riosalado.coursearc.com/content/eng102-in-v6/lesson-11-drafting-and-peer-review/assessing-your-learning#Step-1
Complete a rough draft of your research paper. This draft needs to be your best effort, and it should meet the length requirement of 8-10 pages (not including your works cited page). In other words, this should be what you consider to be your final draft (or close to it), knowing you will have some editing to do most likely.
Introduction
Over the years, there has been an ongoing debate on whether or not universities should abolish the Greek Life System. For many students, Greek life is a way for students to make connections, get involved on campus, give back to the community, and have a place where they feel comfortable and welcome. It has changed many lives for the better. Greek organizations are very active on campus, taking part in fundraisers and events at the university. Although these organizations were founded with good intentions, they also consist of young adults who are on their own for the first time and still lack maturity, or wisdom. It is irresponsible, and immature actions that lead to physical and emotional harm to students, and the push to abolish Greek life from universities. Hazing, substance abuse, and sexual assault are all major issues tied to fraternities and sororities. Greek Life has the potential to make a positive influence on campuses, but changes need to be implemented for that to happen. The philanthropy events that Greek members hold are so important for universities and the community, that getting rid of them completely would affect not only students, but people whose lives change for the better because of Philanthropy. Members of Greek Life have experienced harm and even death from hazing, and actions must be taken to put this to an end. There is no question that with Greek life comes a number of positive and negative outcomes, but the answer should not be to abolish these organizations completely; instead, to change and improve them to maintain their original intentions to create a united community and do good in the world.
History of the Problem
The original intent of the Greek system, dating back to the 1700s was to create academic organizations that allowed students to have intellectual conversation and debates. These organizations were made for students to have a place of belonging, a small community they can lean on while navigating their education. Over the years, the academic focus had shifted into more of a social focus. What was viewed as an honor society, became more known as a brotherhood, or sisterhood. As more chapters were founded, Greek life became its own social structure. More focus was put towards the social part of the college experience. Chapters moved into houses, and each chapter is different, with their own reputation and name. As more people began to attend college, Greek life grew and associated more with socializing and partying. Many people have a certain idea of what Greek life is, usually involving spoiled kids who spend their time at college partying. Heavy drinking and "party culture" has become directly tied and expected from fraternities and sororities. With this has brought irresponsible actions that cause injuries and serious issues among students. It is certain that hazing and partying has always had some part of Greek organizations, but as it continued to grow with time, it became more known and public. In the early years of Greek life the rituals and actions were much more secret outside of its own members, but as social media has expanded, people are finally able to identify hazing. "For almost two centuries now, hazing has served as a form of transitional violence that regulates access to prestigious student groups such as fraternities and sororities,"(GHI Washington). Particularly hazing is one of the biggest problems developed in Greek Life, and actions going forward must be made to stop it.
Extent of the Problem
What makes the decision to abolish Greek life so difficult, is the fact that even though it has so many benefits to its members and community, too many students have experienced harm directly from members of Greek Life at their sanctioned events. Hazing in Greek life has caused harm to thousands of students, and even death to many. "Since 1970, there has been at least one hazing-related death on college campuses every year,"(Business Insider). Immature college students have a tendency of taking things too far without realizing the consequences of their actions. Because of the party culture involved in Greek society, substance abuse and underage drinking is very common. There are thousands of cases that involve intoxication, overdose, and sexual violence aginst Greek chapters. Stories and reports such as these are the reason there is a push to remove Greek life, and hearing the reasoning makes it hard to understand why anyone would support Greek Life. But Truthfully, Greek life benefits students and their community more than many people know. "Greek life organizations also help students feel an increased sense of belonging within their chosen institution," (Honor Society). Almost every Greek member will say that they have found a place of belonging and support within their chapter. It has brought them life long friends and experiences that will benefit them in the future. It allows students to make connections for their future careers, and gain knowledge on leadership, management, communication, networking, responsibility, and so much more. Within each chapter, members are taught valuable lessons, given opportunities to get involved in their community and their campus, and are given a group of people that will support one another during their time at university, and often years after. Not only does Greek Life positively impact members within, but has changed lives outside of universities as well. Every chapter works to support their community and every member completes community service outside of school. Chapters also hold community service events often partnered with businesses or other organizations. One of the biggest focuses in Greek life is philanthropy. Every individual Greek chapter supports a specific philanthropy, spreading awareness to their cause and raising thousands of dollars every semester that goes directly to that cause. If we completely remove Greek organizations from universities, it will be removing foundations and second homes for thousands of students. This is why the best way to solve the problems that follow Greek Life, is to make changes within the structure of it all in order to create a safer environment. When members don't act irresponsibly, there is so much benefit you can receive from being involved in a Greek chapter.
