Go Greek?

Contrary to some critical opinions of Greek life, there is more to it than just partying. Admittedly, that is a major component of what certain Greek organizations do, but the experience on the whole is dedicated to fostering friendships and building strong citizens of society.

“Being Greek means more than just wearing Greek letters, attending meetings, and social events,” according to Boston University’s Greek Life webpage. “Being in a fraternity/sorority is about making friendships that will last far beyond your college years while enhancing your personal and leadership development.”

Officially, there are eight fraternities and 12 sororities on BU’s campus, according to BU’s Greek Life webpage. However, there are more that are unrecognized by the school.

The four pillars of the Greek community are “leadership, scholarship, philanthropy and most importantly brother and sisterhood,” according to the Greek Life Webpage.

At BU, the student management of Greek life is broken down into three sections: Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council.

Since BU doesn’t have an administration dedicated to governing Greek life, the individuals of IFC, Panhel and MGC have many opportunities to strengthen skills in leadership and teamwork. Students on the executive boards of these groups share the responsibilities of event planning, member management and finances, to name a few.

Madison Cannon, an assistant director at the Student Activities Office, said that Greek life is managed by SAO just as any other club. Cannon helps train student organization members through The Square, a recognition program designed to ensure groups are prepared and supported while planning successful events.

Cannon was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta all four years of her undergraduate career while at the University of Delaware. Her experience led her to work for and volunteer with the Kappa Alpha Theta Headquarters after graduating. “I think [Kappa Alpha Theta] opened a lot of doors for what I thought I might be interested in,” said Cannon. “And, personally, I think it made my campus a lot smaller in connecting me with students around me.”

Caitlin Harper (CAS ’19, COM ’19), a member of Alpha Phi, said she chose to participate in sorority recruitment because she was used to having a group identity through her swim team. After breaking her knee during her senior year of high school, she wanted to find a new “team.”

“After always having a group identity outside of an individual identity, I was looking for that group identity again and that close, team-like atmosphere,” Harper said.

Harper said she went into the sorority recruitment process with her mind open to different sororities, which is the attitude girls should have in order to avoid getting disappointed with the bid they receive at the end.

“It’s just the people that I meshed with the best, and it really is a mutual system,” Harper said. “It’s like dating. We just hit it off.”

Pranav Ramineni (CAS ’19) is a member of the founding class and executive board of the fraternity Phi Kappa Tau, which is currently a colony recognized by their nationals but not BU.

Ramineni entered Greek life because he was unhappy with his social situation freshman year. “I saw Greek life as a way to kind of change my current situation at BU...and become friends with people who would form that tightknit bond,” Ramineni said. “And, that’s exactly what happened.”

The Big/Little system in Greek organizations welcomes new members and gives them a mentor to help them through their college experience. “It’s a great system. I’m so close with my ‘fam,’” Harper said. “It makes the school even smaller, and we’re very close-knit, very supportive of each other in any capacity we can be.”

“One, you’re supposed to be their friend, and the other goal is you’re also supposed to be kind of their mentor,” Ramineni said. “So, there were a lot of situations where [a brother] came to me just for life advice and asked me, ‘Hey, what do you think I should do in this situation?’”

Philanthropy is important to Alpha Phi, whose partner organization is the American Heart Association, Harper said. The group hosts the Ivy Man, which is a comedic male beauty pageant that attracts both Greek and non-Greek students from across the university.

Harper said that Ivy Man makes philanthropy fun in a way that isn’t always an option. “This is a really fun way for people to get involved in a philanthropic setting to ignite that fire to start making changes,” Harper said.

When asked about the negative reputation that Greek life has in some circles, Ramineni noted that fraternity members are representatives for their group as a national organization and thus have the responsibility to act respectfully.

“When egos aren’t kept in check, people can often end up in situations that not only tarnish their reputation but also the reputation of the organization that they choose to represent,” Ramineni said.

Ramineni emphasized the important role that a fraternity’s national headquarters plays in ensuring members are “acting like a fraternity man and a man of value.”

“These are situations where it’s up to the National organizations to bring the hammer down when situations like this occur to show it won’t be tolerated,” Ramineni said.

Harper said though she likes the internal parts of her Greek life experience, her least favorite part is how the entire culture is negatively stereotyped based on the actions of few.

“I think the perceptions others put on [Greek life] and the stereotypes and these negative instances that are very isolated become stigmatized on the whole Greek system in general, which is a shame because I’ve only received positive experiences,” Harper said.

The future of Greek life, Ramineni said, rests in the hands of current members, making them individually responsible for breaking negative stereotypes with their actions every day.

“I think it’s on us and this generation of people going into Greek life to work to change those stereotypes,” Ramineni said, “because if they’re not changed, Greek life as we know it is going to cease to exist.”

It makes the school even smaller, and we’re very close-knit, very supportive of each other in any capacity we can be.”

Article and Photography by Ashley Griffin | Design by Jami Rubin