While it’s always nice to see the many philanthropic efforts that Greek organizations at the University of Texas participate in, it’s sad to see how closed off many of those efforts are from other Greek organizations and the general public.

If there’s one thing Greeks know, it’s that there’s strength in numbers, so it’s puzzling to me to see so many Greek organizations excluding numbers from their work. While many parts of Greek life can and should be private - like rituals, brotherhood and sisterhood events and other organization-exclusive or bonding activities - philanthropic efforts are one that the larger community should absolutely be involved with. 

Along with allowing Greek organizations to make more of an impact with their efforts, getting the public more involved would seriously help to debunk some of the myths and mystery around fraternity and sorority life at UT. Last spring, my fraternity really leapt into action to help raise funds for the victims of the deadly car rampage that went through parts of downtown Austin during the SXSW festival. We started a fundraising campaign relying heavily on social media, asking the public to donate to help those hurt in the crash. It picked up a lot of media attention and largely went viral. 

When I went through the comments for the effort, it was very sad to see some folks exclaiming about how they didn’t trust a fraternity with their money or asking if Sigma Pi was some kind of unique organization because of the effort. Public efforts like that should be commonplace for Greek organizations, and the public should absolutely feel safe giving money to Greek organizations to support a cause. 

The only somewhat logical reason I can see for Greek organizations to keep the public at bay regarding their philanthropic efforts is because of what might be going on at them - specifically underage drinking or minor drug use. When you consider how much more you can do when you involve the public, I have to say that I just don’t see how it can be worth it. 

Cut those things out of philanthropy and focus on the philanthropic effort at hand, because you’ll be able to be much more successful that way. Your reward for doing so: getting more people involved in the charity endeavors that mean the most to you, all while debunking the more unsavory stereotypes surrounding Greek life.