Just call me Hector. Yeah, I know it says my name is Jovanni, but at the moment I feel like Hector of Troy from the Iliad. Let me explain: You see, the Coral Gables campus of the University of Miami is a battlefield, we have the Greeks (Greek fraternities and sororities) versus the Trojans (students organizations).
The Greeks have been attempting to band together in a harmonic, cohesive Greek community. Akin to the banding of the Greeks through Agamemnon’s reign, although they all didn’t get along, they still did fight as one. Meanwhile the student organizations operate from the bastion of their International Lounge and University Center, living in relative safety.
I first witnessed this battle at O-Cheer last semester, where most of the Greeks applauded for only Greek performances no matter how crappy they were, while student organizations applauded for both Greek and non-Greek performances; lines were drawn and the battlefield was set. Many of those who hold close allegiances with Greek and non-Greek organizations found themselves between a rock and a hard place, namely because if they cheered for the Greeks, they got stares from the non-Greeks, and if they cheered for the non-Greeks, their fellow Greek brothers or sisters would heckle them and talk smack.
A second example of this, and I know many of you (non-Greeks) have experienced it, is when walking into a class that has a large population of Greek students; notice that they simply talk amongst themselves and rarely care to talk to you. Then when you try to befriend them, they give you dirty looks. Perhaps this may be a sweeping generalization, but many-a-time it is true.
The Greeks seems to be exhibiting a case of elitism, although some Greeks have said that the Greek community tries constantly to make ties with the non-Greek organizations. I haven’t seen it, all I see are the Delta Gammas, the Sigma Alpha Epsilons, Kappa Sigmas, the Kappa Kappa Gammas and the Boom Shaka Lackas hanging out solely within their respective fraternity/sorority and within the Greek community.
We as Hurricanes are suppose to bleed orange and green, not gold and maroon, black and purple, blue and gold. How can we be a united University when we are divided by a war between the Greeks and Trojans? You Greeks, before you brag and elevate yourselves higher than you already are, consider what your elitist attitudes do to the unity of “La U.” You Non-Greeks don’t think you don’t have a part in this, stop pointing fingers at the Greeks and begin being proactive, erase your stereotypes and bias attitudes.
If both armies do their part, we can be a united campus under the one banner of our great University. All Hail the University of Miami.
Jovanni Bello can be contacted at j.bello@umiami.edu.