USC GREEK SYSTEM MUST GO

It's safe to say that the University of Southern California's Greek system has generated an above average amount of negative press this past semester.  First it started with a derogatory fraternity email towards women than eventually circulated the whole school.  Then came the infamous sex scandal on top of Waite Phillips Hall this past month that became international news.  All of this on top of a dozen or so sexual assault/ rape charges at numerous fraternity house during parties.  If the Greek system were a publicly traded business, every stockholder would be calling for change.  And that's exactly what I'm proposing.


To start off with I am not ignorant.  I know that USC will never abandon its Greek system.  It's too deep seeded in our traditions as well as the large alumni base that will go up in arms if it happened.  However this needs to be done sooner rather than later.


I was a member of a fraternity for 3 years, and even held one of the highest leadership positions in the house.  I know how these places run,  how the people inside think, and the overall attitude that the members put out.  I can tell you that it's about lifelong friends, about giving back through philanthropy, and all about collectively working to better each other.   However I don't enjoy lying.  While I was in a fraternity we spent more money on a philanthropy party ($5000) than we actually gave to the cause we were raising money for ($2000).  Everyone I know in the house's grades slipped, and to be honest there were numerous clicks within the house and after you graduate you only really care about a select handful in the group.  Fraternities are about drinking too much, banging girls (which most guys in my frat referred to as "sluts"), and having a gang of people to call your own.


Sororities are a whole other story.  I don't have a daughter, but I can imagine that it gets difficult when she turns 13 and you have to parent her through any body image issues she has or anything that makes her fell self conscience.  You work until she's 18 to build a self confidence in her that will carry her through college and beyond.  Then she gets to USC and what happens?  She immediately gets placed into a group of girls completely based on her looks and wealth.  It's the most superficial system I've ever seen.  If your the hottest girl in the world then you will be cherished; if your a bit chunky and aren't appealing, then they can't wait to boot you out their door and pawn you off onto someone else.  They can't let you bring down their "reputation".  This system goes against everything that we are parenting our children to live by.  Then once their in they are brainwashed into thinking that because their in a TOP sorority that they should be treated as such.  It boils down to your creating needy, narcissistic psycho bitches then getting them drunk and sending them into a jungle filled with horny college guys willing to say anything to close the deal.


It's clear to me that this is a flawed system.  There was a psychology experiment in the 1950's called the Robbers Cave experiment.  It "studied the origin of prejudice in social groups".  To paraphrase they took a group of 24 boys to the Robber's cave summer camp.  They let them all get to know each other and watched who in the group separated into groups of friends.  Then they divided the boys into two groups, making sure to separate some of the friends.  They told each group why they were better and encouraged them to remain fractionalized. What happened is that the two groups developed gang like mentalities and hated each other.  It got to the point that the groups couldn't be in the same room because they would fight so much.  This is what has happened at USC. We have these frats and sororities and they all think they are better one another and it breeds problems.  Your told to remain with your group and that everyone else is not as good. That isn't what college is all about.


My solution is unfortunately easier said than done.  I believe USC should get rid of the "Greek System" , but maintain the Row of houses by purchasing all of them.  USC could then turn this into "Preferred student living" and continue the tradition of being the place to party.  This transformation would provide many benefits to USC.  First off USC could charge premium rents to students that wanted to live in the most social housing.  They could also put a GPA floor level that you have to maintain to live there; Nothing too severe, minimum 3.0.  Secondly, USC could monitor and even organize the large parties that happen here.  Now this might be seen as more work for USC officials, but its worth it.  Better security, provides more jobs for the surrounding community, and the peace of mind that if anything goes wrong you can react immediately.


For the students this would create a "Bourbon street effect".   Bourbon street is located in the heart of New Orleans.  It's a Street with bars, restaurants, and other more risky businesses on each side a few hundred yards long.  Imagine that at USC.  Every Friday night each house is going off, with live music, free drinks, and of course security insuring everyone is of age and the peace is kept.  And the best part is that everyone is welcome.   You won't be turned away because your an outsider or just plain different.  Imagine the college community that would spawn.


Yes this idea is radical.  Yes it's unlikely to occur in this decade.  But never ever, say never ever.  
Fraternities are infamous for hazing. Whose to say something couldn't go horribly wrong at a USCStarkley,


"18-year-old Carson Starkey was attending the San Luis Obispo school at California Polytechnic State University. He was also pledging the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. During the pledge process, Starkey was required to complete a “brown bag” challenge in which he was forced to drink whatever amount of alcohol he was given in a brown paper bag by an older frat member. He died on December 2, 2008 amongst chants of “puke and rally.” His prospective fraternity brothers didn’t even take him to the hospital."


I only pray that if such a tragedy occurs at USC that the person in charge of fixing it finds this essay.  To him I say good luck sir.

Goodbye 4/20

See you next year.

Public Square: Charl Schwartzel Won The Masters

 Charl Schwartzel Won The Masters.

This is the headline because in a year everyone will forget who won this year.  The South African with the difficult phoenetic name will be forgotton until the 2012 Masters roles around; unless the world ends as forecasted.  Unlikely doomsdays aside the the moment that Americans will remember from the 2011 Masters will be the rebirth of the Tiger Woods of Old.


Tiger roared back into contetion early in the forth and final day of the tournmant.  Shooting a -5 on the opening nine holes Woods pulled within one stroke of the leaders.  He fell behind only to Eagle the 13 hole and gain a tie for the lead.  Then his round ended.

He finished the round tied for the lead, but with 5 golfers tied with him and 4 of them with more holes to play.  The odds were against him as he sat back idle and watched.  He bared witness to multiple lead changes and finally a strong push by the Unheard of Charles Schwartzel to win the masters in his first ever time at the competion.  This main shouldnt have won.  Tiger Woods would have won that tournament he just simply ran out of holes to play.  I would argue that this is the moment Tiget gets his life, and golf game, if the two can even be seperated at this point.  Back together.

(Editing required)
The Masters is a classic American Golf Tournament.