap Greek letters on it" is hurtful. Being a pledge, I have learned that we don't just "slap on Greek letters."
Our fraternity letters stand for something and they are embedded on our souls. We are dedicated to our organization and have demonstrated that by our actions on and off campus.
Delta Sigma Chi was founded as a Latino fraternity, but we have broadened our horizons through time and have become multicultural and co-educational.
Last of all I must respond to Ensley's question "Is assimilation giving up your background and identity?" Yes, from my point of view, to a certain extent, it is.
I hope I have clarified this issue and voiced the truth about ethnic fraternities on campus.