College is a time marked by an exploration of oneself, community and friendship. A time centered on the excitement of new beginnings also comes with many questions to ask yourself. To begin with, who will you meet and make friends with? For many, college is just the beginning of selections and choices as they call a new campus their home, one of those questions being Greek life.
Greek life, long a pillar of American college culture, with fraternities and sororities thought to be a rite of passage into adulthood, leadership and lifelong friendships is often a tricky navigation of oneself and who one chooses to surround themselves with. Some claim it’s a facade to the reality of shallow relationships and exclusive cliques with the belief that beneath the veneer of tradition, philanthropy and social bonding lies an undeniable truth: Greek life is structured to reinforce cliques and remove diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of universities through a strict code of conduct, exclusive invites and a particular mannerism that replicates those in the chapter.
Yet, on the other side of the fence lies the picture-perfect bond of sisterhood and brotherhood and a life-long sense of belonging to a community one finds at the beginning of adulthood. At the core of its existence, Greek life is a process that connects students with like-minded students, binding students to form a social and vibrant community. Yet the real question is, why should one leave it up to a sorority or fraternity to find ‘their’ people? Here at American University, while just 20% of our student body is a member of either a sorority or fraternity, it seems to be alive in campus culture. Why is that? At AU, we find ourselves conjoined to Greek life; historically, unlike George Washington University or Georgetown University, AU’s ties with Greek life date further back. Starting in the 20s, American University introduced its first-ever chapter of Greek life, and amongst the remarks of AU faculty and staff, it seemed to be alive on AU’s campus.
Yet, rather than promoting inclusive and accepting environments for young adults to find a mutual space of community and like-minded peers, Greek life reinforces the mindset that one must conform and abide by a specific outlook and image to find friends. For instance, even at the beginning of the process, recruitment—whether it’s “rush week” for fraternities or “sorority recruitment”—relies on a rigorous vetting process where existing members evaluate potential candidates on criteria highly superficial and only based on surface-level substance. While most chapters claim in their constitution and in their elaborate recruitment process that one’s appearance, social standing, economic background or connections have no play in their selection to join the chapter, it’s no lie that it is upon these various factors that their decision is made. How Greek life fosters insular, cliquish communities is where it takes a wrong turn.
The question is whether universities are serious about fostering a more inclusive and equitable campus culture. If so, we must critically examine the role Greek life plays in maintaining social divisions. Alternatively, some institutions have chosen to eliminate Greek life, recognizing that its inherent exclusivity is incompatible with the values of diversity and inclusion that many colleges want to champion at the highest level of their mission and commitment to the college experience of students. In hopes that we can break down falsified social hierarchies and uplift students collectively, one must ask themselves: is Greek life my thing?
A third-generation Sikh American, Harbani’s passion for amplifying Sikh voices inspired her to start American University’s first ever Sikh Students Association on campus. Mobilizing the Sikh community and raising awareness of the Sikh faith
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