Greek life accurately portrayed on MTV
COMMENTARY

In response to Andrew Donovan’s article, “MTV skews Greek Life,” we could not help but laugh a little. Chris was a former member of the Greek system at TCU, and as occasional viewers of MTV’s Fraternity Life and Sorority Life, we can’t help but see that the show is more accurate than some people would like to admit. Hazing does happen; it may not happen out in the open for the world to see but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a part of Greek life. For the first semester of college, Chris was fully engrained into Greek life at TCU. He was hazed regularly; He has the scars to prove it. While times have changed in the past four years, there is no denying the fact that sanctions have been brought upon two fraternities for hazing during that time span. Those are only the documented cases. How many more incidences like Chris’ own experiences went publicly unnoticed? He saw everything the Greek leaders would like us to think isn’t a part of Greek life. Fighting. Crying. Hazing. Drunkenness. Excessive partying.

Chris has seen these things both as a member and ex-member of the Greek system at TCU. Why do we watch the show, you ask? It allows us to see exactly why Chris discontinued his association with Greek life. Everyone that watches can easily relate to some part of the show. The statement within the article that claims the shows are the main cause of the stereotypes of Greek life is false in our opinion. These stereotypes of Greek life have been around far longer than the shows and MTV itself. In fact, the shows themselves were founded on such stereotypes. We applaud the shows for acting as a warning system for all those entering college, showing future students exactly what goes on behind closed doors. While the actions of the shows may not be universal to all fraternities and sororities nationwide, it gives potential members a fairly accurate depiction of what to expect if they intend to participate in the pledging process. While Chris’ first hand experiences of Greek life on campus are limited, his knowledge of the system is a function of the experiences of numerous friends that are actively involved in Greek life here at TCU. If the Greek system at TCU would like to be recognized for its philanthropic contributions to society, perhaps it should dedicate more time to those less well known efforts rather than more well known efforts such as mixers, victories, formals and other various party events.

— Chris Ray, senior entrepreneurial management major, and Adam Glatz, senior economics major