Letter to Editor: Greek comic

October 20, 2014

Editor’s note: The Oakland Post regrets the decision to run the “Note to Self” comic featured on last week’s “Mouthing Off” satire page. During this semester, we have covered Greek life in stories chronicling sorority bid day, Oakland’s TKE fraternity’s positive response to a national scandal, the Greek council’s reaction to the Yik Yak app, and a “Photo of the Week” featuring a Zeta Sigma Chi fundraising event. The Post has and will continue to provide objective coverage of all campus organizations and to champion their contributions to the community.
 
Dear Editor,
 

It has recently come to the attention of the Oakland Greek community that a highly offensive comic was published in the Oakland Post. The comic in question epics a grizzly at a party who cannot read, trying to find beer. This is huge insult to not only myself as a sorority woman, but to the Greek community as a whole.

 
As the Director of Academic Success for the Delta Tau chapter of the Alpha Sigma Tau National Sorority, I strive to maintain my chapter’s academic integrity. Currently as it stands, Alpha Sigma Tau and the rest of the Panhellenic sororities on campus have a higher combined GPA than the Oakland average GPA and the Oakland women’s average GPA. Also, we have one of the most diverse group of majors, ranging from Communications, Biochemistry, Teaching and Engineering.

Our sorority was founded as a teacher’s sorority, so academics is something that we do not take lightly. Academics is in our core values and the a basis of what we stand for, as does it for any other chapter on campus. Every single Greek chapter has a minimum GPA to join and also a minimum GPA to maintain to stay on good standing. Failure to maintain the minimum GPA  results in serious consequences and, in some cases, the members can be removed from the chapter.

The nature of the comic is not only insulting Greek’s intelligence, but is also perpetuating the stereotype that all Greeks do is party. That is not true. We organize weekly study session and at anytime you can find a person with Greek letters studying in the library or in the Oakland Center. I personally spend most of my free time trying to better my chapter and make sure that we rid ourselves of the negative connotation that this comic is supporting. Furthermore, I do not believe that gentlemen of Alpha Sigma Phi would appreciate their letters represented in this way.

If yourself or one of your staff members would like to sit down with myself and representatives from my chapter and others to discuss academics within the Greek system I would be more than willing to arrange something. If you have any further questions for me, please refer my signature for contact information.

Sincerely,

Brittany J. Barron