RE: “Bro culture is an unfortunate reality in frats”
In a school that prides itself on equality, diversity, and respect, the Carleton Greek community continues to be characterized as a group of drunken, intolerant degenerates.
A recent opinion piece accuses the Carleton fraternities of cultivating a “bro culture” that is defined by a group of alpha males with homophobic and “tough guy” tendencies searching to recruit prospective members who fit this mold.
The Carleton administration, combined with the Student Experience Office, work vigorously and tirelessly to promote inclusivity across campus.
Despite this individual’s unfortunate experience, Carleton’s Greek community is a far more inclusive enclave than most students realize. Fraternity and sorority membership at Carleton crosses racial, class, sexual, religious, and even physical disability barriers.
Yet blind stereotypes and preconceived judgments continue to alienate the Greeks from the rest of the student body.
The Charlatan, allegedly comprised of the best and brightest journalism students in Canada, pigeonholes Greeks with Animal House-like behaviour.
In 2013, Tau Kappa Epsilon built and rode a see-saw in the atrium for more than 100 consecutive hours in an effort to raise $3,400 for Phoebe Rose, a two-year-old girl from Ottawa who has battled leukemia her whole life. The donations were used for her treatment at St. Jude’s hospital.
Rather than covering an event occurring in Carleton’s Unicentre, the Charlatan published a story of a Kappa Sigma chapter at Duke University hosting a “Racist Rager” kegger that “poked fun at Asians.”
This story is among a litany of anti-Greek articles the Charlatan has published over the years, disseminating and further ingraining negative stereotypes across campus.
In reality, Carleton Greeks are no different than the rest of the student body. Fraternity and sorority members participate because their respective organizations foster a set of values and ambitions that each individual shares.
This desire to search for other relatable individuals who share common interests is what attracts different students to the plethora of clubs Carleton has to offer.
Varsity and intramural athletics, Vaginas Against Violence, the Muslim Students’ Association, political associations, or any other student society has something to offer to each individual within Carleton’s pluralistic student body. The Greek community is no different.
The Greeks are akin to every student who is searching for friendships, memories, and personal development during their path to graduation. Greeks are similar to anyone who seeks a support system that aids in their maturity and well-being during their time in university.
Anyone who closes themselves to these opportunities is denying themselves a chance to grow as a person, challenge their worldview, and diversify their interests.
The wedge between Greeks and non-Greeks on this campus is unfortunate because as students, we all have different perspectives and values that we can learn from one another.
As a supposedly liberal and socially progressive student body, we should be more open to others’ differences and interests, otherwise, we, much like the human race, will continue to be fragmented by ignorance, judgment, and prejudice.
Or maybe, Carleton isn’t as inclusive as it presents itself.
