living up to espoused greek values
by: ZougirlAfter a pretty bad experience at the ΦΚΘ house recently, I ended up wondering about Mizzou fraternities and sororities and tried to figure out whether we have a Greek system that lives up to its espoused values or whether we have a Greek system that says everything we talk about in ritual really isn't the center of our lives. It seems that what went on that night at ΦΚΘ, and what previously has taken place repeatedly at ΣΦΕ, ΚΑ, and ΔΥ and numerous other fraternities, actually demonstrates that the primary center of our lives is alcohol culture, where we focus on parties and irresponsible drinking. What does the future really hold for Mizzou Greek Life when so many of us so often do so much to impede our living up to espoused Greek Values?
#1by: Agree
Thanks, Zougirl! I'm glad to know that there is someone else who is concerned about the image of Greeks at Mizzou. Too many of us are overly concerned with degrading other sororities and their members when we should be trying harder to live up to the values of our organizations and presenting a more wholesome image.
Comment#2by: IAgreeTwo
I really do agree, too. However, sorority members aren't the only ones into degrading ... fraternity men do the same thing. But, I'm not saying this excuses the way many of us do act. Zougirl is on the right track in questioning what the future holds for Greek Life at Mizzou. All of Greek societies are founded on strong and admirable values, and too many of us loose sight of them and fail to live up to what we say we supposedly support. Is it too late for us to get our act together. How many of our fraternities have to been expelled before we start acting more responsibly?
by: Zougirl
I thought I made it pretty clear that behavior resulting from a focus on alcohol is what happened at Phi Kappa Theta.
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#4by: now
At SigEp we are committed to eliminating the constant stereotypes often associated with fraternities through the award-winning Balanced Man Program which seeks to create a newer version of what it means to be a part of a fraternity by being an all-around gentleman both within and outside of SigEp by demonstrating excellence in the classroom, leadership among peers, and commitment to health and wellness.
by: LOL....
by: Zougirl
This all sounds nice and looks nice on paper, but actions really do speak louder than words and SigEp actions don't seem as nice as words on paper.
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by: 8
Guys that join around the same time usually end up running the fraternity at the same time. When you pledge together, you have to work together to accomplish goals and when you fail everyone loses. The BMP separates the guys into "individualized learning experiences" that otherwise should be pledging together and keeps them from learning valuable lessons about teamwork and about each other that they should have learned during their pledgeship. They are forced to work with each other on the execboard having very little experience and knowledge of each other.
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by: Not so True.....
Obviously the BMP must not be working that good if Sig Ep nationally keeps shutting down chapters every year.
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#5by: Greekfacts
The public image of fraternities and sororities is far from what it should be; and both fraternities and sororities are responsible for the negativity that we so often have to confront. The Greek system has so much to offer our university/college communities, and we Greeks belong to a variety of organizations that all have something quite basic in common - values and standards. Unfortunately, many of us ignore values and standards in pursuit of hedonism and certainly do focus on what's been previously described here as an alcohol culture. It's disappointing to, at times, see negative responses and reactions to calls for responsible stances to the alcohol culture and, instead, a focus on Greek values and ideals. Seriously, if we don't begin to take steps toward more responsible behavior, we do face a very real possibility of the disappearance of fraternities and sororities from our university and college campuses. I find it hard to believe that any of us would really want this to happen.
by: Agree!
I agree with what's been said. However, I wish I could be more hopeful about our Greek peers doing something positive to insure that Greek life continues. Both Greekfacts and I, sadly, will have "thumbsdowns" and negative comments; and that leaves me wondering just why the Greek system should continue and what's the point of trying to work together to insure continuance of the Greek system and to improve our image and reputation. Why do so many seem to not give a damn?
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by: Greekgal
The previous poster suggests that there is a pan-Greek, not just fraternity, obligation for responsible action. She's right. We sorority women have some degree of responsibility regarding what fraternities do. It's not something easy to admit, but we do encourage and support the alcohol culture driving many fraternity actions. When the University and national fraternity headquarters take disciplinary action against chapters, they sometimes overlook or ignore that the fraternities could be motivated by what they think we women expect. So both fraternities and sororities might consider working together to improve the image of Greek life.
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