Reflection of My Semester in JOUR289I

During the first week of class, I described myself as someone who sees technology as a friend or a foe. As the semester draws to a close, I still firmly believe that technology can take its toll on people. It can be controlling as well as daunting, and yet, everyone will never be able to live without it again.

I don’t think I have changed as a person over the last semester. I still stand by the interests that I have and my major is still the same. If anything, I think I have incorporated technology more into my life after taking this class. Instead of one iPod touch, I have two iPod touch’s that I got to use on a daily basis. I also discovered new apps on the iPod that I had never played around with before, including one of my favorites now, audioboo. This app allows you to record and upload voice recordings of anything and share it on Twitter, Facebook, or any other site. It is useful for conducting interviews or even recording your professors in class so that you can listen to it later and take notes on it.

Based on my experiences this semester, some of the positive aspects of digital information are that it is always innovating. Technology keeps the world moving, and it keeps the people moving. We are constantly taking advantage of all the discoveries that are taking place in the technological world, showing everyone that we are the future; that technology is the future of this world. Without it, the people would become immobile, and have a hard time adapting to a world without technology. This is where the negative aspect of digital information comes in. People are so dependent upon technologies nowadays that I personally think that no one on a college campus would be able to go without technology for one day. It becomes a frightening thought that people think that they need technology to function. Every month the market comes out with some kind of new gadget, and most people who are really technology savvy think that they need the new gadget. And so every month, they buy what’s new on the market. I wonder what they do with all of their old technology gadgets.

After this class, I know now that technology has much more uses that I thought it once did, and to my peers I would like to say to them that the digital information is a huge cyber world. Once something is uploaded to the internet, it can never go away and it is there for the whole world to see. Be careful with what you post in the internet and what pictures are uploaded. I would also recommend taking this class if they wish to enjoy talking about new technological advancements in the world, current events, as well as photography. I think photography was one of the best things I learned about in this class. It gave it a new edge, and for a while there I thought I was in a digital arts class, something I’ve wanted to take for a while. All in all, I can say that I am definitely going to miss this class at the end of the semester. For me, it was my escape class because I actually looked forward to coming to JOUR289I compared to the rest of my classes. 

Future of Technology and Greek Life

The role of technology serves a great deal of attribute in Greek life. Without it, people in Greek life would not be able to communicate as much and stay in touch with graduated brothers and sisters and potential recruits. In my previous blog entries on this site, I exemplified mostly how we use social networking sites to stay in touch and recruit potential new members in various ways. Now, I see a different purpose that the role of technology plays: staying and connecting with alums who laid the foundations for these brotherhoods and sisterhoods by which means continue to prosper every day and will continue to do so as long as the sole and purpose of each individual fraternity and sorority beat in the heart of every brother and sister alive or dead.

In my audioboo interview, I interviewed Kiran Najeeb, my line sister in my sorority. She is 20 years old and a Criminal Justice major. Her opinion about what role technology plays in Greek life was similar to mine. Her thoughts summarized were that it played the biggest role in recruiting new members into the various organizations as well as helped advertise the organizations whenever events were being held and we wanted to whole campus to know about. Other Greek and non-Greek supporters would come out to these events to help support us and show their love and support for these organizations. Her audioboo interview can be listened here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/231360-audioboo-interview-2. 

Technology plays a deeper role than just communication through social networking sites. The websites that these organizations have that present their organizations help notify anyone who is interested in researching them of the purpose, history, and brothers and sisters of the organization all across the nation. These websites are designed very creatively by brothers and sisters themselves. They put all their hard work into these websites because they want to present their organization in the best light possible.  And to have the honor of designing your colony’s website is an accomplishment just in itself.

