Greeks deserve to have an expanded community here at Virginia Tech. When Greek life is forced to live off of the Tech campus, it creates a huge hassle for us Greeks. While our fraternity and sorority members put money into houses that are poor investments in the long run, both the communities and university suffer.
The Virginia Tech golf course is an unproductive liability for the university as its revenue and benefits pale in comparison to those provided consistently by the Greek communities here at Tech.
Greeks are donors of thousands upon thousands of dollars to philanthropic organizations and non-profits. The Greek community also provides the university with countless hours of community service in events such as the Big Event, Relay for Life and Greeks Giving Back.
To not reward communities who devote time, effort, and money to good causes would be blasphemous. The Greek community here at Tech has both earned and deserved the Oak Lane Phase IV Expansion.
Jonathan L. Ciccone
freshman
general engineering major
A version of this article appeared in the Apr 8 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 22 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
So if I donate say 2000 a month can I also have a nice big house built for me right on campus?
Get over yourselves and quit buying friends.
Reply to this Top
No you wouldn't be able to have yourself a house on campus even if you paid because you aren't a fraternity. Also paying dues isn't "buying friends." Fraternities have dues so they have money for philanthropy (and yes parties etc. let's not be ignorant). just like several other clubs and organizations on campus that aren't Greek related.
Reply to this Top
Look, frosh, get over yourself. For one thing, when I was at Tech the fraternities preferred living off campus and away from the long arm of the Tech administration. For another, you aren't being "forced" to live off campus. You CHOSE to join a fraternity; live with the consequences. It's called life.
Reply to this Top
This comment has been buried by moderation (show comment)
Reply to this Top
So you are upset about the misuse of the word, blasphemous? Did you even read the rest of the article? Or did you just stop because you were to frustrated to even finish. Every one deserves their opinion you shouldn't just try and bash the writer for expressing his views.
Reply to this Top
"The Virginia Tech golf course is an unproductive liability for the university"
I guess you could say that about the gym and swimming pool too. I for one would rather have a golf course with a reasonable rate for students than more on-campus greek housing. As a former greek who loved living in an off-campus house, I don't understand the "huge hassle".
Reply to this Top
You sound like a nerd that is sitting in your room all day. How are you going to say that the gym and pool are unproductive, when hundreds of kids are always in there and it's pretty much always crowded.
Reply to this Top
You can quote me on this, "Oak Lane will be the down fall of Virgina Tech's Greek system." Why would anyone want to live in a dorm (Oak Lane) unless they have too. Like said before, students move off campus to avoid the long arm of the Virginia Tech administration. Dorm to Apartment, dorm to shared house, dorm to off campus frat house. Its nice to live without big brother monitoring your house 24/7.
Reply to this Top
I just wanted to clarify something about the new phase of Oak Lane that you might not know. The university is allowing fraternities free access to the land. The fraternities that chose to enter into the contract for the land will be able to build a house that they design themselves. The university would help to pay for 2/3 of the house and the fraternity would have to pay for the other 1/3. So the house would still be under Virginia Tech but it wouldn't be like living in the dorms. The housing cores of the fraternities would still have a say in what happens with the house.
Reply to this Top
Housing cores of the fraternities? I don't want another frat telling me what to do with my own house. Current Oak Lane is dorm life. I find it hard to believe that phase dos will be any different, regardless of promises. Can you please cite your sources for information? I would like to do some further reading.
Top
What makes you so special? Thousands of other students in organizations that are in no way greek give back to our community just as much. Also, in the last 2 semesters, six of your organizations have lost their charters due to drinking violations. Does that really mean you guys deserve to destroy the cheapest, most convenient golf course on campus? Get over yourself and be happy that you have an on campus house and free parking at hokie grill.
Reply to this Top
Give the author credit for having the courage to submit a Letter to the Editor. Unfortuantely, I feel like if a case were going to be made it should have been done by someone with a little more experience with the Greek Life system. I think the negative aspects of Greek life are advertised much more than the postive. Yes, there is drinking. But the Greek system also raises a lot of money for a plethora of causes including domestic violence shelters, various cancer awareness and research organizations, programs for children, March of Dimes, St. Judes, etc. They also volunteer on campus (freshman move-in) and off campus (tutoring at the local schools). I am not saying that this entitles anyone to a free pass and a free house, but I am saying- cut them some slack and give credit to those organizations that do follow the rules and make a positive contribution to the University and the community.
Reply to this Top
Aren't Greek organizations REQUIRED by the university to do all these charitable things? I'm not saying their activities are not positive, just saying that a lot of organizations out there have philanthropy as their primary objective; not as a function to otherwise give credit to what is, for the most part, a buy-in social club for swapping DNA.
Reply to this Top
Give the author credit for having the courage to submit a Letter to the Editor. Unfortuantely, I feel like if a case were going to be made it should have been done by someone with a little more experience with the Greek Life system. I think the negative aspects of Greek life are advertised much more than the postive. Yes, there is drinking. But the Greek system also raises a lot of money for a plethora of causes including domestic violence shelters, various cancer awareness and research organizations, programs for children, March of Dimes, St. Judes, etc. They also volunteer on campus (freshman move-in) and off campus (tutoring at the local schools). I am not saying that this entitles anyone to a free pass and a free house, but I am saying- cut them some slack and give credit to those organizations that do follow the rules and make a positive contribution to the University and the community.
Reply to this Top
Kid, you are a freshmen and have no idea what you are talking about. Is this some kind of pledge or iniation trick? Greeks, (me included) don't WANT to live on campus. I realize that you are new to the whole greek thing but you might want to get more informed before you spout off such garbage in the school newspaper. Survey 100 Greeks and at least 90 of them will tell you that they want to live off campus..For your sake and the sake of your fraternity, Get a clue!!
Reply to this Top
Must be a DTD. The worst thing that has happend to Tech has been Oak Lane. Anyone in a real fraternity does not want to be close to Oak Lane.
Reply to this Top
Why must it be a DTD? DTD wants nothing to do with Oak Lane and their dorm housing. There are no other housing options in Blacksburg though. This is just a freshmen who is too lazy to take the bus to campus.
Reply to this Top
kids a beta
Top
Johnathan, get over yourself and your so called greek lifestyle.
As an outsider, the whole greek thing always struck me as generic and not very specific to the VT experience. And it all seemed so incredibly homo-erot*c... not my thing at all.
Three quick points:
First, one would hope that all of these wonderful services Greek community performs are due to a sense of altruism. You make it sound like quid pro quo.
Second, how much money do you think the university spends to police fraternity parties for underage drinking,and investigate all the hazing and date rapes which occur regularly therein?
Third, if service to the university were ground for better housing, why does the corps of cadets reside in dorms built in the 20's and 30s?
Reply to this Top
if you did some research you would that for one thing, hazing does not occur with every chapter on campus. Second, to say that date rape occurs regularly at fraternity parties is insulting and shows a lack of knowledge when it comes to the greek community. Its comments like that that continue to spread a negative stereotype of fraternities. I think your opening statement of "as an outsider looking in" negates your ability to comment on what happens within a fraternity. You obviously have no clue as to what most of the organizations are truly about.
Reply to this Top
your not greek, your probably american.
Top
Rate Seek,writing indeed imply consequence teaching display box stuff establishment free matter search require mine accompany existing vision strike point educational pool for moment attend produce somebody enter whilst culture rise claim turn sister late simply widely east deal mental pound religion horse army alright to least stock claim concentrate below gentleman impression highly job various claim okay promote visitor try literature today social without promise weather climb range amongst little elsewhere play daughter me answer adopt suddenly theme while politics vote really accompany previous
Reply to this Top