You see it on Yik Yak. You read it on GreekRank. You hear it all over campus, and it applies to all Greeks, not just sororities, at nearly every university.
Tiers.
No, I am not spelling “tears” wrong, as in tears of sorrow or joy. I’m talking tiers, as in “a level or grade within the hierarchy of an organization or system,” as defined by Google.
In other words, tiers are how we rank our own Greek organizations in comparison to others and how others rank us among the Greek community. But why do we do this? Who does it benefit? Certainly not those who are considered “bottom tier”.
So what does it mean to be “bottom tier”? After reading some posts on GreekRank about chapters that are considered bottom tier, I’ve seen things like, “This chapter isn’t even worthy of Greek letters” or “So ugly it hurts”. Who are these posts written by? And who gave them the right to define the worth of another chapter?
And what about the people stuck in the “middle tier”? Are they average or irrelevant? Lost in the mix between the worst and the best? Only noticed when they do something that stands out?
Oh, and let’s not forget the “top tier” organizations. You know, those one or two chapters everyone hopes to receive a bid from, but only the lucky few actually will. They are at the top of everyone’s bid list from day one, and they know it. People post about their “beautiful new pledge class” and how involved they are on campus, but even the “top tier” chapters can’t catch a break. If you’re gorgeous then you must be stuck up and made of daddy’s money.
So, who really wins? The chapters that aren’t even worthy of their letters, the chapters that are forgotten, or the chapters that are beautiful and pretentious?
Well, I have an easy solution to this problem: let’s stop all the tiers.
With so many different organizations with unique values and morals, how can we be expected to pick the same types of people to share them with? When you go through recruitment—or when you are on the other side of it—the goal is to look for the people you click with, the people you want to share memories of a lifetime with. It’s not about who has the best rep on campus or who looks the best. It’s about spending the next four years with people you love by your side.
So, next time you hear someone talking about that weird guy in a bottom tier fraternity, remind them that they chose that organization the same way we all did—based on the love they had for the people in it.