Further development of the role of technology in Greek life involves looking at how technology can help Greeks stay in touch with graduated brothers and sisters and brothers and sisters across the nation. I crossed the spring semester of my freshman year, and I remember meeting my national line sisters. Just standing up there, with all my sisters, gave me the feeling that I wasn’t doing this alone, I have all these people next to me going through the same thing I am going through, we are all going to go through it together, and we will get it done together. After we all had crossed, we all went back to our schools and missed each other dearly. Facebook allows me to stay in touch with my national line sisters. I can comment on their walls and see how they are doing at school and how our sorority is progressing at that colony. Furthermore, it allows me to get to know them more and more. I don’t feel disconnected from them and whenever I miss them, I know they are only a Facebook post away. Staying in touch with alums is also another aspect I explore about the role of technology. Hundreds of sisters that I never met before all friend requested me on my crossing date. You feel like the person loved most in the entire world and it is truly a wondrous feeling. My big sister is an alum of this school, and although I have never been able to meet her, I decided to join my sorority because of her due to numerous reasons. She was one of the first people who introduced me to Greek life and serves a role model to me because she is one of the founders of my sorority in this colony. I get to stay in touch with her through Facebook. I ask her about her life and she asks about mine. She lives all the way across the nation, but I know that although I have never met her, she is there for me no matter what. She is my big sister and I know that she is only a phone call away if I ever need her.

If anything, I think the role of technology will only further enhance what it already does for people in Greek life. Some trends that I see developing in the next 1-2 years are that we will be more dependent on technology than ever before. Due to our large numbers, the biggest advancement of technology is communication. Communication is the key role in everything that a brotherhood and sisterhood look for in. We want to network with as many people as possible, and we would all like to thank technology for making that happen. 

Reflection of JOUR289I Class 10/28/2010

     On October 28th, 2010, in my JOUR289I class, we had 11 foreign journalists come visit the students. They were from a variety of countries across the Middle Eastern and Asia. Ranging from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, these 11 individuals showed us students what it meant to be journalists in countries where war zones are highly active, when freedom of speech is revoked and disregarded, and where women have to fight to just go to school and have a profession in journalism.
     As the students asked various questions about privacy and security in these countries, regarding the internet, and social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, there was only one particular answer that really stuck out in my mind throughout the entire Q&A session. When asked about the privacy in Egypt particularly, and in some of the other countries as well, almost all of the 11 journalists said that they were not allowed to talk about their president, their governments, their politics, or any of the corruption that is bestowed in their beloved countries. After they all agreed to this statement, my mind was full of questions waiting to be answwered, however, I only chose to ask one question in particular. I asked them how do contain the right of freedom of speech when they are restricted in so many ways? What responsibility did they have as journalists to their people and the rest of society?
     Translating for the journalist from Oman, the man said some courageous things to answer my question. From what I could understand he explained that the difference between Oman and America was that America was built on the foundations for freedom; since that was our goal from the beginning, our forefathers laid the foundation for us and that is why we are able to build up on it today. While in Oman, an authoritarian government was installed when the country rose, it prospered, but not making its people happy along the way. This is why there is so much opposition, so much fear in these middle eastern countries; dictatorship ensued all of the chaos in these countries that fear and opposition became the foundations instead of hope and freedom.
    Seeing these 11 journalists from so many different countries reminded me of what freedom actually upholds and how it can make a difference in society and its people. Discussing with these individuals also made me realize that journalism is a unique field where it can bring you fame or destruction if you speak the truth.

Can You Find the Greek Meaning in these Graphics?

This is a "Go Greek" lanyard that a lot of students carry their keys on. It perceptualizes that people have different ways of portraying how they are related to Greek Life. All Greeks wear their letters, some have paddles, some have photo frames hung on their ways, some decorate their rooms with their organization's colors, and some just might hang their keys on a Greek lanyard. This picture was taken so that people could see the advertisement of Greeks on the University of Maryland campus and what kind of information potential members could find out by visiting the website. 

This graphic delineates the letters in the Greek alphabet. These letters represent my line information: zeta lambda beta gamma, corresponding to my chapter, my line, my position in the line, and my sorority. Taking the graphic from this angle, provided more of an emphasis on the letters that signified each individual rather than the paddle that is given to one when they cross into a fraternity or sorority.   

