Primer: Abolish Northwestern Greek Life
This past spring, both the University of Maryland and University of Virginia paused all Greek Life events for weeks in the wake of hazing incidents that resulted in serious injuries. This temporarily added them to a short list of schools that did not have any active fraternities or sororities, one that includes Notre Dame and Princeton. Northwestern is not one of these schools: there are 8 fraternities registered with the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and 7 sororities registered with the Panhellenic Association (PHA). (Greek Life that is considered “social,” meaning they have a house and focus on hosting events, falls under these categories.) But these numbers may not accurately depict campus sentiment toward Greek Life. Fraternities and sororities came under intense scrutiny in 2019, when the Abolish Greek Life movement sprouted after community members came forward as sexual assault victims. The number of active chapters fell significantly, but a strong, vibrant Greek Life community still exists on campus. With this context in mind, this week the Political Union will debate the following resolution: Northwestern should abolish IFC and PHA Greek Life.
The pro side has many arguments. First, a big part of the Greek system is the pledging process, where recruits must face hazing before initiation into a chapter. Scores of deaths related to hazing, most due to alcohol poisoning, have been recorded. Outside of the many dangers posed by hazing, Greek Life encourages excessive drinking, which can obviously be dangerous. It incentivizes groupthink because people attempt to be in the “in” group to alleviate social pressures. Greek Life can also encourage sexism in various forms, whether it’s casual objectification of the other sex or sexual assault. A system that perpetually benefits the patriarchy at the very least needs reform. The Greek system disadvantages lower income and minority populations, as hefty dues and membership fees on top of large time commitments disproportionately impact them. And strong social life can exist without the Greek community – just look at Notre Dame. For these reasons, Greek Life runs counter to the values that Northwestern promotes, and it should be abolished.
But it’s not like Greek Life is only a negative force. Greek Life offers a key social community for hundreds of people on campus, as fraternities host parties and events in the city. On a campus that doesn’t exactly boost social life, this cannot be overlooked. Greek Life brings together people from different grades, bridging gaps and promoting networking and professional connections. This enables support that promotes better academic achievement and improved professional skills. Fraternities and sororities are also strong philanthropic forces that organize charity events that collect thousands. Greek Life also helps build character and leadership as students can learn how to completely run an organization. Further, fraternities and sororities undergo mandatory trainings on hazing, alcohol consumption, sexual assault, and more. The Greek community is aware of its opponents and has been working towards self-improvement for years. Greek Life is a valuable part of the college community, so it should be embraced.
Come join the debate this Monday at 7pm in Scott Hall 201!
"teeter-totter_2005_006" by lambdachialpha is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.