When you hear the word Greek what do you think of? I know I think of Zeus and Aphrodite some of the most powerful Greek gods known to man. The term Greek is also used in the college setting and even the Greek Letters are used to promote status in college. The term “being Greek” simply means that you are a member like the author of a “Greek Letter Organization” A sorority or a fraternity in college. Affectionately known as Fraternities (for men) or Sororities (for woman) these organizations foster dedication and kinship in college along with a unique outlook on life and people in society.
At Indiana university of Pennsylvania it is no different from thousands of colleges; young men and woman carry the theory that if you are not Greek then you do not have status. I am a proud member of Phi Kappa Psi and I have seen how status is associated with being in a Greek Organization on IUP’s Campus. Being in a fraternity is an amazing way to meet new people and network all across your campus. It is here that you meet all kinds of people sharing in the same values that most college kids have. These values are the need to rebel, drink, have sex, and have a good time all and all.
Phi Kappa Psi has a long line of tradition stretching back to the year of 1852 when the fraternity was founded. Founders of Phi Kappa Psi were dedicated college kids with a strong sense of helping others. Charles Page Thomas Moore and William Henry Letterman founding fathers of Phi Kappa Psi were nursing friends back to health out at Jefferson College in Western Pennsylvania. The students on the campus were suffering from influenza and needed to be watched until they were better. William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore stepped up and took charge of this cry for aid fostering the values of a fraternity that would lead them to still be remembered today.
I must be honest and I must say that when I first started thinking about joining a fraternity the first things that popped into my mind were parties, drinking, and girls. As I pledged though I began to find that it is not about the girls because the come and go, it is not about the drinking because all that does is hurt you in the long run. Parties are fun but they also are not what being in a fraternity is all about. The truth of the matter is that being in a fraternity or sorority is all about having a brotherhood or sisterhood that lasts. It is all about the guys or girls standing next to you that have been there and know everything you have gone through because they went through the same things to become a member.
Phi Kappa Psi is a fraternity that was founded on “selflessly helping others” this simple concept has lead to “great joy of serving others”. Not every fraternity lives by these generous gestures displaced on every Phi Psi Brother. Risky decisions, behaviors, and ego’s other members of “Greek Life” possess including not only fraternities but sororities also, Lead to “non-Greeks” to think that all Greeks are the same. Risky decisions, behaviors along with members of Greek Organization’s egos give insight to the way “being Greek” is interpreted.
The writer of this paper through research and long nights of stress wants answers to why people holding Greek letters participate in risk behaviors, and make risky decisions more than “non-Greek’s”. I want to know why Greek Organizations have bad reputations when it comes to drugs and alcohol and what leads to making such risky decions and practicing risky behaviors in the Greek community.
The methods I chose to use while researching this topic were refereed journals, personal experiences, and other online sources found on the internet. After many revisions and many long nights of writing hopefully I will come up with an answer to these mysteries I am researching.
Further looking into the issue I would like to give you a little more in-depth look at why I chose to research this topic and why it is such a personal endeavor of my own. It is no secret that fraternities, sororities, and half of college kids across the United States drink. Most of which is illegal and if caught would land them in a lot of trouble possibly ruining their futures. But the decisions are still made to drink and drink lots. Fraternities and sororities are more focused on alcohol consumptions, and for some reason think that quantity is the best way to go. Simply stated how much you can drink the faster you can the better off and more fun you will have. This is one of the top risky decisions among some of them which will be addressed in this paper.
Chris Rock