Greek life has proven controversial on college campuses around the nation due to its complex social and ethical impacts, including incidents of sexual assault, hazing and discrimination. In response, some UO Greek life organizations are working to shift the narrative.
Greek life, a collection of social and philanthropic collegiate organizations known as fraternities and sororities, is prevalent at the University of Oregon, encompassing 33 separate Greek organizations and 15% of the undergraduate population according to the UO Alumni Network.
Dating back to the 1800s, students have sought out a role in Greek life in hopes of gaining networking, leadership experience, philanthropic opportunities and lifelong friendships. However, these values are often overshadowed by a pervasive party culture and a system rife with controversy. According to Time Magazine, 73% of fraternity and sorority members experience hazing; and in 2021, a UO study found that students in Greek life were over three times as likely to have experienced non-consensual sexual contact.
Some members of Greek life have collaboratively recognized these issues and are working to make a positive influence in their community.
Grace Gibbs, former president of Gamma Phi Beta sorority at UO and senior political science major, talked about the backbone of the chapter and how they work to counter these concerns. For instance, social media platforms like TikTok have highlighted the inequities in Greek life recruitment processes at colleges like the University of Alabama, where stereotypes related to social and financial status are widespread.
“Looking at Bama Rush on Tiktok has… clarified to me that certain factors such as social status are still valued at some chapters,” Gibbs said. “Chapters on [the] UO campus have made efforts to make recruitment more opening and welcoming to anyone.”
Gibbs said that chapters on campus have made changes to their recruitment process to be more inclusive, such as disregarding legacy status and having more payment options, but noted that there is much work yet to be done.
Claire Somerset, a sophomore and education major at UO, said her recruitment experience “was really overwhelming with school starting and so many people talk to.” but then touched on the process of doing Continuous Open Bidding. COB is an option in the winter and spring quarters for people who might not have gotten the chance to go through formal recruitment in the Fall or were concerned about it being the right place for them.
“With COB, there’s more time to talk to people and open up. It’s more of an intimate connection between the chapter and the potential new members,” Somerset said. “I thought it’d be more stereotypical and after being in it, I learned it’s more about philanthropy and supporting their causes. It’s women supporting women.”
Some other sororities and fraternities are making efforts to leave a sustainable footprint. Greeks Go Green is an environmental conservation organization on campus run entirely by Greek life members. The club hosts events to raise money and awareness for different local causes through hosting vendors and even house bands associated with fraternities on campus.
Kennedy Mann, a recent alum and social media head for Greeks Go Green, said philanthropic work can help broaden perspectives about Greek life.
“When [Greek life members] get involved in different organizations, that starts to change the perspective that others hold [about Greek life],” Mann said. “Greek life provides a type of megaphone for the campus community because it offers a way to understand what is going on and what campus has to offer.”
While these philanthropic efforts represent a positive step for UO Greek life organizations, debates over the merits of Greek life are unlikely to be settled anytime soon.
[Editor’s note: Some statements in this article have been amended or removed to better reflect The Daily Emerald’s standards of objectivity.]
