2008 Woodie Awards
Op/Ed: To win big, UWT Greek Life should think small
Daniel Nash
Daniel Nash
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Husky Voices
"Greek gone right" could be the new saying if University of Washington Tacoma decides to do their research and establish the start of a positive Greek Life on campus
This quarter, the campus' Office of Student Affairs will convene a council to determine the viability of a Greek community, and how said community would be implemented on UWT's campus.
While a freshman at UW Seattle, some of my fondest memories were as a pledge, and then brother, of Zeta Psi. After moving from California to attend college, my fraternity provided me with friendship, connection, a place on campus to call my own. However, the lifestyle was extremely demanding and distracting from academics, a fact that influenced my decision to transfer to UWT.
So when I learned that Cedric Howard, assistant vice chancellor of Student Affairs, was calling for an exploratory council to implement academic, philanthropic, and social 'frats,' I was skeptical. Certainly, a robust Greek community would further set UWT on the path of providing a 'traditional college experience,' already begun by last year's transformation into a four year campus. But in what way should it be done?
It would be simpler to answer how not to go Greek. UW Seattle's Greek system may at first seem the logical model for Tacoma to emulate. But consider its recent history: A young woman was attacked and seriously injured a few weeks ago. Last spring, two young women were attacked at a party by a guest who had hoped to become a member of a participating fraternity house. The spring prior, there was a house fire. And there have been multiple hazing scandals over the years, including one that hit my own fraternity the year before I joined.
This is not a condemnation of Greek systems, and it should be noted that none of the violent cases involved members of houses. Rather, the scandals, high crime rate and general disrepair of the neighborhood north of UW Seattle is the result of a Greek system that colonized independently of the university, and only later developed an active relationship. That relationship continues to be strained for reasons varying from safety to the existing stereotypes of 'frat boys' and 'sororsitutes' and their connection with university reputation.
This quarter, the campus' Office of Student Affairs will convene a council to determine the viability of a Greek community, and how said community would be implemented on UWT's campus.
While a freshman at UW Seattle, some of my fondest memories were as a pledge, and then brother, of Zeta Psi. After moving from California to attend college, my fraternity provided me with friendship, connection, a place on campus to call my own. However, the lifestyle was extremely demanding and distracting from academics, a fact that influenced my decision to transfer to UWT.
So when I learned that Cedric Howard, assistant vice chancellor of Student Affairs, was calling for an exploratory council to implement academic, philanthropic, and social 'frats,' I was skeptical. Certainly, a robust Greek community would further set UWT on the path of providing a 'traditional college experience,' already begun by last year's transformation into a four year campus. But in what way should it be done?
It would be simpler to answer how not to go Greek. UW Seattle's Greek system may at first seem the logical model for Tacoma to emulate. But consider its recent history: A young woman was attacked and seriously injured a few weeks ago. Last spring, two young women were attacked at a party by a guest who had hoped to become a member of a participating fraternity house. The spring prior, there was a house fire. And there have been multiple hazing scandals over the years, including one that hit my own fraternity the year before I joined.
This is not a condemnation of Greek systems, and it should be noted that none of the violent cases involved members of houses. Rather, the scandals, high crime rate and general disrepair of the neighborhood north of UW Seattle is the result of a Greek system that colonized independently of the university, and only later developed an active relationship. That relationship continues to be strained for reasons varying from safety to the existing stereotypes of 'frat boys' and 'sororsitutes' and their connection with university reputation.
Be the first to comment on this story