We can do a lot of different things, but we don't do Greek

I write this in reaction to the 28 March 1997 editorial concerning Greek societies at Oberlin.

In the last semester of my senior year at Oberlin, I remember that there was also a lot of talk about the Greek societies that seemed to have popped up over night on campus. Like the rest of the apathetic herd that was pushing at the exit gates to freedom, I saw the mass appearance of Greek sweatshirts as just one in a long series of signs that, indeed, this school was truly going to hell in a handbag. But as long as the good folks at Wilder kept plying us with quarter beers on Tuesday night, we were content to ignore anything that might happen between the `Sco and graduation.

Now, having joined in the mass exodus to the wage-earning purgatory I'd formally thought of as "freedom," I realize that perhaps we made a mistake. I have worked on three separate university campuses since I've left that midwest ivory tower -one of the campuses was relatively unknown, one a state school, and one a well-known private university -and all of those campuses have had very active Greek societies. In fact, I still work on one of these Greek-infested campuses.

Sometimes, after I've left the office and headed to one of the local taverns to enjoy a refreshing beverage, I look over the rim of my amber-filled glass and watch as two or three fraternity brothers engage in the timeless ritual of male bonding by pounding shots of Goldschlager and then punching each other repeatedly while screaming obscenities at the tops of their lungs. In the corner, perhaps, will be a group of women with identical coiffures in strikingly similar clothes. These sorority sisters talk about the last "mixer" with Gamma Gamma Gamma or Beta Beta Beta, and it becomes immediately apparent that their collective IQ is alarmingly smaller than my shoe size. Sometimes, on a Friday evening, I find myself having to pick my way carefully through the maze of drunken, sick, or passed out bodies of these Greek members as I try to make my way unaccosted to my car, only to discover that some testosterone driven Jethro has been egged on by his "brothers" to key his initials in my door.

I assure you that never in all my time being surrounded by fraternities and sororities have I ever thought, "Now why couldn't my college have been like this?" Ask any administrator on any college campus about the troubles that they have had with Greek societies and they are liable to regale you with many entertaining stories of hazing, vandalism, alcohol abuse, sexual assaults, etc. And I'm afraid that this kind of behavior just isn't excused by having these hung-over little cherubs peddling raffle tickets for the local children's hospital. Greek societies only do a community dis-service.

One of the reasons why I went to Oberlin, and one of the reasons why I have always recommended Oberlin (despite all its many problems), was the absence of a Greek society. Yes, I'm certain that there are Greek organizations which are respectable, socially-active, community-oriented groups, just as I am certain that there are Jehovah's Witnesses who do not bang incessantly on your front door and litter your porch with the last 400 issues of The Watchtower while gleefully chattering on about spreading the good news - but which group are you likely to remember? Let's face it, folks, one bad Jehovah's Witness spoils the holy bunch, and I think that's the issue to which we all have to attend.

If you open up Oberlin College to black Greek organizations, you have to open it up to ALL Greek organizations. And that means opening it up to the many other problems which accompany such groups. Is that something we really want for Oberlin College? I hope not.

To those of you who belong or would like to belong to a Greek organization, I would say, "Hey, fine. More power to you, my friend. Don't let the gates of academic freedom hit you on the way out." I understand your desire for the camaraderie and support-system that fraternities and sororities can provide. We all need something to lean on at times, it's human. It's just that our particular coffee shop doesn't serve your brand of java, okay? But luckily there happen to be 4000 plus other coffee shops in this great Mall of Academia, each with its own peculiar blend of beans and spices, so feel free to pop over and patronize them. Just don't ask us to switch the menu to Taster's Choice because you can't seem to stomach the taste of Blue Kona. And if that seems particularly harsh, I would advise you to read the menu next time before you sit down and order. We can do a lot of different things, my friends, but we don't do Greek.

-Robert J. Anthony is OC '94

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