When we were in middle school, stuck in an awkward stage wearing bowl cuts and braces, not getting an invite to the coolest party in town could've crushed some of us. Now, however, we're all grown up, and exclusive guest lists don't move us to tears.
Apologies go out to whoever planned tonight's Greek Only Halloween Party at XS because your uber-elitist rosters don't make the Greeks look any cooler. They simply add on to the far-too-long list of reasons why most people don't like Greeks in the first place.
As a member of the Greek community, I'm appalled that a group of individuals felt it necessary to plan a party with the intention of making other people feel left out.
May I add, on that note, that there are even people who planned this super-upscale-for-popular-people-only party who aren't in the Greek system and don't even go to UF.
Not to mention the fact that the Panhellenic Council and IntraFraternity Council, those students who oversee the Greek system, have nothing to do with the event and don't condone it either.
The Facebook event reads: "If you aren't in a fraternity or sorority, don't waste your time because we have the greek rosters at every door to XS (yes, even the ones connecting XS and GatorCity) and only the people on those lists will be allowed in!"
Newsflash people, very few Greeks actually want to come to your snobbish party. We'd rather pay a few dollars for all-you-can-drink at Grog or Balls. We'd rather go to Swamp's Halloween party where happy hour specials will apply all night and there's a chance of running into (gasp!) non-Greeks who we like hanging out with, unlike those who think they're too cool for anyone who doesn't have a couple Greek letters tied to their name.
Furthermore, absolutely no one is going to try and sneak into your silly event because it's not going to be that fun.
Although this party may have the intention of getting people together for a good time, its execution exudes an arrogant mentality.
The Greek system, which is only about 15 percent of UF's 46,000 undergraduate population, already has a bad enough reputation; everyone looks at us as people who pay for our friends, binge drink on a nightly basis and sleep around. So, now there's an event to showcase slutty sororstitute Halloween costumes and frat-tastic creepsters who are just trying to get laid, which is everything we don't want to be known for. Great, way to take one for the team.
Instead of focusing time and energy on promoting ridiculous events, perhaps this egotistical group of people who think a Greek-only party is a good thing for the Greek community should consider dedicating your time to philanthropy, leadership and academic success: the facets of the Greek system that seem to get lost in a haze of drunken, pompous assholes.
Ashley Ross is the Freelance Editor of the Alligator and a member of Delta Zeta Sorority.
