A.E.K.D.B.
"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because
men think, 'I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked.'"
- Jerry Seinfeld
"Greek System Provides Support, Lifelong Friendships,"
by Mike Olshin (From the Daily Northwestern, January,
1995)
An open letter to the Class of 1998:
I know all the excuses.
The Greek system is too elitist. All they ever do is
drink. I saw "Animal House," and I don't want my college
experience to be like that. I'm an individualist - you'll never find me
conforming to standards. And besides, who wants to buy your friends
anyway?
I know all the excuses because I liked them for two
years. I didn't rush a fraternity - and almost never stepped foot in one -
until the spring of my sophomore year. And if I have one regret about my
Northwestern experience, it's that I waited so long to overcome my childish
fears.
Because that's what a large part of the stereotyping of
fraternities and sororities really is - childish fears. Realize that most
of the criticism of fraternities comes from those who have rarely, if ever,
stepped foot inside of a fraternity house.
I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and tell you that
you will immediately have 75 new best friends if you pledge a fraternity or
sorority. What are the odds that given a large group of people, most of
whom you don't know, you will immediately feel comfortable with everybody
anyway? Pretty small, I would think.
But what I will tell you, with absolute certainty, is
this: The friends that you do have - those that you live with, experience
success with, share failures with - they will become your friends for
life. If these are the best four (or five or six) years of your life,
isn't it worth taking the risk to form friendships that will last forever?
Taking risks. It's what separates the high school
fear-of-failure mentality from the adult belief of willingness to succeed.
Dorm life is comfortable. You bounce around from year to year and
meet new people, rarely making permanent relationships along the way. Your
two best friends from freshman year draw poor housing lottery numbers and spend
their sophomore years in Edler, while you end up in Willard. Easy
life. Little risk, little reward.
But being a member of a fraternity or sorority is
different. You share the best (and worst) moments of your life with the
same people. You develop a bond with them - one that lasts forever.
And the reward? It's simple. When you do well,
you have people to share your greatest triumphs. But more importantly,
when something goes wrong, you have a support group that you won't be able to
find anywhere else. If you ask anyone in a fraternity or sorority here at
NU, chances are that support - the ability to take friendships to the next level
- is what makes the Greek experience a special one.
It truly is amazin how much a person can accomplish with this
support. The book "For the Glory" mentions an
advertisement that hangs near the Penn State football team meeting room that
expresses this perfectly:
The bruises.
The pain
The mud
The pulled muscles
The chalk talks
The long hours
Are all worth it
Because when you are part of a team, you are better than you
ever could be alone.
-Mike Olshin [was] a Medill senior and member of Kappa
Sigma fraternity
Jason Chang kickin' my butt at the Kappa Sig Spring Formal, May 1996.
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**All photographs (unless otherwise noted) are the property of
Stenning Schueppert and may not be distributed or circulated for any purposes
(personal or commercial) without his express written consent. Questions or
comments regarding selected photographs are, of course, welcome.
Last updated May 1, 2001.
