I was sitting at lunch with some friends, talking about events on campus, when they began explaining to me that they felt many campus events were separated, referring to the event as “another Greek event” or “run by the Greeks.” Like any club, of course there are going to be events held only for that specific group. However, talking to them, I did not like that they felt the school was almost divided, if you were a Greek or not a Greek. And I did not like that it was said with a negative connotation.

We are a huge organization. I mean think about it. Being Greek is basically like being in a club with thousands of other people. Thousands of people all involved in an organization that is founded on friendship, values, and service. So why do Greeks get this exclusive, negative reputation? People do not always realize the good Greek’s do for the community, and they instead think Greeks are only interested in bettering themselves and their chapter. But what if people stopped thinking this because Greeks worked on bettering the school?

Greeks do a lot of philanthropy and works of service. But often times, these philanthropy events are only advertised to other sororities and fraternities. Imagine how much more awareness and attention you could draw to helping your philanthropy if you got not only the Greek systems support, but rather the entire school. Inviting non-Greeks to these type of events would get the word out to the entire school and be inclusive of everyone.

As members of the Greek community, we have the power to make a positive difference not only in our community but towards the school as a whole. And while it is important to celebrate Greek life, it is also important to realize we go to schools where there are so many more people than just those involved in Greek life. We are, first, students of our University. As members of our organization, we have the power to better the school as a whole. Let’s make our schools a better place for everyone.