Texas Christian University, commonly known as TCU, is a private university devoted to admitting the best students in the country. There have been several attempts to raise the diversity on campus, but as a former TCU student, I haven’t really seen the student population changing. In fact, it seems as though the students are more prone to be involved in a sorority or fraternity.
Personally, I was never involved in Greek life. I had no clue what ‘rush’ was when I walked on campus, but I quickly learned when I saw students flocking to their new brothers and sisters during bid day. I didn’t feel any remorse for not participating in the festivities; in fact, I didn’t want to associate with that lifestyle at all.
Throughout my time there, I saw numerous Greek organizations getting fined for hazing and inappropriate activities. In fact, I even heard stories of a sorority making their pledges place their hand on the Bible and swear that they wouldn’t drink, but then they took them out drinking the same night.
The bitterness between the different organizations also creates a lot of tension around campus. It’s evident that the Pi Kap’s hate the Sig Ep’s, and for no good reason at all. I’ve seen them fight each other, and sometimes the campus police have to be called.
What’s even worse is that a lot of the sororities and fraternities don’t make outsiders feel welcome. Now, this isn’t the case for all of them, but a majority stay confined to the workings of their own Greek families. This can make it hard for those not involved in Greek life to feel welcome on campus or to be involved in all the various activities.
In my opinion, it seems as though TCU is more prone to get students who want to participate in Greek life because these are the students with the money. It costs a few thousand extra dollars a year to be involved in one of these organizations, and that’s on top of a $40,000 a year education, if you include tuition and fees.
If TCU wants to change its student body and promote diversity, they’re going to have to offer students more scholarships for academics and control the Greek organizations in a better manner. The Pan-Hellenic Council should consider initiating stricter rules regarding student behavior while involved in their Greek communities. This will make all students feel more involved and accepted on campus, which will attract students of all backgrounds to TCU.