Repercussion of the Problem
If there are no changes made in Greek Life, over time these issues will continue to snowball. "[Hazing and party-culture normalization] can lead to long-term substance use disorders," (Behavioral Health News). There will be higher rates of drug and substance abuse, increased injuries caused by hazing, higher rates of sexual assault, and never ending conflicts that involve poor treatment by or towards Greek members. The concerning fact is, this behavior is already very normalized in most Greek chapters, particularly in fraternities. It is deep in tradition that the new members pledging a fraternity must go through a period of time where hazing is an everyday occurrence so they can earn their place in the chapter. According to an article by Behavioral Health News, behavior involved with hazing is expected by a fraternity. "Risky behaviors like heavy drinking, hazing, and sexual misconduct become "normalized" in Greek-house settings - creating a subculture where dangerous behavior is accepted or even expected,"(Behavioral Health News). Not making any changes will only continue this cycle of young college students making mistakes that negatively impact themselves and others.
Band Aid Solution
Because hazing and harmful activity is commonly known among Greek chapters, it does not go completely overlooked. It is true that if a clear case of hazing or illegal activity is exposed, the University will do something about it. Members can get kicked out of their chapter, or the entire chapter can get banned from affiliation with the University for a certain extent of time. Currently, as a "quick fix" every Greek chapter requires all members to complete anti hazing training. This usually consists of an online course with video lessons, and a quick quiz at the end. This training can be beneficial because it highlights this particular issue of hazing and the consequences involved with it. They give lessons on how to identify hazing, or sexual violence, and how to handle it. The problem with this approach is that it does not truly make much of a difference. "One campus commentary criticized hazing-prevention modules as "fundamentally ineffective" if not backed up with real accountability,"(The Eagle). These training tells members you shouldn't haze, but there are no real consequences or supervision to implement the rule. It is still easy to get away with actions like that because there are not serious consequences given often enough. Individually, many chapters try to implement strict rules on underage drinking and posting on social media in order to give the chapter a better look through the public eye. These actions are slightly more effective, because chapters can charge fines or give out personnel meetings to members who are outwardly exposing illegal behavior. Unfortunately, that is up to the chapter executive board to decide to implement these rules or not.
Long Term Solution
Making real changes in the Greek system to show improvements will require a breakdown of foundational traditions and beliefs in the system. It will require members of the University to shine a brighter light on the activities that go on in Greek Life. Chapters will need to be made aware of stricter rules on Greek affiliated parties, and traditional events particularly during pledge periods. "By integrating accountability with student development and prevention initiatives, students are made aware of the consequences of their actions in a manner that creates individual behavior and organizational commitment to prevention,"(Urmia Insights). It is common at every single university that has Greek organizations that underage substance use and sexual assault cases go overlooked, or are dealt with by minor consequences. These consequences are not enough to truly show a chapter that a change needs to be made. Implementing stricter accountability, and consequences will have a large impact on the issues in Greek life, along with emphasizing the importance of the positive aspects that Greek Life brings. If Universities push Greek chapters to contribute even more to philanthropy, community service, academic excellence, and school sanctioned social events, that could also help shift the focus of Greek organizations towards academic and honorable standards. A combination of new rules, greater accountability, and holding each chapter to a higher standard seems to be the best way to make a long term change.
Conclusion
Abolishing Greek life should not be the answer. The benefits and positive structure of a Greek chapter can truly change someone's college experience for the better. A person who makes good decisions, and prioritizes the good things, can get more out of Greek Life than you can imagine. It's a place to find life long friends, get involved at school, and gain experiences and knowledge that you will use for the rest of your life. Removing Greek Life from universities will not solve the problem. In fact, if a school decides to remove Greek chapters from campus, it will only do exactly that. The chapters will no longer be affiliated with the University, no longer have any adult faculty supervision, but it will not go away. They will just be Greek organizations that are not technically involved with the University. This happens already, when a fraternity chapter gets kicked off of a school campus, they just change their name from Greek letters, but still function the same as before. They still hold rush events and have pledges, they still have socials and parties. Members care too much about their chapter to give up on it even if they are abolished from Universities. Greek organizations that are disaffiliated will continue to haze and party, only now they will have no supervision or rules to follow, leading to higher risks. The best solution to stop harm in Greek life is to put more effort towards the rules and regulations. If Universities are willing to put in extra effort towards the supervision of Greek Life on campus, changes can be made that will have a lasting positive effect on Greek life.
