Last week, Georgetown students received two emails regarding Greek life on campus. On September 14, the administration sent out a message reminding students of their unchanged policy on social fraternities and sororities and explaining their reasoning behind the policy. The next day, an email from the GUSA executive team sought to “refute some of [the administration’s email’s] misconceptions about Georgetown students who are members of fraternities and sororities.” Within the GUSA email, the executives attempted to lay out a series of arguments in support of such organizations on campus and defend Georgetown students who participate in Greek life.
While we acknowledge that this email is not an explicit endorsement in favor of the University recognizing fraternities and sororities on campus, it represents a step toward that direction. Enushe Khan (MSB ‘17) and Chris Fisk (COL ‘17) ran on a platform seeking greater inclusion of Greek life on campus. Although it has long been the position of this editorial board that the University should not recognize or provide access to benefits for Greek organizations on campus, we endorsed the pair as the only truly viable choice in a fraught election. Still, this editorial board takes issue with both some of the content and the general sentiment of the email sent by GUSA in support of Greek life at Georgetown, and urges Khan and Fisk to reconsider their position.
As stated, it has long been the position of this editorial board that the University should not recognize Greek organizations. In the past, we have cited the safety and wellbeing of Georgetown students to defend our position. Too often, fraternities around the country display inexcusable behavior like severe hazing and binge drinking that put students at risk. While such severe examples as can be found elsewhere may not exist at Georgetown, this editorial board believes that a move toward more recognition of these groups by the administration could lead to these dangerous behaviors becoming more commonplace. A decision to recognize Greek organizations on campus would legitimize the organizations and their behavior and would undoubtedly increase their popularity. What’s more, the provision of student resources to organizations whose main purpose is social would be inappropriate and unfair.
In addition to the general sentiment displayed in the email sent by GUSA, we take issue with some of the specific points made by the executives.
In the middle of GUSA’s email, there were three points brought up to push back against the University’s original letter. The first was “the social and professional fraternities and sororities on our campus represent an authentically diverse range of student backgrounds and experiences.” This is undoubtedly true, however it in no way refutes any of the claims made by the administration, which sought to describe structural problems within these groups, rather than to confront any individual student’s decision to join a fraternity or sorority.
The second point made by GUSA was that “across the board, they have higher acceptance rates than many well-regarded access-to-benefits student organizations and Georgetown University itself.” Again, this may be true, but it fails to acknowledge two important details. The first is that fewer people on campus are interested in Greek life because of its lowered presence on campus. If such organizations are recognized and allowed a larger role, then their acceptance rates would likely decline. On top of this, outrageously high dues within these organizations make them significantly less accessible to the majority of the student body than other clubs on campus, which, however low their acceptance rates might be, pose less of a financial burden on potential members.
Beyond this, it is unclear to us why this is the issue upon which GUSA have been the most visibly active. As it stands, the sexual assault task force has began working to bring attention to the disturbing statistics brought forth by the Student Sexual Assault Survey and work on ways to limit them in the future. Certainly such actions are more worthy to be brought to the attention of Georgetown students.
GUSA’s email sought “to acknowledge that [Greek life is] an important part of many students’ Georgetown experiences,” a position with which this editorial board agrees. Yet we feel that the administration is right in refusing to recognize such organizations officially, and urge GUSA executives to do the same.
