Just Your Average Sorority Girls?

Ahh, Greek Week. That time of the year when fraternities and sororities get together for one week of games, competition and service. It’s a time to foster relationships within the greek community and show chapter spirit. It’s not, according to some, a time to be “so f*cking AWKWARD and so f*cking BORING.”

Apparently, there are some big issues going on at Delta Gamma sorority’s University of Maryland chapter. An email from an executive board member that was sent over the chapter’s list-serve was leaked to the press yesterday, revealing that some members just aren’t taking Greek Week seriously enough.

In the email, the chapter officer lays into fellow sisters about their many, many transgressions during the past few days: Post-gaming at the wrong fraternities, not knowing what kickball is, and generally acting “F*CKING STUPID.”

We couldn’t make this stuff up.

Since going viral, the email has received a huge response from people wanting to weigh in whether this is the kind of thing is really acceptable. While some believe it’s exactly what keeps giving Greek Life a bad name, others think she has the right to call out her sisters for not respecting the work that went into making Greek Week events possible.

As the president of a sorority myself, I have to admit that I’m of those people sitting here thinking, “and this is why we can’t have nice things.” At UMBC, which is less than an hour away from where this is happening, Greek Week is one of the most rewarding parts of the year. Here, it isn’t so much about socializing with other chapters as it is about giving back to the community that supports our organizations. And in terms of the dynamics within my actual chapter, this email is especially shocking. My sisters and I made a pact years ago to not only avoid hazing, but anything that even edged on disrespect or made another member feel uncomfortable. It only takes one controversy like this to ruin people’s perceptions of Greek Life forever.

According to Dean Weiss, a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi at UMBC, the email does cause people to generalize about what goes on in Greek Life. “It’s unfortunate that that is the relationship that this girl has with her chapter,” he says. “I really don’t think that most chapters are like this, and people need to know that.”

But while Weiss doesn’t agree with how the officer addressed her members, he wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is what gives Greek Life a bad reputation. “What about rape and sexual assault? Those are the types of things in Greek Life that we should be focusing on changing,” he says, “not a silly email.”

Perceptions of Greek Life are not the only issues at play here. Some news outlets have actually published the name and picture of the Delta Gamma responsible for the email, bringing into question whether it’s okay to publically out someone so young for one moment of indiscretion. Yes, sending that email might not have been her best decision, but does that mean one mistake should follow her for the rest of her life?

Delta Gamma Executive Offices has now put out a statement saying the issue is being investigated and that appropriate actions will be taken when they determine whether the email is legitimate or not.

But regardless what happens to this girl or the rest of her chapter, the quick click it took to press “send” will now leave a lasting impression on Greek Life—for better or worse. “This is probably something we’ll still be talking about years from now,” says Weiss. “But if we can use it as motivation to make our chapters better, then it might not be such a bad thing after all.”

Photos from dgumd.moonfruit.com and blogspot.com