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Greeks need to accept responsibility, move on

7 comments
September 24, 2009
Letter to the Editor

TO THE EDITOR:

Let’s be real here. Stop being defensive and screaming “unfair” because the Greek community is in the spotlight of attention right now. After all, to an extent, you have earned it.

First, as an alumnus of the Greek community at UNC, I can say confidently that the vast majority of the Greek community are hard working and good natured people. And yes, a few bad apples do ruin the image for everyone.

Welcome to life in the real world.

When you cannot understand that a fraternity is mourning the loss of one of their own because of alcohol at a pledge party that should not have been there, someone needs to call a time-out.

When you cannot understand how or why cocaine use is much more serious, and therefore newsworthy than, say, alcohol, someone needs to call a time-out.

When you make excuses for the lack of reporting merely because an incident was illegal (underage drinking), instead of focusing on the extent of its illegality (cocaine), you are reaching a bit too far.

When you dismiss the scale of the incident by claiming only a “few” members of the Greek community were involved, when the incident was located at an unofficial fraternity house of which several residents charged were in the Greek community, with nearly 200 grams of cocaine was found, you’re borderline delusional.

I can safely assume you are all well-educated and smart students, so please either be more reasonable, or have someone do you a favor and slap the stupid out of you.

This is not a game.

You’re in the spotlight because you’ve earned it, not because of “unfair” attention.

There is no obvious incongruence, but plenty of obvious ignorance and irresponsibility. Accept responsibility and accountability for what has happened as a community, regardless of the few who have given you a black eye, clean it up and move on.

It’s the only responsible thing left to do.

Thomas Jones
UNC ’09

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Texting She Got tha Fire

Submitted by mrnatturner on October 16, 2009 - 16:06.

So was the text messege sent by Eliza Vaughan to over 40 students that she "had the fire" go to the members of the B'nai B'rith? I'm just sayin'

yeah maybe I'm just having a

Submitted by John Black on September 24, 2009 - 17:35.

yeah maybe I'm just having a hard time understanding your logic there. athletes and greeks are held to a higher standard but writers for the school's paper should be held to different standards because....they don't represent the university.

I understand your argument's attempt at making sense, but the logic is completely muddled.

Sigh

Submitted by theothertomjones on September 25, 2009 - 01:13.

THe DTH is independent from the University, it is not a University organization.

Perhaps when you understand what youre talking about the logic will become more clear.

"Serving the University

Submitted by John Black on November 18, 2009 - 22:57.

"Serving the University community since 1893"

And you point rests on the fact that the paper isn't affiliated or, as I said, represents the University?

Again, not sure about that argument.

Condescending

Submitted by Xaniel on September 24, 2009 - 14:30.

"someone needs to call a time-out"

You must have really grown up in the four months since you graduated.

Not condescending at all

Submitted by theothertomjones on September 24, 2009 - 15:52.

Xaniel,
I was "grown up" long before I graduated UNC, but something tells me you are barely old enough, if that, to legally enjoy alcoholic beverages.

I spent 6 years in the military before I came here full time, and even took night classes part time while working for a Fortune 100 company before I came back to finish full time.

Im glad that youre focusing on the merit of the points in the article than trivial personal attacks on me, well, both of which have just smacked you around.

John Black,
You are right in that the bust didnt happen at an unofficial Fraternity house. The unofficial Fraternity house was where the other 120 grams of cocaine was located and found.

Next time, try a little harder to ignore the overall message and point therein. It only makes you look that much desperate to avoid accountability for what has happened recently.

Greeks are often seen as a "selective" group, even radiating the perception that they are "above" the rest of the student population - something that I dont really agree with. However when such a selective group of people who do indirectly communicate this message are caught in acts that contradict such an image, yea, it is more newsworthy.

Athletes are held to a higher standard as representatives and spokespeople of this University. Yes, it is a bigger deal when they get caught with drugs or underage drinking than a normal student who happens to write for the school paper.

Both Athletes and Greeks are held by their own parent organizations to higher standards. When they get caught breaking the law it is simply more newsworthy than the average student. Failure to understand such a simple concept, or ignore it altogether, does not change the fact of the matter.

wow way to be a mouth piece

Submitted by John Black on September 24, 2009 - 11:44.

wow way to be a mouth piece of current dth contributors...

"When you dismiss the scale of the incident by claiming only a “few” members of the Greek community were involved, when the incident was located at an unofficial fraternity house of which several residents charged were in the Greek community, with nearly 200 grams of cocaine was found, you’re borderline delusional."

Have you even read the paper? The incident you are referring to involving cocaine happened nowhere near an unofficial fraternity house. In the original arrest 1 SAE alumni and 1 Chi-O were charged. Later 2 more Chi-Os were charged.

If we are measuring the number of those charged (4) versus the amount of greeks at this school (several thousand atleast) then yes, there are only a few.

"When you cannot understand how or why cocaine use is much more serious, and therefore newsworthy than, say, alcohol, someone needs to call a time-out.

When you make excuses for the lack of reporting merely because an incident was illegal (underage drinking), instead of focusing on the extent of its illegality (cocaine), you are reaching a bit too far."

I think it is also ironic that you and the DTH editor find alcohol an unnewsworthy topic when it involved DTH staff, but somehow the swim team in today's paper is much more interesting...