To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to express my feelings and opinions regarding the “Hazy Waters” article in the Lanthorn on October 1, 2012. As the President of a Greek organization, I feel closely related to and responsible for the reputation of Greek life on Grand Valley’s campus. I have been a member of the Rho Eta Chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity for two years now, and within that time I have grown as an individual more than I could have ever imagined, and watched others in the Greek community grow along with me. Within this time, I have also learned what it means to feel automatically stereotyped and judged for something you feel extremely passionate about. On Grand Valley’s campus, I see a flourishing Greek community – committed to academic, social, and philanthropic excellence. We are committed, as a community, to our values and principles, and hold each other accountable as organizations to make sure these standards are upheld. One of these standards is GVSU’s strict zero-tolerance hazing policy. Within my time as a member of the Greek community here, I have not once felt emotionally, physically, or mentally hazed in any matter. As the leader of one of these organizations, we take extra precaution to make sure our members do not feel any type of activity could be considered hazing – from banning even the simplest of activities, such as a scavenger hunt. These types of rules are embodied to keep not only our members safe, but also the reputation of our Fraternity.

We dedicate countless hours to educating our members on how to uphold our values and ideals, including respect toward members and the campus community. From September 24-28, 2012, Phi Mu celebrated National Hazing Prevention Week. From having our members yearly sign an anti-hazing pledge to discussing how hazing can impact an individual or a chapter, we proudly display our support for anti-hazing efforts. I believe that I am responsible for keeping my members informed and hold them accountable for actions, and it was extremely beneficial that this week led right up to recruitment – to remind members what Greek life is all about – the protection and support of each and every one of our members.

I understand that your article was not accusatory, and even stated that there were “little to no reports of hazing” on our campus, yet I feel the article was also ill-timed and implied the potential destruction of our members. To read that article immediately after we have spent numerous hours dedicated to displaying our values and recruiting new leaders into our organizations, I felt targeted. I know that it is hard for someone from the outside looking in to understand the entirety of Greek life, yet I believe speaking to Greek members and leaders would have given you better insight into the campus climate of hazing. I also believe that the poll on whether or not Greek life is “relevant” on GVSU’s campus was an ignorant question. From my perspective, that is like asking if a football team is “relevant” on our campus or if the LGBTQ Center on campus is “relevant”. I have found a home in my organization, just as athletes find a home on their team or those in the LGBTQ community find a safe haven within the Center. I believe every campus organization is “relevant” to the campus community.

I am not saying that an article on hazing isn’t an understandable choice after the weekend of Greek life recruitment, yet I feel we should celebrate the healthy Greek community on GVSU’s campus! The fact that Panhellenic Council added the highest amount of new members to our Greek community ever, or that IFC bid night on Kirkhof Lawn was a successful bonding event for all of Greek life. We have centered our GVSU Greek community around the University’s commitment to excellence, and we would like others in the community to celebrate these accomplishments. I hope that in the future, as Grand Valley’s Greek community continues to expand, that we are able to celebrate our new membership without worrying about rumors of hazing. These new members enter our organizations expecting love and support, but when the campus community is immediately warning them of potential fictional acts, this is much harder to celebrate. I would be happy to speak further about the situation. I enjoy the Lanthorn and understand the platform of free speech and opinions, but as Greek Life is so often focused on for the negative aspects, I am turning to you, an influential media partner, to help us celebrate our accomplishments!

Sincerely,
Lindy Barnes
President
Rho Eta Chapter of Phi Mu Fraternity