Should UK Unis Have Greek Life?
Greek life… we have all seen it in the movies! I must admit it, I love UK unis with all their old school tradition but American unis have most definitely caught my eye by the amount of fun students seem to have in them! Most of this is quite obviously due to the fact of American unis adopting ‘Greek life’, in other words fraternities and sororities which act as university/ college social organisations.
‘Greek life’ seems like an absolute BLAST… I mean, judging by all the incredible parties you get to go to and the friends you make and get to live with in a house as a fully-fledged family… awwww!
However, is it really all that it is cracked up to be? We as outsides see the great side of Greek life from all the films and TV shows, like Neighbours and 22 Jump Street showcasing all the partying in its fullest form and Scream Queens demonstrating the slightly more glamorous and dramatic side to it! But if you really think about it from an anthropological perspective, the system does have some faults.
With that being said, here are some reasons for and against having Greek life at UK universities…
1. Yes, it looks like it will be the reason for some of the best moments in your life!
As previously stated, Greek life looks and sounds like a hoot! The parties look huge and wild and there is consequently a lot of them! With this, you will be bound to create some incredible memories and tell people some crazy stories. This will inevitably lead you into wanting to relive the so called ‘glory days’ again and again! Creating the perfect memories is something we all want and so this reason should be why we need to have Greek life at all UK unis!
2. Yes, Greek life gives you a second family and a home away from home!
With Greek life comes sorority for girls and fraternities for boys. These are groups which you get to pledge for and if you do get chosen, you end up living in a big old house together with all your ‘sisters’ or ‘brothers’. This sounds like such a lovely thing, especially because you will be away from your parents and also incredibly homesick when you go to uni! Greek life therefore gives you a second family in the form of ‘sisters’ and ‘brothers’- something of which will never be forgotten or let loose as if you join a sorority or fraternity you are apparently in it for LIFE! Having two homes and two families sounds like a really nice thing which is why we should have Greek life at UK unis!
3. Yes, Greek life gives you some valuable life lessons!
From the looks of it, joining a sorority or fraternity teaches you a thing or two about life! The fact that you have to pledge to a group means that you have to be LOYAL to that group and love it and everyone in it as you would to any family member. This will teach you to be compassionate to others, kind, and quite generally just a good friend who will always be there for you- qualities which everyone should have! This is a major reason why we should have Greek life at UK unis!
4. No, Greek life somewhat seems highly superficial
Although there are some good points, I can’t help to shed some light on the fact that the concept of sororities and fraternities seems highly egoistical. This is because you are basically pledging to join a group of people that appear ‘powerful’ and ‘cool’ as they are somewhat of a restricted group which dresses the same and act the same way. This inevitably makes people feel as if they SHOULD be like these people and those that are not chosen end up feeling bad about themselves as a direct consequence! Either way, sororities and fraternities appear to cater for those who have an ego and who like to feast upon those that are ‘not like them’, inevitably making them feel they are nothing without them!
5. No, it’s like high school all over again!
Greek life in general just seems like the perfect fit for none other than Regina George from Mean Girls! It just seems too ‘cliquey’, making it appear like another version of high school where ‘the jocks sit with the jocks and the cheerleaders sit with the cheerleaders’ (insert name of any teen movie EVER here….). In other words, Greek life seems like just another way to join a pair of like-minded people and just stay glued to them over the course of your next three to four years!
Overall, if the UK were to introduce Greek life to all its universities, then there will definitely be some pros and cons to weigh out on either side! The social aspect of it, paired with the idea of creating some amazing memories makes it something worth considering, however the issues regarding segregation, egotism and a sense of superiority makes it appear as a way of life we CAN and SHOULD live without!
