Alicia Ebaugh’s Aug. 25 opinion piece about sororities becoming obsolete was disappointing at best — I expected more from this newspaper than the clich‚s and insults to the thousands of students living in greek houses. The opportunities and support the greek community offers are still infinitely valuable to the members of Iowa State’s nineteen sororities and twenty-nine fraternities.

“Buying your friends” is certainly an interesting, if overused, concept. Fellow students might be interested to know that for less than they would pay for the cheapest residence hall room, you can live in a new, air-conditioned house with a modern computer lab, high-speed internet at every desk, weight-training and fitness equipment and plenty of room to work on architecture or art projects only two blocks from the Memorial Union. We also get 17 hot meals each week and a 24-hour kitchen — the money we pay to “buy our friends” goes a long way. But that’s only our facilities; we know students don’t join houses just for cheaper living.

If you are interested in becoming a better person academically, spiritually, socially or physically, I am not aware of any other club or organization that can support you as well as a greek organization. The instruction I am getting at Iowa State would be far less useful if it came with none of the growth I have experienced over the past year from my fraternity.

Maybe there are women who join a sorority for the “right” reasons and drop out after a year or so, but my observations have been totally the opposite. I have seen many students who originally lived in residence halls join a sorority or fraternity when they realized they wanted more than just a place to live.

Not that being greek is everything or that we have no respect for those who aren’t. It may not be for everyone; there are typically more rules to living in a fraternity or sorority than living in an apartment. But the fact that the experience isn’t for everyone doesn’t mean the system is becoming obsolete. Although I am clearly committed, I believe an honest accounting of the pros and cons will show many advantages to living in a greek house.

Philanthropy, service to community, academic achievement, social participation, spiritual growth and physical development: these are the principles of the greek houses.

Our lifelong friendships and relationships are a fortunate by-product of striving to attain those goals together.

Living in a fraternity or sorority may not be for everyone, but I urge you not to decide this without any facts or exploration. I would bet anyone that a fair examination of a greek house will show a neat group of individuals who strive to improve themselves and their brothers or sisters as well as become active and involved citizens in the world around them. This is the ideal greek community member, and I hope for the sake of our future that those principles are not becoming obsolete.

Nate Hertel

Junior

Political Science