The PC police have found their next target: fraternity and sorority members.
Students involved in fraternities and sororities at the University of California Merced have been notified that use of the terms “Greek,” “Greek Life,” “Pledge” or “Rush” is now considered to be both “cultural appropriation” and “non-inclusive.”
UC Merced students told The College Fix that Richard Arquette, the university’s Fraternity and Sorority Life staff coordinator, is behind the movement to rid the campus of these terms.
“He instructed us several times over the course of the year, in [Fraternity & Sorority Council] meetings, one-on-ones, in casual conversations when we said those words — even if we just slipped up in the terminology we chose,” a student told The College Fix. “And we even held meetings dedicated to the use of the term ‘Greek’ that went nowhere. It was both a strong suggestion for individual use, but also a requirement for the organizations themselves.”
UC Merced provided students with possible terminology alternatives:
- Use “Fraternity and Sorority Life” in place of “Greek Life.”
- Use “recruitment” in place of “rush”.
- Use “potential new member” in place of “pledge.”
Steve Lerer, assistant director of student government and leadership development at UC Merced, told The College Fix that students were instructed to change their terminology regarding Greek Life in order to “be more inclusive.”
Lerer told The College Fix that although the use of these new terms is not technically mandatory, it is strongly recommended.
Many students involved in Greek Life on campus told The College Fix that they believe politically correct change is unnecessary, but they fear that if they don’t use the new terminology, it could result in repercussions for their chapters.
“The plague of political correctness has once again attempted to implement unnecessary and nonsensical law. Who are we offending? Greek people? Our traditions have continued for over 200 years. Greek Life is part of our own American university culture,” stated Harry Duran, a member of Pi Lambda Phi at the university.
Shayan Rostami, also a member of Pi Lambda Phi, expressed his view on the increase of politically correct atmosphere on his campus. “As a member of a fraternity at University of California Merced I believe it’s ridiculous that we must filter ourselves on a college campus because some people get offended at words like ‘Greek life’ ‘pledge’ ‘rush’ and ‘frat.'”
The university has already started to incorporate the new terms into campus events. “Greek Week” has been renamed “Fraternity & Sorority Life Week” and a conference formerly titled “Being A New Greek” has now been dubbed “Being A New Member.”