Service fraternity sought to educate campus, not alienate Greeks

Editor:

As a member of the Alpha Phi Omega chapter on campus, I would like to express my apologies and regret for any misunder-standing that arose from the sexual assault awareness video we helped sponsor through the assistance of the medshed. We were recommended the video after the RA’s on campus viewed it during their training. In no way, did we believe that the video accurately represents Greek life on Alma’s campus, or any campus. I believe we made that point clear at the beginning of the showing of the video. As for the unfortunate timing of the video; including myself, 15 members of our chapter (roughly half) are social Greek, 4 belong to ΦΜΑ/ΣΑΙ and approximately 5 went through social recruitment this winter.

I do not believe that our group or our programs are deterring people from becoming social Greek. I believe that anyone who thought about the video for any length of time would realize that this one fraternity was being used as a scapegoat to address larger issues. We would also like to explain that Alpha Phi Omega is in itself, a Greek organization, although it is not social, several chapters around the country have their own events and apartments where sexual assault also could occur. To try to make an anti-Greek statement in a program would be to turn against ourselves.

It is also my belief that if the people that went to the showing of the video had any disagreements and or wanted to express how things were different in the video than at Alma, they should have stayed for the discussion that followed. It is not fair to criticize something that was supposed to facilitate a discussion about sexual assault and then not stay for the discussion. If Ryan Cannon believed the video was so wrong, and that is does not happen at the fraternities or in the dorms at Alma, then maybe he should have stayed to tell us what really happens. Those of us at the discussion appreciated the honesty and willingness of Rob Nicholson (04), brother of Sigma Chi, to attempt to see what people really did believe, especially when it comes to Greek Life. We were disappointed that more people did not seem to voice their true opinions about how Greek life and campus does or does not address sexual assault matters. It would be a lie to say that sexual assault doesn’t occur at Alma, if Ryan Cannon had such strong opinions on this topic or our video; it would have been more appropriate for him to have watched the entire program and stayed for the discussion then to a misinformed article in the paper.

I would also like to express my disap-pointment in Ryan’s article because it was not only inaccurate, but it took an easy shot at a group that has nothing to do with the negative stereotypes of Greeks. Next time, please get your facts straight about the opinion of Alpha Phi Omega before telling the campus we are “circulating anti-Greek propaganda” and accusing us of being a reason why “drunken, misogynistic, rapists” may become a part of the Greek community. Again we apologize if people took the video as another negative hit to Greek life, but we truly were hoping to raise discussion about sexual assault at Alma, not to deliver the message that Greek life is negative or the sole cause of sexual assault. This issue is obviously on the minds of many people.

I am happy that our group made the first step to bringing such a topic to the entire campus and not selected groups. The Center will be sponsoring another sexual assault related program at the beginning of February, and I am glad to see the brothers of Sigma Chi have seemed to take an interest in the topic. However, I found the plug at the end of Cannon’s editorial completely out of place and more a way to make his organization look better in the face of dealing with an issue that has been around longer than most of us would like to think. Ryan, my suggestion to you is, get your facts straight, your article made Greek life look like it had something to defend. My group believes that sexual assault can occur anywhere and it is a problem that needs to be looked at and addressed on campus. This was the point of our program, I am sorry that you missed it.

Julie Frick (04)
Treasurer
Alpha Phi Omega

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