I’m not usually one to speak out on behalf of a larger campus issue, but I believe the Abolish Greek Life initiative deserves a public response. I want to begin this piece by noting that I am not a member of Greek life, but I was planning on rushing and immersing myself in its culture.
People’s opinions are flying across campus, overlapping, clashing, and causing a polarized community. While this is the last thing that Tufts wants, I do acknowledge and understand the necessity of addressing the problem at hand.
Greek life as a whole can be associated with exclusivity, discriminatory behavior, and the normalization of gender roles. This is nothing new, and neither is the desire to abolish Greek life. I have three older siblings, each of whom were members of different Greek organizations at big state schools. This gave me a small window into their experiences as members of fraternities and sororities. On the surface, it looked like the “ideal” college experience. However, after scrutinizing endless pictures of pledge classes, Bid Day videos, and stories about hazing and drinking, my previous optimism for my future in Greek life all but vanished. Uncomfortable with the lack of diversity, the peer pressure, the beauty standards, and the ubiquity of alcohol at social events, I stopped seeing myself as a sorority girl, especially considering that I had applied strictly to “small liberal arts schools on the east coast”—nothing about that screamed “sorority.”
But Tufts seemed to present a culture much different than that of my siblings’ schools. Despite being wary of Greek life’s traditions and attributes, I thought that maybe Tufts Greek life would be different. Maybe Tufts would foster a sense of inclusivity and diversity that I didn’t see at larger universities. While getting my footing at Tufts, I learned quickly that the Greek life here is far from perfect. And of course that calls into question what Tufts stands for and what ideals we’re actually promoting at this institution. In this light, I thank Tufts for taking allegations seriously and strengthening the voices of those who didn’t feel like they were being heard.
As I said, I am fully aware that the organization of Greek life may perpetuate stereotypes and inequalities that conflict with Tufts’ core values. However, these stereotypes and inequalities are constructed by groups of individuals here at Tufts University and around the world. This issue is not central to just Greek life at Tufts. This is an issue about people and one that must be confronted and improved through collective action.
So let me ask the central question to the topic at hand: when was the last time we abolished an institution and its underlying problem was fixed?
At its core, Greek life is supposed to represent a place where people are happy, a place where people feel safe, and a place where people can feel a sense of belonging. Why can’t Tufts work to turn Greek life into a community that does just that? All we are doing by “abolishing Greek life” is removing a surface level perpetrator of the issues we are desperately trying to fix.
We, at Tufts, are people who are educated so that we can go out into the world, find where real problems lie, reform them, and make the world a better place because of it.
So right now, we are being Un-Tufts. If you’re like me and haven’t found your ‘place’ here and were hoping that Greek life could be that for you, this is your time to stand up as a member of this community and work towards change.
Just like everyone else, I want to belong. But I want to belong to a place that I can be proud of. I have full faith that we as a community have the power to transform Greek life into a place that is reflective of Tufts’ desire to live up to our motto of pax et lux—peace and light. It’s something we all want, and it’s what we’re all fighting for. All it takes is people who care enough to get us there.
*The opinions expressed in this piece only reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Her Campus.