BY THE CONCORD STAFF
Brotherhood, sisterhood, good times and vintage college experiences are often qualities associated with Greek life at universities throughout America. The trials of pledging, the excitement of bid day, and big little reveal are all a part of the mythical Greek traditions that make Greek life so popular.
Unfortunately, those traditions are few and far between at Bellarmine University. Why? Because Bellarmine only boasts one fraternity and one sorority on campus, in additon to two other less traditional Greek organizations. If Bellarmine is serious about growing the school into one of the top universities in the South, it’s time for campus leaders to strongly consider approving the addition of more fraternities and sororities at Bellarmine.
Currently, Bellarmine only offers Alpha Delta Gamma, a fraternity, and Phi Mu, a sorority, on campus. For this, BU is a tease. It’s one thing to not have Greek life at all. It’s a whole different thing to offer one group of people for each respective gender on campus. Problems arise for students who want to pursue Greek life, but find that they don’t quite fit in with ADG or Phi Mu. They also may want a more traditional “Greek life” experience that differs from what Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, and Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed business fraternity.
Although ADG and Phi Mu do have rush weeks, it’s just not the same. The point of rush week is to visit several different Greek organizations and pick the best one. If Bellarmine only offers one group for each gender, the only choice for students to make is whether to participate in the watered down Greek-life system Bellarmine offers.
Opponents of Greek life at Bellarmine often say that fraternities and sororities promote cliques on campus.
“I love Bellarmine because I feel like we’re all one community and aren’t divided up into different social groups of people,” they often argue.
Nonsense. Everyone hangs out in cliques. That’s just the way life is. People hang out with people they like and share interests with. Greek life didn’t invent the idea of cliques. People did that long before Greek life came along, and it’ll persist long after Greek life is gone.
The real reason BU officials are afraid of Greek life is simple: they subscribe to the stereotypical view that Greek organizations exist solely for men and women to hang out, party and drink together. That narrative, however, is simply false.
Greek organizations get a bad rap for promoting reckless party atmospheres that foster environments that can lead to sexual assualt. However, most Greek organizations do a great job at deterring such activity.
Bellarmine’s ADG chapter recently held a White Ribbon Campaign event, which encouraged students and members of university communities to stand against violence against women. Does that seem like a bad group of guys to you?
If Bellarmine wants to compete with area colleges like Centre College and massive schools like the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, adding Greek life would go a long way in doing so. Greek life is a staple of college campuses everywhere, and expanding it would help BU in its quest to grow the university.