This graphic visualizes some of the perceptions sisters have in a sorority. The emphasis in the picture is not placed on the words "Sister", but rather the empty frame that signifies that you don't only have one sister in a sorority, you have many. You can have some closer sisters than others, but in the end, they are all your sisters, and you love them with all your heart. 

What is Really Greek?

In Greek life, people value the letters they pridefully wear on their chest. It is earned as a right and when people achieve their goals and cross into the brotherhood or sisterhood, they feel as if they are always representing their letters, whether wearing them on clothing or not. The Greek alphabet reminds us that we are individually unique, but together complete because under these letters, Greeks will always be unified when representing their individual letters. 

This visual representation represents college Greek life in a negative way. From the ABC hit network television series, Greek, is an American dramedy television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University (CRU) who participate in the school's Greek system. The show's plots often take place within the confines of the fictional fraternities, Kappa Tau Gamma (ΚΤΓ) and Omega Chi Delta (ΩΧΔ), or the fictional sorority, Zeta Beta Zeta (ΖΒZ). This visual representation of the Greek system with a "red cup" simply asks for the audience's ridicule and mockery. This show confirms what all the stereotypes about Greek life are; that they are a bunch of kids just looking for a way to party harder and consume more alcohol than more, when in fact Greek Life is so much more.  

Adults Adapting to Technology

Adults have done a fairly well job in trying to keep up with the changing times of the 21st century. Most have gotten round to using email; some better late than never, have learned how to use text messaging. I know for a fact that my own mother texts me more than she calls me while I am away at college and it makes life easier sometimes. However, there is that older American generation who has tried to avoid the technology boom. Beth Azar from the American Psychological Association says that these adults “still do their banking with live tellers, write letters in long hand and hang up the phone on anything but a live voice” (2). The people in this world must come to the conclusion that technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of life. And it has come to the time where certain individuals need to take the responsibility of learning new technologies which will make their lives easier after they get comfortable with it. The only two disadvantages that Beth Azar tells us about is that (1) Older adults “tend to have little experience with technology, and (2) even the healthiest among them show declines in cognitive and motor function that can interfere with their ability to use technologies” (3). With time, older adults may or may not learn to use new technologies. But in the end, it comes down to whether they truly are competent enough to use the technology.

Contradictory to Beth Azar’s article from the American Psychological Association, the University of Delaware has conducted a study in which they presume that older adults’ motor skills may not interfere with their ability to use technology. Video games have always been blamed for weight gain, and the lack of fitness in little children and teens. However, the new game console Nintendo Wii has everyone up and about. There are games that allow people of all ages to play outdoor sports indoors. Wii tennis, Wii bowling, Wii baseball, and Wii Fit have everyone up and exercising. “Orsega-Smith from the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition at the University of Delaware, is conducting research on the use of “exergames” –games that require physical exertion as an input to gain feedback from the system—with older adults” (1). With a group of undergraduates, Orsega-Smith and her team “compared the caloric expenditure of playing various Wii sports games –bowling, tennis, and baseball—or 30 minutes….The calories burned ranged from a low of 18-89 for team bowling to a high of 22-114 for baseball. If we assume an average of about 50 calories for half an hour three times a week,” Orsega-Smith says, “that's 7,800 calories a year” (3). Even though older adults will be participating in these activities and studies, these activities are nowhere near helping them avoid chronic heart disease, high cholesterol, muscle fatigue, tendonitis, etc… But it is helping “slow down the ‘middle-age spread’ that occurs gradually with age” (4). It is better than doing nothing.