Complete a rough draft of your research paper. This draft needs to be your best effort, and it should meet the length requirement of 8-10 pages (not including your works cited page). In other words, this should be what you consider to be your final draft (or close to it), knowing you will have some editing to do most likely.
Introduction
Over the years, there has been an ongoing debate on whether or not universities should abolish the Greek Life System. For many students, Greek life is a way for students to make connections, get involved on campus, give back to the community, and have a place where they feel comfortable and welcome. It has changed many lives for the better. Greek organizations are very active on campus, taking part in fundraisers and events at the university. Although these organizations were founded with good intentions, they also consist of young adults who are on their own for the first time and still lack maturity, or wisdom. It is irresponsible, and immature actions that lead to physical and emotional harm to students, and the push to abolish Greek life from universities. Hazing, substance abuse, and sexual assault are all major issues tied to fraternities and sororities. Greek Life has the potential to make a positive influence on campuses, but changes need to be implemented for that to happen. The philanthropy events that Greek members hold are so important for universities and the community, that getting rid of them completely would affect not only students, but people whose lives change for the better because of Philanthropy. Members of Greek Life have experienced harm and even death from hazing, and actions must be taken to put this to an end. There is no question that with Greek life comes a number of positive and negative outcomes, but the answer should not be to abolish these organizations completely; instead, to change and improve them to maintain their original intentions to create a united community and do good in the world.
History of the Problem
The original intent of the Greek system, dating back to the 1700s was to create academic organizations that allowed students to have intellectual conversation and debates. These organizations were made for students to have a place of belonging, a small community they can lean on while navigating their education. Over the years, the academic focus had shifted into more of a social focus. What was viewed as an honor society, became more known as a brotherhood, or sisterhood. As more chapters were founded, Greek life became its own social structure. More focus was put towards the social part of the college experience. Chapters moved into houses, and each chapter is different, with their own reputation and name. As more people began to attend college, Greek life grew and associated more with socializing and partying. Many people have a certain idea of what Greek life is, usually involving spoiled kids who spend their time at college partying. Heavy drinking and "party culture" has become directly tied and expected from fraternities and sororities. With this has brought irresponsible actions that cause injuries and serious issues among students. It is certain that hazing and partying has always had some part of Greek organizations, but as it continued to grow with time, it became more known and public. In the early years of Greek life the rituals and actions were much more secret outside of its own members, but as social media has expanded, people are finally able to identify hazing. "For almost two centuries now, hazing has served as a form of transitional violence that regulates access to prestigious student groups such as fraternities and sororities,"(GHI Washington). Particularly hazing is one of the biggest problems developed in Greek Life, and actions going forward must be made to stop it.
Extent of the Problem
What makes the decision to abolish Greek life so difficult, is the fact that even though it has so many benefits to its members and community, too many students have experienced harm directly from members of Greek Life at their sanctioned events. Hazing in Greek life has caused harm to thousands of students, and even death to many. "Since 1970, there has been at least one hazing-related death on college campuses every year,"(Business Insider). Immature college students have a tendency of taking things too far without realizing the consequences of their actions. Because of the party culture involved in Greek society, substance abuse and underage drinking is very common. There are thousands of cases that involve intoxication, overdose, and sexual violence aginst Greek chapters. Stories and reports such as these are the reason there is a push to remove Greek life, and hearing the reasoning makes it hard to understand why anyone would support Greek Life. But Truthfully, Greek life benefits students and their community more than many people know. "Greek life organizations also help students feel an increased sense of belonging within their chosen institution," (Honor Society). Almost every Greek member will say that they have found a place of belonging and support within their chapter. It has brought them life long friends and experiences that will benefit them in the future. It allows students to make connections for their future careers, and gain knowledge on leadership, management, communication, networking, responsibility, and so much more. Within each chapter, members are taught valuable lessons, given opportunities to get involved in their community and their campus, and are given a group of people that will support one another during their time at university, and often years after. Not only does Greek Life positively impact members within, but has changed lives outside of universities as well. Every chapter works to support their community and every member completes community service outside of school. Chapters also hold community service events often partnered with businesses or other organizations. One of the biggest focuses in Greek life is philanthropy. Every individual Greek chapter supports a specific philanthropy, spreading awareness to their cause and raising thousands of dollars every semester that goes directly to that cause. If we completely remove Greek organizations from universities, it will be removing foundations and second homes for thousands of students. This is why the best way to solve the problems that follow Greek Life, is to make changes within the structure of it all in order to create a safer environment. When members don't act irresponsibly, there is so much benefit you can receive from being involved in a Greek chapter.
