In the past, we’ve often criticized many of the unsavory activities that have happened within USC’s Greek community. But it gives us great pride to say that there are a few aspects of Greek life that are slowly but surely changing for the better.
For starters, we’re glad to hear that Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity will be following in Alpha Tau Omega’s footsteps and will be coming back to USC early this year, thanks in no small part to better communication between their national headquarters and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
You don’t hear about win-win situations like this too often, so we’re proud that all parties involved were able to get these fraternities back on our campus. With tighter oversight from both the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and their respective national organizations, we hope both Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Tau Omega have truly learned their lesson and won’t repeat the mistakes — including property neglect and drugs in a campus fraternity house — they made in the past once they re-colonize.
On another positive note, we’re equally impressed how Sorority Council and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life has not only managed to break recruitment records for the third straight year in a row, they’ve also managed to actually not waste university money — a rarity here at USC.
Its current registration numbers have already beaten last year’s record of 1,377, but what makes this story even better is that the process is funded solely by registration fees. Not only this is a smart and sustainable financial model, we’re proud to know an office representing almost a 20 percent of undergraduates can balance a budget better than other departments.
When good news comes out of USC’s Greek Life, we can only hope for more in the future.