To greek or not?

A arguement against By Erika Durham @ The Sam Houston State Houstonian Newspaper Although greek life seems to be the highlight of college for some, others shy away from the experience and choose to go through college as a non-greek student. For various reasons some students decide not to become a member of a greek letter organization. According to the Kaplan online opinionated study on greek life, one of the disadvantages of being greek is that your brothers or sisters within the organization often become your only circle of friends. "Brothers or sisters in the same house are, at least in some respects, a homogenous poulation," the study stated. Eleven percent of the SHSU population is greek, according to Richard Masterson, program coordinator. This includes National Pan-Hellenic Council, Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council, Latina and Latino organizations along with Christian organizations. SHSU students often agree. A student who wishes to remain anonymous said she feels that it is not important for her to rush or pledge. "I have nothing against greek organizations but it's just not for me," she said. "I just feel that I don't need an organization to be somebody. The SHSU junior also said she feels that once someone becomes a member of an organization, that becomes their identity. For example she said, "Bobby becomes 'Bobby the Sigma Nu' or Joe becomes 'Joe the Kappa'." She said a student consumed with being greek often creates low grades and a loss of focus on academics. SHSU alumnus Hosie Washington, who did not go greek while in school, said that looking back on her college experience she now sees the advantages as well as the disadvantages. "I chose not to pledge while in school because the of time constraint," Washington said. "I worked full-time and went to school full-time and could not afford to have my time tied up with anything else." Looking back she said she realizes that becoming greek is good for connections and networking in the job market. "For those students such as myself who don't have the necessary time, there are always graduate chapters of organizations that you can join." Time is a concern for many who choose not to be greek. The Kaplan study also said social decisions are heavily influenced by your fraternity or sorority. "You have a lot less freedom to do what you please with your downtime, and this can be a real problem for people who don't like their schedules to be weighed down or regimented," the study said. "The important thing is to keep your eye on the prize, which is your degree," Washington said. "I have seen so many get their 'letters' and not their degree. If you can become greek and still graduate then go for it," she said. "If being greek is all you want to be then you are in school for the wrong reason."

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