Some pillars of Greek life are common in our community: academics, fraternity, leadership, and philanthropy. Philanthropy is undoubtedly one of the biggest aspects of Purdue’s Greek community, but the question is: are we doing enough to give back to our community?

Chapters’ philanthropic events are successful in terms of bringing Greeks together for a good cause and raising funds for local or national organizations. They are a mechanism for fighting the negative stereotypes of Greeks, and rightfully so.  It’s hard to attack a community when they are displaying their values through philanthropy. But are we really being philanthropic by just raising money, or should we be more active in our communities?

I feel that, as Greeks, we should be giving not only our money back to our causes, but also our time and effort through volunteer work. Volunteering is one of the little things in life that can truly be rewarding. There’s something about seeing how your efforts have changed a place, person, or community that cannot be replicated by fundraising through tournaments, competitions, and meals. Of course, fundraising is a fabulous thing and is often most convenient to plan during our hectic semesters. So, we should certainly continue to hold our philanthropic events. But there’s great potential for us to act as a more powerful force in the community, both on campus and off.

I know many Greeks who already volunteer whether it’s once a semester or once a week. So, kudos to you all. You’re putting a good name behind our reputations as Greeks—even if you don’t realize it, your fellow Greek is an indirect reflection of you to the broader community even if they aren’t wearing your letters.

Be that person who is changing an opinion of Purdue’s Greek community, because community members usually only see what is externally visible. They see us sitting on our benches, tailgating, walking around in our letters. But chances are, they don’t see most of our philanthropies on campus.

There are endless volunteer opportunities on campus and in the Greater Lafayette area. Many student organizations plan volunteer activities based on what their mission is as an organization. For example, an educational organization I belong to just volunteered at a public school in Indianapolis. Other organizations, whether service based or not, also find ways to give back to the community in some way or another. Find something that interests you, and go with it.

If you want to do something more individual, a great way to find volunteer opportunities is through the Boiler Volunteer Network. This organization has an email list that will alert you on a weekly basis of upcoming volunteer opportunities in the community. The Boiler Volunteer Network is the perfect way for you to learn how you can help out if you’re likely to not take the initiative to find opportunities yourself. To join this email list, you can visit https://lists.purdue.edu/mailman/listinfo/bvnvolunteers.

It ultimately doesn’t matter how Greeks volunteer, just as long as they are. Take what we already are successful at, philanthropy, and build upon it by actively helping out our community. Let me know what you think about this topic by emailing me at hlavendi@purdue.edu.