In light of the information we uncovered, we decided to create a survey that could either demonstrate that adults of previous generations are neglecting modernizing with technology or if they are adapting. The survey was composed of twelve questions that also asked for age, occupation, and gender. The questions are as follow:

1)      
To To what extent, do you operate a mobile phone on a daily basis? 
1 –Not at all    2          3-Moderate    4          5 –Frequently

2)      To what extent, do you use the internet on a daily basis?
1 –Not at all    2          3-Moderate    4          5 –Frequently

3)      On average, how many internet user accounts do you uphold on a daily basis? (ex: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc…)
1          2          3         4         5

4)      To what extent, do you know how to operate Microsoft Office? 
1 –Not at all    2         3-Moderate    4          5 –Proficiently 

5)      To what extent, do you know how to operate Photoshop? 
1 –Not at all    2         3-Moderate    4          5 –Proficiently 

6)      To what extent, do you know how to operate iTunes?
1 –Not at all    2         3-Moderate    4          5 –Proficiently 

7)      On a daily basis, how often do you operate text messaging?
1 –Not at all    2         3-Moderate    4          5 –Proficiently 

8)      Do you own any gaming consoles?
0          1         2         3         4         5

9)      Do you own a Smartphone? 
Yes      No
10)  What is your occupation?
11) What is your age?

We had originally planned to ask ten adults and in order to have a unit of comparison, we decided to ask ten college students/young adults the exact same questions. The method of surveying was slightly difficult. We did not want to create an account on surverymonkey.com or online in general because we thought it would skew our data from the start. If we decided to put the survey online, those who are not adapted to the internet will automatically be denied access. However, due to the short time, we sent out an e-mail containing the questions to the survey. We did not attach a file in order to make it simpler.

Unfortunately, out of the ten young adults/students we emailed, only eight replied. Yet, it is not as bad as the response we saw from the older adults. Out of eleven emails that were sent out, only two responded. We didn’t think two responses would be sufficient enough to support our study. Our prediction was that the surveys would demonstrate that our generation and those that follow have a greater interaction with technology. However, the adults will also show a greater interaction than that implied by Beth Azar’s article, but of course not at the same level as the college students sampled. In order to gather as much data as possible in the time we had, we re-emailed the surveys to students, and took a different approach for the adults. We did re-email them as well but we also did some physical interaction. Instead of using the internet, we printed the surveys and physically interacted with adults. We were able to get a University of Maryland professor from the College of Arts and Humanities to participate. Although, we wanted to get more professors involved, it was not possible because of the midterm assignments that were taking place this week. Nonetheless we were able to get a total six surveys done by adults and ten by young adults. The data was compiled into the following tables:

Survey Data: Students/ Young Adults

Survey Data: Adults

 According to the data we collected, all the young adults use the internet, cell phones, and interact with technology as we had expected; although, there are a few exceptions.  Students D and E do not own gaming consoles, Student D does not know how to operate iTunes at all, and more than half of the young adults’ surveyed do not own a smart phone.

With the data collected for older adults, there seems to be variation. Some of the adults use their mobile phones more than others, and  half of those surveyed use the internet more than they use their mobile phones. There is a similarity in the ownership of smart phones in this group as was seen in the young adult group. Five out of the six do not own smart phones.

After analyzing the data, we came upon an alternate conclusion. Our predictions were supported by our findings. The adults that we were able to survey do interact with technology and incorporate it to some degree in their daily lives. The level of incorporation is seen to be higher among young adults as we had predicted as well. However, we did learn something new; that certain factors contribute to the older adults’ adaptation to technology. Looking at the data, it was clear that the occupation of the older adults had a level of correlation with how often or proficiently they function with technology. It is seen that the CEO has the highest level of technology incorporation on a daily basis. Compared to the educators that make up half of those surveyed, the lowest level of technology incorporation was seen among the carpenter and retired. We could infer that age might also have an influence, and it might, but in this case it is not such a great factor because the carpenter and CEO are nearly the same age. After taking this discovery into account, we concluded that there are many other factors such as age and ethnicity that can influence how much an older adult will adapt with technology. Yet, in this scenario our original predictions were supported.

