Greek life isn’t about stereotypes

Before I became a part of Greek Life, I honestly thought it was somewhat similar to the 1978 movie “Animal House.” In the movie, four freshmen pledge a fraternity at Faber College where they are exposed to a variety of wild situations which include scenes of hazing, drinking, the attempt to destroy a rival fraternity and even the attempt to cheat their way through school. The four pledges along with fellow fraternity brothers wreak havoc all across Faber College throughout the semester, leaving Faber administration officials appalled.

However, after becoming a part of Greek life nearly a year ago I have found that scenes from “Animal House” didn’t capture what Greek Life is about.

Nearly a year ago now, then a sophomore, I decided to rush fraternities here at the University of Toledo because I wanted some way to get involved with the student body. Too often as a freshman I was bored out of my mind just hanging out in the dorms for two semesters. I knew that when sophomore year came around I would look for some way to get involved on campus, but I never thought it would be Greek Life.

As a freshman I saw many of my friends “Go Greek.” It was something I never wanted to be a part of because I was given a false idea of what Greek Life truly was through film and negative news stories.

When friends of mine would try to persuade me to come out to rush events as a freshman, I never did because I was mentally ingrained, thanks to the media, with visions of binge drinking, hazing and criminal activity which was something I had no desire to be a part of. What these visions were in my mind is the Greek stereotype and thanks to the media I know I am not the only one with these visions.

Last fall, when I gave in to a friend’s persistence and I decided to rush fraternities at UT, I doubted that I would be the kind of person that would fit in because I was not the Greek stereotype. Images from “Animal House” and negative news stories always flooded my mind when I thought of Greek life and that is why it took a lot of effort for me to attend the rush events.

However, after the first day of rushing I realized these gentlemen were more similar to me than I thought. These were men who showed respect and held values just like me. During the week I did a lot of talking with fraternity brothers to find out if it really was like “Animal House” or similar to some of the negative news stories I have seen and if it was, I would not have signed a bid.

Towards the end of rush week I received and accepted a bid from one of the fraternities here at UT and I could have never imagined the coming impact it would have on my life. It was a great feeling I had after signing, knowing I was going to represent something that much more significant than me as an individual.

Greek Life has given me many opportunities to strengthen my leadership skills, from participating on several committees and providing guidance to pledges during their pledging semester that have gone with me wherever I go.

It has also increased my community involvement. I had never completed much philanthropy work prior to the last year but I had the opportunity to raise money for various charities and attend philanthropic events such as Relay For Life and ROCKEThon. Realizing the difference I am making in a stranger’s life is truly an uplifting experience because the ones I love could just as easily be in their shoes with life-threatening illnesses.

Before becoming a part of Greek Life I would have to say I was not nearly as outgoing as I am now and at times I was hesitant to lead because I felt my voice couldn’t be heard. That changed when I realized the impact I had on fellow brothers of my fraternity and the impact they had on me. Over time they pushed me to want to be something more than I am because they believe in me and I believe in them. I realized that in Greek Life you don’t just have friends, you have something that runs much deeper.

Once I became part of a fraternity, it became evident that I had brothers who would be there for me in a heartbeat in both good and bad times. I would do the same for them. These are not just college friends, but friends and brothers for a lifetime.

I sometimes wonder where I would be in my personal development as a man without Greek Life. I am certainly not the same person I was as a college freshman, a person who was still in his shell and reluctant to break out of it.

No matter how reluctant you are to break out of your own shell, I hope you will consider becoming a part of the Greek community at UT. It truly is an experience like no other.

Mark Moss is a third-year AYA English language arts education major and FIJI brother.