Letter to the Editor

I would like to correct the misrepresentations discussed in the column, “Breaking down Greek brotherhood.”

To start, Greek life is more than “a bunch of dudes drinking beer and talking about boobies all day.” Greek life develops a foundation of brotherhood, not an illusion of people “pretending to be friendly with ‘brothers.’”

I actually am comfortable enough to call my younger brother “bro” because I love him and I love my brothers in Phi Delta Theta as well. It is a mistake to believe that “brotherhood” is exclusive to sharing parents, and I can see how one with little knowledge on the matter could misunderstand its meaning.

In the aforementioned article, I learned that the author wishes to start a chapter of Sigma Mu Delta, which is apparently a medical fraternity. A little bit of research is all it takes to qualify as “journalism.” Take the hint.

I would also like to add that in addition to the two rather obvious benefits mentioned in the article, which were “networking” and “keeping busy,” there are more that I am sure the author was not aware of. It was not mentioned that each individual chapter supports a philanthropic organization and that the Greek community on average accumulates over $180,000 each year campus-wide.

Let it also be known that even though Greek life accounts for only 18 percent of the student population, 85 percent of the leaders at the University of Miami are Greek.

I understand that Greek life is not for everyone. In fact, I would not be a good Interfraternity Council President if I encouraged every person on this campus to go Greek, because I would be wrong to do so. But before writing an article that explicitly states that the aspect of college that I love most is not “cool enough,” make sure to research all of the relevant information prior to publicly insulting nearly every great American in history. Hint: Most are Greek.

Finally, if you ever do decide to get married, keep in mind that nobody in any room I have ever been in wants to be your best man.

Ethan J. Alpern

President of the Interfraternity Council