Sources:

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2011/sep/wii-older-adults091510.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar02/helpingold.aspx
http://www.4elders.org/tips/articles/home-care-technology.htm

Stalk Much?

How private are your settings on Facebook, MySpace, and any other social networking site? Can people in your network only see your tagged pictures? Or can all of your friends see your pictures and other biographical info? Why would you post online where you are of every minute of every day? Do you want people to know everything about you, so that there is nothing left for anyone to discover?

These questions ponder my mind as I write this article about privacy and security online. In Greek Life, most organizations stalk out their potential new members on Facebook, and other websites. They meet them the first time during a Meet the Greeks session, and after they get their names and emails, they stalk them out on Facebook, finding out all the information they can about them. They see their pictures, all the people they associate with, and if any other organizations are friends with them. It’s all about territory after this point; once an organization approaches a new member, the other organizations fight for that new member, trying everything to get that individual to pledge for them. Some things they say or do to lure out their individual is buy that individual and his friends alcohol, invite them out to parties that they throw, and mixers. They ask them to come hang out, watch T.V., go shopping, become the best of friends ever.

And the entire time, this new individual is thinking that he/she is finally making cool friends in college. Students, who are older than them, know what is right and wrong, know the best places to hang out and a great way to network and meet new people.

And so they get comfortable with these people, and decide to pledge their allegiance to this fraternity or sorority. They go through a process, lasting weeks, and they finally cross into the brotherhood or sisterhood. After a semester of partying, getting to know more brothers and sisters from out-of-state schools, and feeling that you finally have found that place in college that you can call your home and that you’ve met the people who you can call your family, the process begins all over again. Except, this time you’re on the other side, acting as a witness and a facilitator to get more new members for your organization. You discover the methods they use to attract these potential new members. They are the same methods they used on you when you were rushing. You see how you are encouraged to stalk them on Facebook, and find out as much as you can about them. You begin to question your motives and your allegiance to the organization. You begin to wonder if everything was a lie or if it was all fake? Did they just recruit you for numbers?

Now you find yourself doing the same thing to other new potential members, and you discover along the way that not everything is fake. You begin to like them as a friend, even share common interests, and getting them to join your fraternity or sorority becomes simply only the half of it.

By declaring your allegiance, you become united under one goal, under one title, and if you like to associate yourself with these people in the organization, then pledging your allegiance isn’t always necessary because if they stop hanging out with you, or stop trusting you after you have turned away from them, then you know now that they were never your real friends to begin with. 

The Light and Dark Side of Greek Life

 You take your first steps on the nicely shaven green grass that’s been paid for by your tuition money every semester; you look around and you finally exhale a long breath. Damn, you finally made it to college, you think it’s now nonstop partying, never having to listen to your parents ever again, make new friends, and live life to the fullest.

After a couple of weeks of partying three nights a week, you find yourself feeling lonely, not.  having found your clique of people to just chill and hang out with. You see a poster about Greek Life and think it may be a good idea to rush this semester, so you can find a group of people who will like you for who you are. You do some researching on the internet to see what the Greek System is like in your school and you come across a radius of opinions. Greek Life isn’t for everyone, some people adjust to it, and others don’t.

Student Articles written for Fast Webs portrays some blunt information about Greek Life. It is a good resource center if people wanted to get a generic idea about what Greek Life is about. For example, it tells people how much of a time commitment being a brother or sister might be, how much the membership dues cost per semester, and the stereotypes that come along with being associated with certain Greeks on a college campus. In addition, the website helps new potential members of the hazing policies. Each school has a different hazing policy, and it is best that every student who rushes is aware of this policy (Fast Webs).

What better ways to find out a quick summary about something you want to know about from anything other than Sparknotes? Sparknotes covers a full summary of their version of whether to go Greek or not. They provide the basic facts, similar to Fast Webs, with a shallow reference to what to do when you are at a frat party, how girls and boys are treated at these frat parties, and how to manage yourselves when you have been drinking (Sparknotes).

