social value of greeks
by: OnceIwasyouAs the parent whose son will enroll at UF this fall, I have been reading this site. Unfortunately, if this site is representative of today’s Greek members, I’m disappointed by the pettiness that I read. Although I’m a conservative Republican and support individual freedoms, what I read here supports the liberal Democrat attacks on Greeks. The message that I get here is that Greek life is one of the last vestiges of a class system in college life where, whiteness, looks, and money dominate one’s social status. I can now understand why college administrations are trying to move to a “residential-college” system that is both inclusive and egalitarian. UF’s Greeks appear to be out of touch with the new and future America. I hope that I am wrong and that it’s just the bad apples that get on this site.
Comment#2 by: anihc
#4 by: Also a parent
OnceIwasyou,
I get what you're saying about elitism, and some houses seeming (or actually being) unwelcoming to students of different racial and economic backgrounds. Different houses have different personalities and cultures, and some of those might be troubling.
Regarding troubling culture, I've been watching what's happening at FSU and UF. (This site doesn't allow URLs in posts, so these links won't work. But you can copy/paste them.)
FSU suspended all Greek organizations for a while after a student died: orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-fsu-greeks-suspend ed-20171106-story.html
That was a good move because it put everything on pause so people could take a serious look at the culture and make some changes.
UF will have to grapple with problems in its Greek culture as well: alligator.org/news/article_2451fdf6-0d4e-11e8-b793-b350a901d 95b.html
It's the early days of that story, but already the fraternity involved -- Kappa Sigma -- has been closing ranks. Something toxic is going on, and I expect that UF and/or the Kappa Sigma national organization will suspend the local chapter. It's time for introspection and changes.
Separately, yes, this site is a showcase for petty behavior. Many posts are throwbacks to middle school. Part of that is the purpose of this site -- it's greekrank, not greekchatter or greekintelligentdiscourse. It's designed to be frivolous with a focus on social standing. You won't see many serious conversations about the issues you mention (race, looks, money) here, but that doesn't mean they're not happening. They're just not happening here.
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by: Not HahvadFeb 12, 2018 8:42:33 PM
And before you invoke Harvard again, that's a private institution. As a public institution, UF is subject to the first amendment.
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