HOPE SMITH
campus editor
hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu
There is something exciting about being in a society for your school, living together with the same interests and garnering a sense of community among each other, but it is unfortunate that Greek life societies have such a different reality—a cultish look.
On top of obscene sums of money pocketed by major greek-letter organizations, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to live together in one house following far stricter rules than campus living, the social image to keep up, the endless climb. Finding friends is always going to be hard, no doubt, so maybe there’s no right to speak on Greek living.
It just seems that if there were a show of hands in one room, there wouldn’t be a whole ton who made a friend via physical branding or general harassment, though.
That’s hazing by the way—a practice that has yet to die out, most notably the 2018 incident with a TCU student. Being able to coerce students like that rings a cult shaped bell, right?
Think of Jonestown, the Manson Family or Heaven’s Gate. All cults with a history of making their members do harmful acts to themselves and others.
Devotion seems like the most crucial component, without that it makes Greek life less credible, it loses the novelty of being in a sorority or fraternity because you are supposed to be sworn into this exclusive group. Similarly, cults begin to dissipate if there isn’t any serious allegiance to the cause.
So, students are initiated in extreme and odd ways that will ensure their loyalty.
Much like cults, Greek life brings a steady stream of people joining based on hope. There are certain weeks at the beginning of Universities’ school year, dedicated to “rushing.”
Most rushers are hopeful and looking for community, since most recruitment is towards freshmen with little to no connections in their new university.
The idea of a sorority or frat demanding a pledge to swear loyalty doesn’t even border a line, the line was way back behind the phrase “pledge” and at this point is in deep weird territory.
Wear a certain color, don’t step on any campus grass, all of these different things something pledges must do. And to think there are things people don’t know about, things the sorority or frat don’t tell people.
Cults have a draw for a reason, people don’t just join them for fun. Greek life’s draw is community and connections. There are special benefits, and because of the amount of charities and donations partaken in, they contribute to the community and in turn the community applauds them. In the end, their name being known is the biggest return.
More people hear about them, and more people want to join.
It’s something that goes far deeper than what’s been touched on, yes, and there may be things about Greek life that will never see the light of day. All people can do is work off of what has been leaked and what is observable, and what’s observable isn’t looking so good, they’re looking a little cultish.
