Letter to the editor

I am not about to give an unequivocal endorsement of Greek life, and coming from the Greek adviser on campus, that may come as a surprise to some. Last week’s pro-con articles on joining a fraternity or sorority made me reflect on my own experience as a fraternity member at Pepperdine, and the relative wisdom I have accumulated through hindsight and several years as an adviser.

The reality is, Greek life is not perfect. It can be shallow and catty. Some members are selected based on superficial impressions and qualities. Likewise, some people in the system are shallow and choose convenient cliques over meaningful relationships.

Some people who join these groups just like the taboo of Greek life, and at the end of the day, they only joined to have some college fun. Many of the secret traditions of the groups are strange at best and laughable at worst. The values that most groups espouse as making them unique are, generally speaking, similar or the same. As a fraternity member, I had to scrape together money every semester to pay dues that didn’t cover the cost of everything we did as a chapter.

I questioned why I had joined a fraternity in the first place. I considered dropping out my senior year, when I was no longer “getting out of the experience” what I used to, but instead, working my tail off for people who didn’t take it seriously.

Everything I have just mentioned is a reality in Greek life — and any chapter member would agree with me if they are honest with themselves. So why bother?

Eight years later, looking back as Greek adviser, that decision to join a fraternity impacted more of my life than I could have ever imagined as a freshman. I met two of the best friends I have ever had through the fraternity. I still enjoy meeting others who I didn’t know as well, but with whom I shared the experience.

Despite being a head R.A. or on P.A.C. or an officer in a handful of other clubs and organizations, I grew more as a leader in my fraternity than anywhere else. My faith and relationship with God was strengthened beyond my imagination because for the first time in my life, I had like-minded men and friends around me to share my passion and my struggles. There are some memories from the fraternity that still make me laugh, or force me to smile in a quiet moment.

I think the same things can be found in other forms of involvement, but for me and for many like me — only a fraternity or sorority could have provided the basis for these relationships and experiences to form. I found authentic fellowship because it is what I sought — not because I was in a Christian fraternity. I have been in plenty of other organizations or positions (including my current job) that select people based on specific qualities or traits that are a good match with the organization itself – but this makes fraternities and sororities “exclusive.” I made it through four years as a fraternity member without ever seeing a drop of alcohol present or near any event we held.

Still, many reduce Greek life to one extended, drunken party. Obviously, most groups have violated the alcohol policy at some or many points. The difference is, most of them would not have been held accountable if they had never joined a Greek organization and were just gathered as friends. In this sense, Greek members are held to a higher standard than other students — and they should be, because they pledge to uphold values that stand for something in these organizations.

I am not a Greek adviser because I enjoy wasting my time on a meaningless system. Greek life has plenty of issues — but what human organization doesn’t? For all its faults, I can look back without regrets. It is worth your time to consider, and it is still worth my time to support it.

Submitted 09-22-2005

MALIBU, CA