Stereotypes overshadow fraternities’ philanthropic efforts
Terror.
That would be the word to describe it. Terror was the expression she wore on her face as she pulled her infant son closer to her side.
I doubt she even knew the funny looking “E” on my chest was actually a Sigma, and the “O” with the superimposed “I” was actually a Phi. But it didn’t matter. All she knew was that I was a frat boy – that I haze my pledges, mistreat women and, in my free time, drink beer and do keg stands until I puke on my shoes.
This lady, who essentially knew nothing about me, judged me on the spot outside the C gates at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
If she only knew that Sigmas are different than Epsilons, that Phis are different than Alphas, and that Lambdas are certainly no Gammas. In the end, it’s all the same nonsense to the person who is quick to assume the values of such organizations are all the same.
All Greek houses have their distinct personalities, different sets of values, and their own ways of abiding by them, but many people lump us all together into a single malignant ball of debauchery.
All too often the positive merits of a fraternity are overshadowed by assumptions of hazing, childish pranks and crushing beer cans against our heads after a game of beer pong.
What people don’t hear about is the thousands of hours of community service we contribute every year or the large amounts of money we raise for our respective philanthropies.
They don’t hear SigEp saves hundreds of lives a semester through their blood drive with United Blood Services. They don’t hear that Sigma Nu raises tens of thousands of dollars for St. Jude Foundation in their Chipping for Charity philanthropy.
Rather, people are quick to highlight the most recently publicized story of members involved in fights, bizarre hazing practices or alleged date rape, whether it be on our campus or not.
Instead of wearing Greek letters that day at the airport, I was sure I had mistakenly strapped dynamite to my chest and had two horns protruding out of my forehead while carrying a pitchfork. How I managed to get that far into the airport is beyond me. A part of me was half-expecting to be blindsided and subsequently tased by an overweight TSA guard.
The truth is that fraternity members are just normal college students. We go to school, stress about tests, have girlfriends and yes, we party every now and then. All that I ask of you is that instead of assuming the worst of me or any of my brothers, or believe we’re all the same cookie-cutter frat boy, take a leap of faith and get to know us.
After all, it may be the both of us who are missing out on a great friendship.
Memo Sanchez is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
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February 13th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Hey brother my name is Manuel and we met at Carlson’s. Saw this article on the web and just wanted tos ay good articles man keep up the great work brother. My email is M_alvarado_10@hotmail.com