Exemplification Essay: Greek Organizations Should NOT be Part of the College Experience

College life brings many thoughts to mind…friendships, football , pizza, late nights, parties, fraternities, sororities, as well as racial discrimination, binge drinking, hazing and dying. The latter part of this list may not come naturally to most people, but they are frightening realities of the Greek system. Parents send their children to college assuming they will be in a safe, educational environment while enjoying all the benefits campus life has to offer, including fraternities and sororities. They do not expect a phone call in the early hours of the morning notifying them of their child's death. Since March of 2000, over 60 people have died in events associated with fraternities, alcohol and/or hazing (Marklein p. A3). Greek life and all its implications should be examined more closely before anyone commits to join such an organization.

Thousands of college students across the country participate in the Greek System at their university. People generally become members of Greek organizations to aid in meeting new people and to participate in a social and community service organization. At many schools, the Greeks have their own headquarters or houses where the members meet, live, eat, and host social functions. The University of Alabama's website claims, "Greek life is a jointure - a time when friendships are cemented and close ties are woven between members through living, studying, working, and competing together. These relationships go beyond ordinary friendship and become like those of family - often lasting a lifetime" (Greek Life). These "friendships" are sometimes established after pledges endure humiliating and dangerous hazing leading up to initiation.

Often overlooked, excessive drinking plagu...

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...cil, the governing organization for traditionally African American fraternities and sororities. The member chapters of the Pan-Hellenic Council do not even participate in the same Rush/Recruitment process as the other fraternities and sororities on campus.

While sororities and fraternities were created to nurture scholarships, service, and social ties for young people, many Greek organizations have become ensnared in less than fulfilling practices. Before students agree to associate themselves with a group of people who willingly participate in human degradation, they should thoroughly research current statistics regarding involvement in crime across campus, and reports of alcohol poisoning, hazing, and racial discrimination. The mere knowledge of these outrageous behaviors should cause people to think twice before supporting the organizations that commit them.