If you haven't heard, an investigation has turned up allegations that University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity conducted a color-coded scheme to date rape women.

In my opinion, this atrocity must be dealt with to the maximum extent of the law. This case, like others of its kind, will do massive damage to the image society has of the Greek community at UWM, as well as the entire Greek community nationwide. With cases like this, it is hard to blame society for viewing Greeks in a negative light.

First things first, I would like to extend my condolences to the victims of this appalling behavior carried out by members of the Greek community who do not deserve to wear the letters that they do. These are not the actions of men; these are the actions of mere boys. I hope your aggressors are brought to justice under the full penalty of law, and that you soon regain the feeling of safety you deserve to have as a human being. 

Every time I get the chance, I tell a potential recruit who is on the fence about the benefits of going Greek: the support system of a brotherhood or sisterhood, the vast networking opportunities provided to you, a large amount of professional development, the list goes on. How do I respond when I am questioned about the morality of the Greek system, overall? The only way I can think to respond is with my actions.

Within my own chapter, we do all that we can to fight the negative stigma against going Greek. We follow our national organizations strict anti-hazing policy with precision. We do everything in our power to make sure all guests at our parties don't walk home by themselves at night, and that they can socialize in a safe place. I would need an extra pair of hands (probably more) to count the number of times I've walked someone home after a party. 

Within my chapter, we strive to be the gentlemen we expect ourselves to be. And I know many other chapters at Ohio State that strive for the same thing, and show with their actions that they are not among the small percentage of degenerates who think date-raping women is acceptable. 

To any fraternity member reading this, think of the proceedings of your chapter and your chapter's culture. Would you or your brothers do anything that could potentially harm another human being? Any amount of doubt in your mind is unacceptable. Do what you can to eliminate any notion in yourself, or your chapter, that harming another human being - whether physically, mentally, sexually, or otherwise - is acceptable? Because it is absolutely not acceptable. 

Be the gentleman who you tell people you are. Make sure people get home safely by walking them home, calling them a cab, or being a designated driver. Treat your new recruits with the dignity and respect every human being deserves. The new member education process is how we are permitted to attain knowledge of secrets each organization holds so dear. Do you think making a potential initiate do horrible, obscene things makes him more qualified to learn your organization's secrets? It does not, and I cannot imagine how anyone might think it does. 

Do not refer to your fraternity as a frat. It perpetuates the stereotype about Greek life built by low-budget, straight-to-DVD ghosts of a once great National Lampoon franchise. You are a fraternity gentleman, not a frat star. Act like it. 

To any potential Greek who's on the fence: please do not make your decision to go Greek based on these atrocities. There are many benefits of going Greek, and it is sad we never hear about the positive stories. My brothers in Theta Xi are one of the main reasons I was able to climb out of the dark, chilling hellhole that is depression. Before you dismiss going Greek, please meet as many Greeks as you can. You will learn that the vast majority of us are truly incredible people who value friendship, honor, hard work and charity, among many other great qualities. 

To everyone else in society: please don't hate Greek life because of the actions of these individuals at UWM. Many people want Greek life to be shut down and destroyed, so that absolutely no events like this can ever occur. I believe that will do much more harm than good. 

Greek life provides many people with support systems, and teaches them how to become better versions of themselves by continually raising the bar. For every one story like the UWM case, there are hundreds more of how Greek life helped someone. I wouldn't be the man I am today without my fraternity. Please give any Greeks you meet a chance, not, necessarily, so you can join their organization - because it is not for everyone - but to potentially be their friend.

How do we prevent events like this from happening again? Some of this comes from the stereotypes. For the most part, incoming freshmen only know about fraternities and sororities from the movies and TV shows they've seen. Have you ever noticed that the majority of people who spend countless hours worrying about tiers and posting hate messages on GreekRank seem immature? It is because, for the most part, they are freshmen who don't know any better. 

To prevent events like what happened at the UWM TKE house from happening, we need to boycott this type of media, as it only casts Greeks in a negative light and makes some kids, not men, think that things like date rape are okay. The greatest way we can fight these types of atrocities is to be the gentlemen and ladies we know we can be.

Our actions speak louder than our words. Don't just say you're doing good for your chapter, college, community and country. Go out and prove it with your actions!