In regard to the “Greek ties leads to success” column that appeared in last week’s Pacer, I wanted to offer some additional information which may assist in presenting another perspective. Mr. Hassett’s percentages regarding the career paths are correct. However, some additional information is needed. Currently, there are five umbrella groups internationally for fraternal organizations: North American Interfraternity Council (NIC), National Panhellenic Conference (NOD), National Pan-Hellenic Conference (NPHC), the National Association of Latino/a Fraternal Organization (NALFO) and the Fraternal Leadership Association (FLA). In those five groups, 123 organizations operate which represent 9 million members (both undergraduate and alumni) in 120,000 chapters on 800 campuses in the USA and Canada. Additionally, if you account for the members of Asian-American fraternal organizations, religious-based fraternal organizations, local chapters which exist on numerous campuses, and other groups not represented by the national organizations listed above then the number of ‘Greek” affliates is actually much higher. Speaking for the NIC organizations, there are some things that are not commonly known about these organizations that I would like to bring to your attention. They are the founders of some of the most successful leadership development program for college students today. The NIC organizations give, on average, 10 million hours of service a year to various charities and philanthropies. They also manage almost $3 billion in student housing across their various chapters. I am sure that if you account for the other national governing bodies then the numbers in these areas increase. Are Greeks without problems? No. The problems that Greeks face are no different than any other problems that college students face. Drugs, alcohol abuse and maintaining grades are just a few of these problems. When they join a chapter, Greeks choose to become a part of something bigger and as a result, problems often become magnified. Increased visibility is a small price to pay for the responsibility of being in a group/organization that is bigger than any one individual. Do Greeks attempt to help solve these problems? Yes. I would also tell you that a number of problem areas (drug abuse, etc.) that college students face, nationally, are on the decline for two reasons. According to the most current research, the generation of students entering college today (known as the “millennials”) aren’t as interested in those types of things as their predecessors (Gen X/Gen Y). Many initiatives founded by Greek organizations are making an impact as well ranging from the Day of Dialogue (a problem solving program surrounding alcohol), to the NIC Campus Alcohol Summit, the S.T.A.R. program on values and various patnerships groups have with the National Department of Transportation. I am not in the least advocating that every student should be in a fraternity or sorority because honestly, it isn’t something that is for everyone. In its truest form, recruiting is a mutual selection process where the potential new members chose the chapters, but the chapters also have the opportunity to choose them. I agree with the comments that studying hard, earning top grades and campus involvement in college are keys to future success. Fraternal organizations are viable options for anyone that chooses them. Maybe the question should have been, what is it that these groups are doing to have such strong success rates when they make up such small percentages of the population? In closing, I extend an invitation to Mr. Hassett to meet and discuss these conerns further. Denny Bubrig is the coodinator of Student Activities and Greek Life.