Quote:
Originally Posted by gee_ess
Basically, a strong greek system means that students are better off and more successful if they join than if they don't
This, I don't agree with. I think you can be successful without being Greek and that nonGreeks are doing just fine on campus without a GLO affiliation.
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I'm not arguing that non-greeks can't be successful at a school. I just feel that if you're going to start talking about a strong greek system, there should be positive, tangible, measurable effects for joining. But even then, Greek membership is neither necessary nor sufficient for success.
Perhaps a better way of saying it is that if you go Greek, the likelihood of you being successful is increased.
For example - when Beta looks at GPA's to determine who wins the award for the highest GPA within a district and nationally, they look at the difference between the Chapter's GPA and the All-men's Average NOT the overall Chapter GPA. My chapter at Nebraska has won this award each year for the last 8 despite the fact that our usual 3.45 GPA is eclipsed by a number of schools like MIT and Columbia and other Ivy League schools. However, those chapters, despite their 3.7's or whatever, are BELOW their all-men's average. You could argue, that by joining Beta at those schools, their academics have been affected negatively for whatever reason, rather than Beta having a positive effect on their grades. That's the distinction I'm trying to make. This isn't to say that those guys in the chapter won't be successful in their future, just that they aren't as successful as their non-greek counterparts. It's also not to say joining Beta at Nebraska is a cure-all for the ills of a poor student, or that you have to join a chapter at Nebraska in order to obtain a GPA that's above average, just that on the whole, Greeks are more successful in the classroom than the average student.
