OSU trying to do right thing

I respond to the decision by Ohio State University to suspend Greek life, and also to the tragic passing of Tim Piazza, who died from injuries sustained during hazing at Penn State University. I was a Delta Tau Delta at Ohio State and graduated in 2014.

Hopefully everyone can agree that making America a more civil, happy, and healthy society is fundamentally important. I wish that I had a deeper appreciation for civility when I was in college, but I was fortunate to have surrounded myself with excellent people, many of whom were in my fraternity. I’m conflicted about the suspension.

I’m juggling my nostalgia for a rewarding and fun experience in Greek life with the reality that it isn’t a safe/ moral/good experience for everyone (inside or outside the system). Sometimes evil things happen in Greek life. Some people think Greek life is fundamentally evil. I don’t think that’s correct, but I have seen with my own eyes things that could make people resent Greek institutions.

After reading the article about the Penn State tragedy in The Atlantic, I deeply questioned whether Greek life could or should continue. I don’t know if I would want my children to join a Greek organization. OSU is clearly pondering these same issues.

I’m glad my university is making an effort to do the right thing (cough, cough — that’s a shot at the Penn State administration that botched its response to the Piazza death). The bottom line is that I hope people approach this topic with an open mind.

I’m sorry to those who have been victimized by Greek life. I can guarantee that if Greek life is eliminated, we will still have to battle the same issues that people associate closely with it. Civility matters. Life is valuable. Relationships (friendships) are important.