This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
A question that comes up often from perspective students to Siena, and even those who already attended, is why don’t we have a Greek system? Of course, the usually argument from administration is typically related to the fear of hazing and lack of inclusiveness associated with the pledging process. The possibility of Greek life stereotypes coming true makes the idea, both legally and ethically, anything but ideal for our Franciscan rooted school; however, what if Siena uncharacteristically let a fraternity and/or a sorority come on campus?
The benefits of Greek life have been hailed on almost every pro-Greek campus from all across the country. Pledging to a Frat or Sorority would give the immediate benefit of having a network of millions of brother and/or sisters and makes your resume look just a little bit more interesting. Yes, Siena’s alum network itself is fantastic, arguably one of the best aspects of the school; yet, why not expand the students ability to connect even further beyond the capital region? Siena graduates go far, literarily and figuratively, but combined that with the connections of a Greek association and probability of being able to network in any field of work is increased exponentially. Along with the potential career benefits, this connection can start helping students starting in their first year. Only going into my second semester here, I’m already hearing complaints that it can be a challenge to meet people outside of already established friend groups. It seems that many befriend those in their classes and dorm hall and know few outside of these domains. Yes, we all make a few friends in clubs but think of all the potential friends you never meet because of how quickly we become comfortable in the already designated friend groups.
Greek life could give the possibility of everyone, from bio to English to accounting majors, to have something to bond over that they all feel passionate about. Note that I am not making the assumption that everyone will get along. No organization is perfect, including Greek life, but this is just another life skill students would benefit from. We need to learn to work with those we don’t particularly like or wouldn’t expect to ever befriend. Welcome to adulthood! Brining together all different personalities would help make the campus more of a community than ever as a new level of tolerance for those that differ from us emerges. On top of this, community bonding can arise from the plethora of more frequented events.
Sororities and Fraternities often have mandatory events ranging from service to socializing events, often open to those even outside the Greek System. Yes, there are some events that may be exclusive, but since Siena has never had Greek life before, we could easily allow in Frats or Sororities that are more dedicated with making connections with the community as a whole. There are plenty of organizations that have open membership policies and may host events for the community at large. Plenty of Greek organizations even dedicated themselves to special causes such as service fraternities or sororities specializing in causes. Siena adamantly supports the Franciscan Center for Service. What makes a unified, national organization such as a frat/sorority any different?
I can recognize the obvious arguments against and I won’t say Greek life doesn’t bring some negatives aspects to campus. Not all stereotypes are unfound. They had to start with some grain of truth at one point or another. Plus, it’s expensive. Like, really expensive. As in thousands and thousands of dollars in membership fees, ceremony costs, and strongly suggested “donations.” This could lead to a marginalization between students of opposite socio-economic positions or simply cause tension between the student who desperately wants to pledge and a parent who’s already helping to pay for a Siena education in the first place. Not all Greek organizations have such high membership fees and Siena college could limit the establish of frats/sororities based on how accessible they are in this regard but none the less it remains a point of contention.
Another point that I’ve heard come up is the idea that Siena’s famous alum loyalty could erode with the focus split between school and Greek affiliation. I’m skeptical of this claim but I’ll bring it up anyways since I’m not sure it’s totally unfound. The idea is that alum will feel more ties to their frat/sorority then the school as a whole. This hypothetically would cause more donations to be aimed towards the Greek life rather then benefits to the student body as a whole. Your brothers/sisters in your designated Greek organization become like family, much in the same way the community as Siena attempts to portray the student body. Would we be divided with making our closes connections within an entity we identify as separate from Siena? Or would the connections make the school bond stronger over all?
I can’t say if I think massive start up of Greek organizations across campus would be best for Siena or not, but I do believe there are some really great benefits to letting a singular number exist on campus. Really, as such a small school, we could probably only sustain very few healthily anyways. Plus, the blatant refusal by the school is off putting for many potential students. Even if Siena frats/sororities would be more limited than compared to those on more Greek friendly campuses, the option of something rather then nothing is better than not.