This IS NOT a factual statement. I don’t know which members of which houses you have been talking to (one member of one house does not constitute all members of all houses), but that is a very dangerous statement to put out as fact.

What people outside of the system don’t understand is the unity amongst members. When something happens to one house, it affects all of the houses in profound ways. And some people just don’t understand that bond.

I assume the “business-as-usual” you reference is because of the “factual” statement you present. Your fact is fiction and not “business-as-usual.”

The Phi Delt incident really is a tragedy. I know many of the pledges and I could not begin to tell you how upset each one is because their house has been shut down. However, just because you no longer have the title as Phi Delts, does not mean your friendship has to end. Not everyone in the house was involved with the hazing incident and its sad to see everyone being punished for it. Also, Phi Delt was a dry house and it seems like everyone thinks the incident took place at their house, but it was at another location.

I also feel like I am constantly being told that the Greeks here tend to separate themselves from the non-Greeks or that we don’t step up and take leadership opportunities. Please take a look at the members of SAB or Student Senate or PMACs or any other organization on campus, Greeks hold a position in almost every organization. We are leaders on campus.

I also think that it is important to hear Greek and non-Greek opinions on the things that have been happening around campus. If we exclude the thoughts and opinions of people who aren’t in our organization, we are telling people that we only care about ourselves and that their opinions don’t matter. Greek life is going to get an even worse reputation if this happens.

And one last thing, saying that every house hazes is bullshit in my opinion. After I decided to become a pledge, I was extremely worried about being hazed and the members of my house told us time after time that hazing is not acceptable and we have very strong rules against it. To this day, and I am now an active member, I have never been hazed by my organization and I have friends in different houses who have also never been hazed.

Its sad to see that the actions of one house is bringing down everyone in the Greek Community. We all understand the dangers of alcohol and hazing. Students on campus are constantly being reminded about what happened. I think its time to bring the incident to an end, stop publishing articles, stop getting the press involved, stop with the signs and lectures. We are being overwhelmed with the Phi Delt incident and honestly, the students stopped listening awhile ago. It will be easier for the Phi Delts to move on from the situation and in the end the student population, the Greeks and non-Greeks, are going to make their own decisions. If those decisions are good or bad is for us to find out but regardless of everything we’re reading and being told, we most likely are not going to act differently. It’s sad but its true and its our college experience.

My counter would be that maybe it is you that just doesn’t get it (and by you, I refer to those in the Greek system that think they are special and above the law, and the GDI members of the Drake community).

What’s so dangerous about this factual statement: Greek houses haze their initiates by using alcohol to poison them. I’ve never talked to a single Greek that would deny this. Not one. Your “secret” isn’t safe anymore.

The Phi Delt incident should be the nail in the coffin for the business-as-usual way of business that the entire Greek community has been living under up to point. If it serves as the nail in the coffin of the Greek system at Drake, all the better. It’s a win-win situation.

It’s not that you don’t have a place to comment on Greek life, but when you make it ignorant, then people will tell you that you just don’t get it. Making broad generalizations of the houses is very dangerous. Yes, there are problems, but the good far outweigh the bad. So when some have said the Phi Delt incident should be the nail in the coffin for the Greek community or that all houses are like this, yes, we do get upset because you don’t understand.

I am proud to have been a member when we came to this futuristic decision and hope that others now see us in a slightly different light.

And yes the Phi Delts ALWAYS kicked us around in sports. At least the TKEs will be there to play this winter.

(However we WON the academic trophy every year I was there, with me having the lowest score in the house.)