When Emerald publisher Ryan Frank asked me how this news organization could strengthen ties with Fraternity and Sorority Life last summer, I was a little hesitant. The relationship — or lack thereof — between the two groups was frosty, punctuated by miscommunication, mistrust and infrequent pieces of bad publicity. At the time, it seemed like too tall a mountain to climb.
Admittedly, discontent between campus newspapers and Greek life is nothing new. Houses complain about appearing in print only in connection to drug busts, chapter closings and wrongful deaths. Newspapers complain that community service and philanthropies, while commendable, lack newsworthiness.
And it’s not just state schools waging this war.
As recently as last month, The Harvard Crimson wrote an article @@checked@@strongly criticizing the school’s growing fraternity and sorority population.
“Of course, Greek organizations rely not only on gender division, but also on arbitrary exclusivity,” the article — authored by the “Crimson staff” — said.
It may be worth noting this paper’s current most-read article is a breakdown of Harvard’s “15 Hottest Freshmen,” but I digress.@@A fairly obvious shot across the bow, eh?@@
I believe that especially here, at a school that places such a premium on fostering a caring, supportive atmosphere, @@http://pages.uoregon.edu/uosenate/UOmissionstatement.html@@there’s plenty of middle ground to seize. Opening a channel of communication — one of this page’s core objectives — is the first step toward establishing a mutually beneficial relationship between FSL and the Emerald.
Of course, there are practical benefits to a link between the two organizations. Fraternity and Sorority Life receives a powerful vehicle in the ever-present battle against stereotypes and misconceptions — more ink to present a more realistic reflection of Greek life to the masses. Alternately, the Emerald taps into a resource of more than 12 percent of the student population, full of leaders and readers.
It’s important to remember the success of the Emerald’s Greek page will ultimately be decided by Greek members. For the most part, this bimonthly page will be by and for the FSL community.
We encourage letters to the editor, guest commentaries and news regarding philanthropy and community service. We hope to provide practically useful calendars and event previews, house features and profiles on leaders in the Greek community. In short, we’re limited only by our shared commitment to building a sustainable partnership.@@er…why are we doing this? I don’t understand. PR for FSL? seems like it@@ @@I was under the impression that we’re trying to repair our relationship@@
And as always, in the spirit of the Emerald, opportunities to get involved (freelance and otherwise) will exist for students in and out of the Greek community.
These two organizations have much in common. Both FSL and the Emerald provide an irreplaceable service to campus and the extended community. Both are evolving and expanding in uncertain environments — locally and nationally. Maybe most importantly, I believe both still haven’t reached their potential.
Yes, there’s a mountain to climb, but we have to start somewhere. Welcome to ODE Greek.
Welcome to ODE Greek, a new source for Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University
Daily Emerald
November 13, 2011
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