Repercussion of the Problem
If there are no changes made in Greek Life, over time these issues will continue to snowball. "[Hazing and party-culture normalization] can lead to long-term substance use disorders," (Behavioral Health News). There will be higher rates of drug and substance abuse, increased injuries caused by hazing, higher rates of sexual assault, and never ending conflicts that involve poor treatment by or towards Greek members. The concerning fact is, this behavior is already very normalized in most Greek chapters, particularly in fraternities. It is deep in tradition that the new members pledging a fraternity must go through a period of time where hazing is an everyday occurrence so they can earn their place in the chapter. According to an article by Behavioral Health News, behavior involved with hazing is expected by a fraternity. "Risky behaviors like heavy drinking, hazing, and sexual misconduct become "normalized" in Greek-house settings - creating a subculture where dangerous behavior is accepted or even expected,"(Behavioral Health News). Not making any changes will only continue this cycle of young college students making mistakes that negatively impact themselves and others.
Band Aid Solution
Because hazing and harmful activity is commonly known among Greek chapters, it does not go completely overlooked. It is true that if a clear case of hazing or illegal activity is exposed, the University will do something about it. Members can get kicked out of their chapter, or the entire chapter can get banned from affiliation with the University for a certain extent of time. Currently, as a "quick fix" every Greek chapter requires all members to complete anti hazing training. This usually consists of an online course with video lessons, and a quick quiz at the end. This training can be beneficial because it highlights this particular issue of hazing and the consequences involved with it. They give lessons on how to identify hazing, or sexual violence, and how to handle it. The problem with this approach is that it does not truly make much of a difference. "One campus commentary criticized hazing-prevention modules as "fundamentally ineffective" if not backed up with real accountability,"(The Eagle). These training tells members you shouldn't haze, but there are no real consequences or supervision to implement the rule. It is still easy to get away with actions like that because there are not serious consequences given often enough. Individually, many chapters try to implement strict rules on underage drinking and posting on social media in order to give the chapter a better look through the public eye. These actions are slightly more effective, because chapters can charge fines or give out personnel meetings to members who are outwardly exposing illegal behavior. Unfortunately, that is up to the chapter executive board to decide to implement these rules or not.
Long Term Solution
Making real changes in the Greek system to show improvements will require a breakdown of foundational traditions and beliefs in the system. It will require members of the University to shine a brighter light on the activities that go on in Greek Life. Chapters will need to be made aware of stricter rules on Greek affiliated parties, and traditional events particularly during pledge periods. "By integrating accountability with student development and prevention initiatives, students are made aware of the consequences of their actions in a manner that creates individual behavior and organizational commitment to prevention,"(Urmia Insights). It is common at every single university that has Greek organizations that underage substance use and sexual assault cases go overlooked, or are dealt with by minor consequences. These consequences are not enough to truly show a chapter that a change needs to be made. Implementing stricter accountability, and consequences will have a large impact on the issues in Greek life, along with emphasizing the importance of the positive aspects that Greek Life brings. If Universities push Greek chapters to contribute even more to philanthropy, community service, academic excellence, and school sanctioned social events, that could also help shift the focus of Greek organizations towards academic and honorable standards. A combination of new rules, greater accountability, and holding each chapter to a higher standard seems to be the best way to make a long term change.
Conclusion
Abolishing Greek life should not be the answer. The benefits and positive structure of a Greek chapter can truly change someone's college experience for the better. A person who makes good decisions, and prioritizes the good things, can get more out of Greek Life than you can imagine. It's a place to find life long friends, get involved at school, and gain experiences and knowledge that you will use for the rest of your life. Removing Greek Life from universities will not solve the problem. In fact, if a school decides to remove Greek chapters from campus, it will only do exactly that. The chapters will no longer be affiliated with the University, no longer have any adult faculty supervision, but it will not go away. They will just be Greek organizations that are not technically involved with the University. This happens already, when a fraternity chapter gets kicked off of a school campus, they just change their name from Greek letters, but still function the same as before. They still hold rush events and have pledges, they still have socials and parties. Members care too much about their chapter to give up on it even if they are abolished from Universities. Greek organizations that are disaffiliated will continue to haze and party, only now they will have no supervision or rules to follow, leading to higher risks. The best solution to stop harm in Greek life is to put more effort towards the rules and regulations. If Universities are willing to put in extra effort towards the supervision of Greek Life on campus, changes can be made that will have a lasting positive effect on Greek life.
