Cornell professor Daniel Schwartz, English, published a column in the Huffington Post last Wednesday arguing for the abolishment of the Greek system at American colleges and universities.
In an article titled “The Greek System: Should College Students Join Fraternities or Sororities?” Schwartz first argues that Greek life is no longer a necessary or useful social institution on modern college campuses. With myriad extra-curricular options, ranging from athletic to career-oriented to community service, and the liberalization of rules regarding male-female student contact in residence halls, fraternities and sororities, according to Schwartz, serve no unique purpose today.
“I believe fraternities and sororities have outlived their usefulness. Were they proposed today, administrators, professors and hosts of students would agree that leadership could be developed in hundreds of existing groups,” writes Schwartz.
Schwartz goes on to write that fraternities and sororities “tend to breed homogeneity and conformity in the form of shared social, ethical and political attitudes and behavior”, encourage underage alcohol consumption, and reduce time for studies.
Accordingly, Schwartz concludes by doubting the need for a collegiate Greek system and asks Cornell and other universities to look for alternatives and “use instances of fraternity misbehavior—and sorority misbehavior which occurs much less often–to permanently eliminate the offending houses one by one.”
Later in his column, Schwartz explains why he believes the Greek system still exists: party culture.
“The Greek system thrives for many reasons, but an important one is its emphasis on college partying which–along with other demands the Greek system makes on its members–results in a substantial decline in study time,” Schwartz contends, later characterizing the Greek system as “a kind of sectarianism” that pits fraternity and sorority affiliation above “commitment to the larger community”.
After lamenting the growth of party culture on many campuses, Schwartz argues that university administrators and trustees have turned “a blind eye” to their campuses becoming “party circuses” and the underage drinking, hazing, and sexual assault that occur in Greek houses because they are “following the money.”
“They [administrators and trustees] are supporting a system that attracts students and, they hope, will turn some of the wealthy and financially successful students into donors,” Schwartz writes, who also criticizes students for spending “grant and loan money on bar bills and social activities that have little to do with education.”
Up until this point, Schwartz’s analysis is rather thoughtful and probably mostly true. He then turns to the murky issue of college sexual assault, in this case at fraternity houses, and unfortunately sullies some of the credibility he was building up.
In discussing social problems associated with the Greek system, the professor cites a U.S. Department of Higher Education study showing higher rates of heavy drinking and binge drinking among fraternity and sorority members, but then goes on to cite an unnamed study from the journal Sex Roles which found “Fraternities’ group norms and attitudes toward women and sex have led to this rape culture environment.”
While this specific study could not be found online, a similar study published in the same feminist journal offered similar conclusions about “rape culture” at “high-risk fraternities” based on data collections methods that can hardly pass as scientific: one student’s observations at various parties and interviews with students not randomly selected.
Aside from this pitfall, the remainder of Schwartz’s article is worth a read, as some parts definitely ring very true at Cornell and undoubtedly at other college campuses across the country.
