Spring Break
OP-ED: Greek life contributes to our vibrant campus
by Robert Geiman
Op-Ed | 10/9/07
Posted online at 9:47 PM EST on 10/8/07
/ Last updated at 3:34 AM EST on 10/8/07
Fellow Brandesians,
We come to you as students first, as fraternity brothers second. As an organization, Zeta Beta Tau believes in the betterment of mankind. This Thursday night, we held a ceremony celebrating our 20th anniversary at which we reaffirmed our charter and commitment to the fraternity. This being a momentous occasion for us, we invited some administrators to attend. But after seeing our Web site with the invitation, the University is threatening disciplinary action against us because we call ourselves "ZBT Brandeis." Since 1988, when the Board of Trustees voted not to recognize Greek organizations, Brandeis has pushed us aside as if we don't exist. Administrators think that we are separate from Brandeis because they don't recognize our brotherhood. They are wrong.
We appreciate the University's perspective on fraternities, that they are mechanisms for exclusivity, a principle that defies a core Brandeis value. Although we don't agree with the decision not to acknowledge Greek life, despite the fact that increasing numbers of students participate in it, we do respect and understand it. But Zeta Beta Tau has never attempted to detract from the Brandeis experience. We have never solicited money from Brandeis. We have never asked Brandeis for special treatment. The brothers of the fraternity are not reclusive; we do not leech off the Brandeis community. Far from it; we immerse ourselves in campus life and contribute to many of the clubs and sports that make this University what it is. We devote our time to community service and philanthropy; last year we raised over $2,500 for the Children's Miracle Network, and more than $1,000 for memorial services and grief counseling in the wake of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute tragedy. Just a couple of weeks ago, we helped Rabbi Peretz Chein, the Chabad spiritual leader, build the Sukkah at the Chabad House on Turner Street. We are also strong supporters of academic achievement. With an average GPA of 3.44, our members don't attend Brandeis in order to be in a fraternity; we are here to learn. We don't allow our functions as brothers to interfere with our success at Brandeis.
We come to you as students first, as fraternity brothers second. As an organization, Zeta Beta Tau believes in the betterment of mankind. This Thursday night, we held a ceremony celebrating our 20th anniversary at which we reaffirmed our charter and commitment to the fraternity. This being a momentous occasion for us, we invited some administrators to attend. But after seeing our Web site with the invitation, the University is threatening disciplinary action against us because we call ourselves "ZBT Brandeis." Since 1988, when the Board of Trustees voted not to recognize Greek organizations, Brandeis has pushed us aside as if we don't exist. Administrators think that we are separate from Brandeis because they don't recognize our brotherhood. They are wrong.
We appreciate the University's perspective on fraternities, that they are mechanisms for exclusivity, a principle that defies a core Brandeis value. Although we don't agree with the decision not to acknowledge Greek life, despite the fact that increasing numbers of students participate in it, we do respect and understand it. But Zeta Beta Tau has never attempted to detract from the Brandeis experience. We have never solicited money from Brandeis. We have never asked Brandeis for special treatment. The brothers of the fraternity are not reclusive; we do not leech off the Brandeis community. Far from it; we immerse ourselves in campus life and contribute to many of the clubs and sports that make this University what it is. We devote our time to community service and philanthropy; last year we raised over $2,500 for the Children's Miracle Network, and more than $1,000 for memorial services and grief counseling in the wake of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute tragedy. Just a couple of weeks ago, we helped Rabbi Peretz Chein, the Chabad spiritual leader, build the Sukkah at the Chabad House on Turner Street. We are also strong supporters of academic achievement. With an average GPA of 3.44, our members don't attend Brandeis in order to be in a fraternity; we are here to learn. We don't allow our functions as brothers to interfere with our success at Brandeis.
Be the first to comment on this story