Recently, two major universities took action to deal with what they perceived were the problems with Greek life on their college campuses. The University of South Carolina put a freeze on fraternity rush. The decision came after a student drank so much at a fraternity recruitment party that he became unresponsive and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

At Princeton University, officials recently banned students from participating in freshman rush beginning in fall 2012. The decision was made because of the school’s beliefs that social and residential life should revolve around the residential colleges, eating clubs, and shared experiences of the undergraduates living and dining on campus. Other officials at the school find that fraternities and sororities contribue to a sense of social exclusivity and privilege among students.

Are there more negatives to Greek life than positives?  Here some pros and cons:

Pros to Greek life

• friendship–it’s an easy way to meet some of your best friends for life
• academics–often times a big purpose of the fraternity/sorority community is to encourage and develop high scholastic achievement among its members
• social life–planned mixers, parties, etc.
• community service opportunities
• networking–the Kappa Fig Newton could connect you with your dream job

Cons to Greek life

• dues — Greek life gets expensive!
• stigma–unfortunately, people tend to stereotype people in the Greek system
• drama–living with a small community of boys/girls can become a bit much, and a little misunderstanding could lead to a big fall out
• hazing–it’s technically not allowed, but depending where you go, it still happens

Do you agree with these university officials on their stances against Greek life? Share your opinion by leaving a comment below!