Fraternities and sororities are an important aspect of student life at any campus, and Carleton is no exception.
That’s what the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) executive is saying while trying to justify funding to Greek organizations. CUSA’s current governing slate— A Better Carleton, which has been elected for next year— wants to look into giving funding to fraternities and sororities and has passed a motion to look into the issue.
The motion, moved by current vice-president (finance) Michael De Luca, was part of an election promise made by the ABC team to fund Greeks. As a political move, it works very well in getting support from fraternities and sororities.
Greek organizations cannot be equated with student clubs and societies. Most clubs are open to all students and fairly easy to get in to. Most are free or cost about $5 to get in to, while a few ask for volunteer work instead. Fraternities can charge about $500 a year, and while some do give help to students who cannot pay, that is still a significant obstacle. Greek organizations also have complex initiation and pledging procedures which make them less accessible to all students.
That’s not to say Greeks are not an integral part of our university, and there is no denying they do a lot of good work. But structurally, they are not the same as clubs and societies, and all students should not be asked to support organizations that are not always open to them. It’s time to stop playing politics with students’ money.
