Recognize Vs Unrecognized Greek Organizations
My old Uni always seems to come up against this wall and can’t seem to get around it agreeably.
Recognized Greek organizations versus Unrecognized Greek Organizations
The simple truth is it isn’t a matter of one being ‘better’ than another. They function differently, yes. In most cases it is wiser to go with a school recognized organization (Greek or otherwise) but it’s not about that non-recognized organizations are inherently bad. The problem comes from those unrecognized organizations that participate in dangerous/scandalous activities. Underage drinking and hazing are really the tip of the iceberg.
School recognized organizations are covered by insurance, something almost no unrecognized organization has (particularly those who don’t have a national headquarters or aren’t recognized by a national headquarters). Within school parameters you know you have a safety network if something goes wrong, whether in day to day happenings or at a special event. Security can be asked for (or in some cases is required), you have access to medical personnel if needed/desired, you have places on campus to meet as an organization.
Schools might ask students not to associate with non-recognized organizations but it’s not (necessarily) because they don’t approve of the organizations, it is that these organizations don’t have the built in safety net that recognized ones do. If someone gets hurt at a party, they better hope someone there gives a damn and calls an ambulance. If they are hazing they are breaking school codes (almost all school have anti-hazing rules on the book) and you can get suspended or expelled from school for participating EVEN OFF CAMPUS!!! They might also be violating state and federal laws and not even know it because they don’t have the support system in place!
The other problem is that the general public don’t care if a Greek organization is recognized by a school or not; they don’t differentiate. They see our letters (ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ, it’s all Greek to non-Greeks okay? You hear it all the time, it’s SO TRUE) and they don’t care if they are for an academic, social, philanthropic, whatever organization. There are music fraternities/sororities(ΦΜΑ, ΣΑΙ), major fraternities (Tri-Beta, ΔΣΠ, ΚΔΠ, etc), honors (ΣΑΠ), and even religious (ΧΑ) besides the more well-know and more often thought of ‘social’ Greek organizations. Off-campus organizations have a tendency to make a lot of bad press for themselves with the problems they can get into and when they make trouble for themselves they get the rest of the Greek community in trouble right along with them because all Greeks can end up being dragged through the mud with them in the eyes of the community. So the recognized Greeks have to make two or three times the effort to do community service and build up their image within their community to make up for this.
The worse part is that the issue can create a huge rift on campus. Friendships can end because of it, roommates become worst enemies, unrecognized organizations feel a need to retaliate for the ‘bad press’ they’re getting on campus, recognized organizations feel stifled when people go to unrecognized organizations because they ‘don’t have to follow the rules’ or some other crap. It’s a ridiculous situation that shouldn’t have to happen. Organizations should just follow the rules, be they school, state, or federal. If they did they would all be recognized and the debate would finally be over.
Honestly, why would these organizations fight to stay OFF campus and Unrecognized?? I don’t know anyone to ask who could actually give me an answer. Do members still pay dues? Are you okay with risking your members lives every time you have an event? Are you okay with the fact that you aren’t ‘allowed’ to even be an organization on campus? (I know our unrecognized are discouraged from wearing their letters on campus and on some campuses I’ve heard you can get in actual trouble like fines for wearing them on campus.)
I don’t know, I’m just tired of hearing people getting pissy about it left and right. I wish they could just step back and discuss the issue without getting riled up and hostile.
Xx
