IGC should let AEPi become legit
First of all, great reporting on the AEPi situation. I wanted to write this letter sooner, but an overabundance of work prevented me from doing so. I thought I'd missed the IGC-AEPi boat, but I picked up last week's Signal and there was another front page article about the battle. Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity (and extra ammunition) to voice my opinion.
Now, to my problem. No, let's call it confusion, because frankly, regarding IGC's behavior, I'm confused. We're college students, right? Why, then, is the IGC treating AEPi as if it's that "bad seed" kindergartener who can't be given certain privileges for fear he or she will abuse them?
I'm talking about the fact that IGC keeps denying AEPi's membership request(s), despite the fact that AEPi is apparently in compliance with the College's prerequisites for becoming a recognized on-campus fraternity.
Am I getting the wrong impression here? Because it seems like there is some definite miscommunication between the two organizations. For example, the Mar. 21 Signal states that "Max Marshall, president of the unrecognized colony, denied in an e-mail that AEPi has violated the rules IGC accused it of violating."
I visited IGC's Web site, and there was no immediately visible link to a page describing formation of a new Greek organization. Wouldn't this be a good feature, considering the fact that AEPi can't seem to get its act together? Then again, is there anything AEPi can do to get in IGC's good graces?
Last week's front page article, "Greek sanctions freeze out AEPi," begs to differ. Now, not only is AEPi not allowed to meet under that name, but other Greek organizations are being banned from joining (the nameless) AEPi in any sort of philanthropic events, or any other events for that matter.
This doesn't really portray IGC in the brightest of lights, now, does it? In fact, I'm almost tempted to argue that IGC comes off as one of the stereotypical organizations over which it holds power: They are the "cool" kids, flaunting their letters and stepping on those less powerful. This isn't high school, and so I don't understand why such displays of dominance are necessary.
Frustrations aside, something needs to change. I'm not part of a Greek organization, nor do I plan to be during my time at the College, so IGC's actions don't personally affect me. However, I have a few friends involved in Greek life (as well as a friend who would love to be a part of AEPi), and they work so hard to fight the common mindset that all brothers and sisters are nothing more than a bunch of hard-partying, "Animal House" wannabes with a penchant for terrorizing their new members.
Maybe IGC should look inward and take a cue from its members. We're all adults here, so let's start acting our age.
Susan Pedersen
AEPi would destroy Greek civilization
I find it ridiculous how The Signal has handled this whole AEPi issue. Somehow The Signal has made AEPi look like it deserves a place on this campus, that the Greek community is dying to let them in and that Fraternity and Sorority Programs Coordinator Pam Mirabelli hates AEPi and is oppressing them.
AEPi is excluded from participating in Greek activities for the same reason we don't let suspended organizations participate in Greek Life. We want to send a clear message to them that if you're not registered to play then you can't play. If we let them participate in all of our functions, then what is going to stop every group of eight guys claiming to be a fraternity from coming in and doing whatever the hell they feel like?
That would destroy an already poor image of Greek life here at the College. It would also promote underground pledging of organizations which are "up and coming" and could be a massive lawsuit waiting to happen. The Signal has strongly opposed underground pledging in the past.
There are seven classic fraternities at this time and it is not like all of them are pulling in pledge classes of ridiculous size, turning away people left and right. Sororities cleaned up this spring with 120 girls coming out to Round Robin. This freshman class was only about 30 percent male out of 1,100 people. That's about 350 guys for those of you who don't have a calculator. Of that 350 only 15 percent went Greek, which narrows it down to about 53. Now we divide 53 guys by seven organizations, throw a couple sophomores into the mix and that is around 10 guys per organization. Some better, some worse.
That is not a lot of guys to keep an organization running. That doesn't even touch upon multi-cultural organizations, who often struggle a lot more with recruitment. We are not a deep southern school with pledge classes of 50+ guys; these fraternities need all the people they can get.
Another organization will absolutely be detrimental to the fraternity community as a whole. Plus, it shows the guys that did not go Greek that they don't need to pledge a current organization; they can just find a national one to sponsor them and make their own.
I have friends at AEPi in other schools and I know that it is a great organization. I wish them the best. But Mirabelli was hired to protect the best interests of the Greek community and she has clearly stated, much like the rest of the Greek community, that AEPi is not in the Greek community's best interest or campus' best interest.
Matt Williamson
