In response to Jordan Coates’ opinion “Greek Life is beyond fixing and should be abolished.”

Yes, we do have challenges and issues as do university sports teams, marching bands, and other student organizations on college campuses.

I am an alumna member of Delta Gamma sorority and also volunteer with our collegiate chapter at Iowa.

College is a time to experience life, take risks and get out of your comfort zone. The bad behavior gets the media clicks, social media commentary, and the good news is rarely reported.

Here are a few facts for you:

• As of 2021, there are an estimated 750,000 fraternity and sorority members in colleges nationwide with over nine million alumni (The Hechinger Report)

• There are four national organizations: National Panhellenic Council (sororities); North American Interfraternity Conference (fraternities); National Pan-Hellenic Council (Black fraternities and sororities with over 4 million members); the National APIDA Panhellenic Association and others. Greek life extends across multi-cultural boundaries.

• We’re gay, straight, nonbinary, neurodivergent and plenty more. Delta Gamma has a national DEI committee that frequently challenges our leadership, language, and the decisions we make as a national organization.

• Risk management seeps into every chapter, thanks to alumnae and national leadership who recognized things need to change. Chapter houses are closed, (not rewarded) and memberships are terminated. Interestingly, you pull an outdated 2015 quote from a former SAE member, Andrew Lohse. I volunteered with SAE to look at deficient chapters: many were shuttered.

• Sororities and fraternities raise millions of dollars in their philanthropic efforts on campuses nationwide.

• Fraternity and sorority advocates also point out that their members have higher levels of positive mental health along with lower rates of depression. We watch out for each other, particularly with mental health challenges.

• Chapter members get hand-on experience managing a chapter, budgets and learning how to lead. These are transferable skills from campus to work.

Jordan, are we perfect? No. Is there work to do to create a sustainable future for Greek life? Yes. Absolutely.  Just know there’s more to the story.

                                                                                                                                                -Kristin Wing

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.