Unlike the two sources above, which give neutral and some positive feedback about Greek Life, they aren’t really good sources to base your decision on whether to join Greek life or not. The third source tells the reader of a biased perspective of Greek Life. A girl named Noelle tells the story of how she entered Greek Life and that when she finally crossed; she discovered that these girls had intentionally sought her out through Facebook, and other sources. They knew her name, her hometown, her major, and her hobbies before they even met her. These upperclassmen girls utilized these social networking sites and even found out about the kind of guys she hooked up. They then “proceeded to creepily insert themselves into [her] life (took [her] shopping, bought [her] drinks) in order to get [her] to join their sorority” (USA Today). Even though this is a biased perspective, and not all Greek experiences are like this, I still find this source to be more reliable than any of the other sources because someone who personally experiences Greek Life and is honest about their responses is the sole source one can trust.

In my personal opinion, deciding to join Greek Life, has been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am happy that I found people I can truly communicate with and who all come together to fight for one cause.  Noelle believes that “friendships” that are formed through Facebook stalking and gossiping are never going to be real—and “sisterhood” is straight up impossible” (USA Today). Sisterhood is possible when two girls can come together at any point in life and pick up right where they left off; now whether that may be through Facebook chat or meeting for the first time in real life, sisters will always find each other as long as they enjoy each other’s company. And as many of the fraternity brother I know, I can proudly say that they would be nothing without each other.      

Sources: 

http://www.fastweb.com/student-life/articles/871-to-go-greek-or-not-to-go-greek-that-is-the-question-

http://www.sparknotes.com/college/life/page13.html

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/greek-life-the-dark-side

   

Etiquette in Greek Life?

What is fair and what isn’t fair in the real world? We claim love isn’t fair when we see the girl of our dreams walk right out of our lives with someone else. We say love is fair when we defeat the enemy and save the beautiful maiden. We say war isn’t fair when hundreds of soldiers die to protect their motherland. And we say war is fair when we attain our rights and win the battle. So who determines what is fair and what is unfair?

Fairness over the internet is a controversial topic. Many people believe that posting over the internet is one’s own right, one right’s of freedom of speech. Others believe that proper etiquette should be involved when posting on the internet because the internet is available to a vast audience including children who may see things they aren’t supposed to see over the internet.

In Greek life, the internet is vastly utilized in order to promote events, attract rushees, and keep in touch with alumni. Over the internet, they have to post certain events and pictures that attract potential new members.  Whether it may be pictures from a formal or a party, other factors do come into play and red cups, beer pong tables, and people dancing like crazy appear. Once you post something on the internet, it is permanent. Lots of people may have seen it even if the picture was only up there for 10 minutes and then you decided to take it down. Potential employers, recruiting staff, and other people see the things you do, and nothing is personal. Jenny Preece argues these assumptions in her article “Online Etiquette: From Nice to Necessary” and backs it up with some real-life situations in where she believes that proper grammar and spelling skills are necessary online techniques that everyone in the community should communicate with. She announces that we should create etiquette norms that everyone should follow on the internet and that if someone breaks the norm; it becomes their responsibility to improve their etiquette skills and use proper language. It also becomes that community’s responsibility that has allowed that person to enter their society, to teach him the proper skills as well.

Being a part of Greek life, I can say that everyone has to be careful in what they post on the internet. Nobody wants to get in trouble with any of their schools and lose their chapter. In some ways, I agree with Jenny Preece’s argument, but at the same time, what we choose to post, we know the consequences as well for putting something up on the internet.  

History of Greek Life

Greek Life originated in the late 1700s when Phi Beta Kappa was established as the first Greek-letter student society in North America. They were founded on the motto “Philosophy is the guide of life” (A General History of Greek Life) and Greek was chosen as the language of the motto due to its classical education at the time. As one of the first fraternities on a college campus, wearing the Greek letters became the most prideful way to communicate to members inside and outside the society.

