At universities across the country, Greek Life has become a keystone of campus social life; the chapters men and women join determine the friendships they have and establish the connections they make. Individuals who are part of these social groups believe the letters they wear are earned and take pride in the investment of time and money spent on their fraternities and sororities. Bonds are made and standards are set so when these principles are contradicted by the actions of one chapter or representation of the whole, it is not taken lightly, especially here at UTSA.
When the general public questions these principles of sisterhood and brotherhood, it’s easy for the Greek community to feel discouraged. But this is not a time when the Interfraternity Council (IFC) or Panhellenic Council (PHC) should accept defeat, and UTSA’s IFC/PHC has not. Greek Life has taken great measures to ensure chapters established here on campus adhere to the standards all chapters should live up to.
The recent University of Oklahoma controversy, in which the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter chanted racist words as a seemingly casual form of SAE pride and tradition, reminded organizations here on campus the effect just a few words can have on Greek communities everywhere. They are not just words; they evoke racist superiority that no chapter should ever participate in. Fraternities and sororities are facing undeserved generalizations and allegations from angry citizens on and off campus who, because of the poor actions of some chapters, now only see Greek Life in a negative light. Even celebrities like Will Ferrell, a former fraternity member himself, have spoken out about issues of elitism within Greek Life and eliminating it as a whole. Current UTSA IFC President, John Wynkoop, released a statement on behalf of the IFC about the recurring issues of racism in fraternities. “… We do not and will not tolerate any type of racist remarks shown within our chapters here,” he said. “I am proud of what our Interfraternity Council has accomplished, and we will continue to strive for the upmost university success and achievements here at our diverse campus.”
IFC and PHC also took to social media to deter the destructive image of Greek Life that could be rumored here at UTSA after negative news breaks about chapters elsewhere. One such action was the Tweet “sisterhood has no race” by UTSA PHC accompanied by a picture of Panhellenic members. Greek Life at UTSA knows the importance of maintaining diversity because the very city we lie in is a melting pot. Any roadrunner should be proud of the effort the various Greek Life atmospheres on campus have put toward turning something so wretched and negative into something we can learn from and improve on.