We Must Abolish WashU Greek Life

Most days, my social media feed is all the same: Girls in bikinis at the beach, selfies of people I wish I could be (see: Beyoncé), and delicious food that makes me want to perpetually cancel the idea of diet culture. But recently, with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, my social media has taken on a new aura—one full of tension with an underlying desire for justice. At first, the anger of my peers was directed toward government officials and the criminal justice system. Now, however, students are pushing for more accountability for systems within their own communities whose problematic pasts have been long ignored; one of those being Greek life at predominantly white institutions. 

I’m not in a sorority, and honestly, I have never wanted to be. But I cannot ignore the social capital that accompanies participation in these organizations. When someone joins Greek life, they get put on lists for parties, make new friends, and form what has only ever been described to me as a “sister” or “brotherhood.” From the outside it seems desirable, especially to a lost and confused first-year student searching for a place of refuge on an ever-bustling college campus.

Although these organizations give off the impression of being all-inclusive and safe, many students have taken to social media with Greek life as their next system to dismantle—and rightfully so. The student-run Instagram account @abolishwashuwpaandifc details the horrific racist, sexist, homophobic and classist experiences students have had with these organizations on campus. Students have been routinely turned away for their low-income status, tokenized to showcase a faux “diversity,” and subjected to countless microaggressions. And that’s not even the worst of it. Now, students are calling for the abolition of Greek life on our campus, and while this may seem to be a random call-to-action, it has really been a long time coming. 

In a system that is inherently bigoted, bigoted behavior is too often tolerated, encouraged and ignored. 

Founded in 1776, the first fraternity to exist was Phi Beta Kappa Society at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. At this point in history, women could not vote. Black men, women, and children were enslaved, and the only people going to college were wealthy white men. This was the precedent set for the creation of the rest of Greek life organizations, and the bigoted ideals that were rooted in its foundation have followed through to the current state of Greek life in colleges around the country.

The stories on the @abolishwashuwpaandifc Instagram account are not individual occurrences of discrimination, but a plethora of similar ones. And while yes, individuals are responsible for their personal behavior and treatment of others, it is important to remember that violence breeds violence. In a system that is inherently bigoted, bigoted behavior is too often tolerated, encouraged and ignored. And as per usual, minority groups, LGBTQIA+ students and low-income individuals carry the pain and trauma of a system that actively harms and exploits them.

However, my point is not that discrimination exists within these organizations. Most people understand that. The problem has become how to address said discrimination, with the two main ideas being reform or abolition. And what I have noticed is that most people who comprise the “reform” group are white, wealthy, and/or current members of a Greek life organization on campus. By asking a series of important yet difficult questions, my hope is that I can provide insight as to why reform will be ultimately unsuccessful, therefore leaving abolition as the best decision moving forward.

Greek life has promised accountability before and yet nothing has changed, because nobody is there to enforce it.

First, the more basic questions: What does reform mean to you? What does it look like? What policies will be put in place to ensure that the necessary changes occur? When I have talked to current members of Greek life about what they want reform to look like, their answer tends to sound something like “I’m not sure, but changes are definitely needed.” And while acknowledging the faults of the system is an important first step, it is the bare minimum. I have yet to hear of any policies that are not band-aid solutions—ways to keep Greek life running without fully addressing the systemic issues attached to it, obviously a micro solution to a macro-level problem. To a minority student just wanting to feel safe on campus, “encouraging accountability for people’s actions and words” as a solution to a systemic issue sounds like, and has shown to be in other systems, a complete lie. “Encouraging accountability” in a system without direct implementation of policy to solidify it is how kids are currently allowed to be held in cages, how Black people are allowed to be murdered by police, and how women are allowed to be sexually assaulted at alarming rates without any justice or sense of relief. 

But let’s say, for the sake of the argument, that Greek life promises to encourage accountability of their members. Who, then, enforces these standards? The idea that the members will hold themselves and each other accountable is faulty at best. Who is actually willing to be the reason why their friend (or themself) is punished or kicked out of the organization completely? Greek life has promised accountability before and yet nothing has changed, because nobody is there to enforce it. And how do you encourage accountability in a system with equally dangerous leaders? Even if people do report their friends, are the leaders willing to sacrifice the reputation of the organization to take the necessary disciplinary actions? From what we have seen in the past, the answer has always been and likely will always be no. 

While I appreciate all the past and current members of Greek life who want to change it from within, I don’t want your help anymore.

And my last series of questions is perhaps the most important. When will these changes occur? How long will we have to wait before we even begin to see the seeds of these policies begin to bloom? Because creating policies to reform a whole system built on bigotry is not an easy and quick process. Asking people who are actively being harmed by a system to “wait” is just as dangerous as refusing to change, because in that time people will continue to get hurt. It is important to remember that “justice delayed is justice denied.” There must be immediate action and reparations for those who are hurting, and abolition is the only timely solution that offers safety and comfort to those most harmed. 

I know I cannot change everyone’s mind—you will believe what you want to believe. But I hope you have begun to see that a system built on bigoted ideals cannot just shed its skin and become anew. Bigotry is in the foundation of the organizations. The way that Greek life is currently functioning—as a racist, sexist, homophobic, classist, etc. system—is how it was created to function. The only way to eradicate these issues is to tear it down and build something more equitable in its place. And while I appreciate all the past and current members of Greek life who want to change it from within, I don’t want your help anymore. I do not want another white male savior. I want a system that doesn’t require me to be saved.