Back then, there wasn’t much technology that Greek societies on campus could utilize; they relied much on their letters to speak for them. In a way, I liked the old way of communication. It spoke the truth, plainly and bluntly, without anyone to modify it. Bystanders would read the letters on someone’s prideful chest, and they would say as they walked by “Wow, that person is in Phi Beta Kappa or Kappa Alpha…” Your reputation is associated with your letters, and you represent these letters; therefore your actions, throughout history communicated, will continue to communicate how your Greek society will be seen in the social and philanthropic community.    

When World War I and World War II came along, however, the Greek system ran into trouble. Most men were deported to fight in the war and women were forced into the workforce. They began to serve the needs of society and most of the Greek houses on college campuses became of use to house troops and so charters and groups died out; “many smaller organizations merged with larger ones in order to keep from disappearing entirely” (4). However, after the GI Bill was distributed, more men than ever before returned to college and pretty soon, almost forty Greek organizations, “with at least fifty members each” (4), became to form the sad tradition of hazing that is still evident in all PHA, PFC, PHC, and UGC organizations.

Technology began to play a dominate role in Greek life when the next generation became involved. After the World Wide Web was introduced, and advertising became accessible through the web, Greek organizations used other programs on computers to help them create appealing images for the upcoming rushees. Lately, lots of organizations are into designing templates and videos and using Facebook as the primary way of communicating with potential new members. Even before the freshman get to college, Greek organizations will randomly go and message these individuals on Facebook, introducing their Greek organization, their affiliations, and their philanthropic ideas. Another way to enhance their appearances is by making rush videos each semester. A rush video encompasses their colony’s history, their brothers or sisters, their principles, and even a theme to show their creativity among other organizations. Rush videos target a youthful audience who are naïve, easily manipulated, to come and join a brotherhood and sisterhood founded on blissful blessings and true character. New members just have to recognize what is truth and what is lie. Some things may not be the way they seem to be.  


Source: http://www.gmu.edu/org/ifc/faq_generalhist.htm

Why Greek You Say?

As the rush schedule for the fall semester is approaching, fraternities and sororities in college campuses nationwide are preparing for their individual events. Rush themes and parties are planned, public displays bearing letters and t-shirts, trophies, awards, pictures, and other prized possessions are displayed properly, and each member in their organization is accounted for. Now where does technology fit in with Greek life? Greek life has vastly emerged in the past 75 years, and technology itself has innovated in unique ways  during that same time. These Greek organizations have begun to use technology in an interesting way to attract potential rushees, stay in touch with alums, and present themselves publicly to the social and philanthropic community. “Image is everything” as Andre Agassi used to say and in doing so, various Greek organizations display themselves in a different light during recruitment time. They speak to people they never would have ever dreamed speaking too, they find themselves manipulating students to come and join their brotherhoods and sisterhoods, and above all, using technology in ways others outside Greek life could ever imagine.

Other than myself, there is only one more person in my family who has "Gone Greek." This person became a role model in my life from the day I was born, and I found myself wanting to be like her every minute of every day. Our Professor in class tells us to write about something we are interested in or something that is close to our hearts. I chose to write about Greek life because I am fairly new to it, am enjoying every minute of it, and because my role model lives in my heart.

This semester, my goal will be to reach out to the Greek community. I want to explore their individual talents and experiences, learn why they chose to "Go Greek", and beyond it all, I wish to learn of the different technological methods that fraternities and sororities nationwide use to captivate new individuals, mesmerize their old members, and above all, socially and publicly display and present themselves to the Greek community. I hope that these discoveries will lead me to be a better sister in my sisterhood, help my readers understand Greek life by looking at it through a different light, and hopefully interest those who never were interested in Greek life because it truly becomes a blissful life long journey and you have the blessing of sharing it with the brothers and sisters who love you for who you are just the way you are.