In the past four years, I have seen the so-called "Greek issue" come and go on the campus of Oberlin College and in the pages of the Review, and have been reticent about responding. Reticent, that is, until now. I am sitting in my room on a Friday night writing this letter to the editor directly after reading Robert J. Anthony's essay entitled "We can do a lot of things, but we don't do Greek." I have not felt so compelled to respond to the thinly veiled accusations of deceit and disgust in a long time, and I feel that I am in the unique position of being able to respond having seen both sides of the issue.
Usually, when I see one of the articles pop up about Greeks on this campus, I see some misconceptions about the organizations, but feel that it doesn't matter to me what the general public feels about Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs), because I joined for myself, for my present and future, not for Obies. I usually don't care what they think they know or think about BGLOs as a whole, unless they are friends. If they are friends, they will usually ask me about why I wanted to be a part of the organization, which is Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and how we can be here, when they thought Oberlin didn't have Greek organizations. When they do, I answer them honestly. My answer usually includes some history on Oberlin College's opposition to "secret societies," and why I appreciate that stance.
I then go on to say that because I transferred to Oberlin from a campus that had many Greek organizations chartered through it, I welcomed the opportunity to go to a school where that was not the norm. Ohio Wesleyan University is a Greek school, and every social event revolved around a Greek organization. They took over the school. To be independent there was an aberration. I DO NOT LIKE THAT. While I am in a BGLO, my life does not revolve around it, and I wholeheartedly respect and support those who have decided that Black Greek life is not for them.
Black Greek life. That's what it is. It is not just Greek life. BGLO's have a high set of standards, including a minimum GPA, that one must live up to if one hopes to represent the organization in a positive way. My organization has rules of conduct that apply when I am wearing any paraphernalia indicating membership. For instance, if I intend to drink at a social gathering (which is rare, by the way), I do not wear my letters. I am not naive enough to think that people won't remember, but it serves not to remind people of my ties.
The primary purposes of my organization are sisterhood and service, and I challenge Mr. Anthony to show me any chapter that puts partying above the service. My chapter averages two parties a year, one of which is a fundraiser for a scholarship fund, and the other raises money for our other activities. I also want to state that Mr. Anthony is wrong when he says that "[if] you open up Oberlin College to black Greek organizations, you have to open it up to ALL Greek organizations." All of the BGLO's are chartered through the town of Oberlin. They have nothing to do with Oberlin College, except for the fact that MOST of the members are students here. The College has no say on whether we can join the organizastraight. Why doesn't he worry about issues that actually pertain to him?
While I know my sorors agree with me, I am not speaking for my chapter, I am speaking for myself.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 20, April 11, 1997
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