Greek bashing

As a former editor of a high school newspaper, I am generally impressed with the quality of writing and editorializing in The Northern Star. But a column on Oct. 8 really injured my journalistic respect for the Star’s integrity.

Eric Krol, in a move for stupefying editorial ignorance, seeks to bash greeks by writing a column on the myth of greek “hoggers.” It angers me not because he is obviously not greek, but that he is obviously not informed.

If I were a high school journalism teacher grading his article, I would give him a “F” and throw it in the trash. It is incredible that The Northern Star would be foolhardy enough to print Krol’s article based on myth and rumor heard on the street. Krol has sunk to the pond-scum level of gossip columnist.

I would imagine that Krol could hide pitifully behind the First Amendment which guarantees the freedom of speech. But even that principle is based on the Peter Zenger of colonial America which only established protection for the truth.

For a moment I must digress from talking about the wormlike editor and speak about the facts, something Krol conveniently neglects. If this “hoggers” or “scales” concept was in effect, chances are that Krol would have heard about it sooner.

Girls would have noted this well before he would have and objected to it. He said that it is only after two years that he has heard this myth. If the myth were true, his acquaintances, especially the girls, would have talked about this long before.

Also, if the Interfraternity Council ever caught wind of any such “hogger” activities, an immediate investigation would be held and any offending chapters would be punished.

Finally, like the rest of college males, most greek men are involved in relationships that preclude any “hogging.”

It is true that most fraternities hold after hours where generally only females are let in. But this policy is not to increase that chance of “success” as Krol called it. Rather, it is an intelligent policy which guards the house from liability.

By letting in only female and male friends of the members of the house (who need tickets to enter), the house saves itself from the aggressiveness, violence, and damage that drunk males tend to be involved in.

Why would we take a chance? People who own apartments don’t when they have parties.

Eric Krol, however, is only one ugly part of the greek bashing that regularly takes place in the pages of The Northern Star. Whenever an address of a greek house appears in Police Beat, the name of the house accompanies it. This is an obviously discriminatory policy.

When a disturbance happens at 930 Greenbrier #13, Police Beat does not mention who lives there.

As evidence, a week or so ago the Star printed two items in Police Beat that occurred at fraternity houses. One was an incident between two girls at the Sigma Lambda Beta house. The men of this house had nothing to do with this, but still the name of the Sigma Lambda Beta house was soiled.

The other stated that women affiliated with Delta Upsilon were toilet-papering the DU house. As a member of Delta Upsilon, I was not aware of our “ladies auxiliary” or its penchant for decorating with paper products.

These mentions of greek houses were unnecessary and should have been left out. They are only a way to demean greeks. Obviously greeks are not very well represented on the Star.

Krol notes this is not a greek problem. Then why introduce it and headline it as a greek problem?

One paragraph backing away from his generalizing about greeks does not prove that he is not greek bashing. Had Hitler saved one Jew, would he have been a hero?

He says these “hoggers” only perpetuate the “Animal House” greek stereotype. He is wrong. Columns based on myth, rumor, and poor journalism do.

Chris Winters

Sophomore

History