Michael Vines  Vines is the
current Inter-Fraternity Council president. Comments can be
e-mailed to him at [email protected], only if they are
funny. Or you can visit him at the office that USAC won’t
give him. Â Â
Do you know the difference between the nightly fireworks show at
Disneyland and a Fourth of July fireworks show in any other town in
America?
The difference, aside from the tourists who are holding big
cameras and who you can’t understand, is that on the Fourth
of July, no matter where you are, you feel a true sense of
camaraderie with everybody around you (unless you’re
Canadian).
Obviously, I am speaking only of Americans, but other
nationalities do have similar days that draw an entire nation
together despite all other differences. Sure Christmas has a
similar effect of making you feel all warm and cuddly, but, in
actuality, it does not compare. Christmas is mostly about family,
whereas the Fourth of July is about community.
With the exception of Disneyland, on the Fourth of July anywhere
in America, everyone is just like you, sitting and watching the
fireworks. They act, talk and dress just like you on just this day.
On every other day your differences are as obvious as losing in
Vegas. But when you watch the fireworks show in your town’s
stadium, or light your own fireworks at a block party, everybody
around you is your friend, despite race, religion or wealth, even
if you have never met them before. You cannot buy that feeling, no
matter how much you spend.
It is hard to duplicate that feeling at UCLA. This campus is
heavily populated and thoroughly diverse. Bringing all of UCLA
together as a community is more like uniting the world as opposed
to a single nation, and in my three years at UCLA, I have never
seen it accomplished.
I apologize to all of you incoming freshman who were hoping for
a college experience in which the whole campus gets excited about
homecoming or one in which traditions are rich and continued on a
campus-wide level. UCLA has none of these things.
While UCLA desperately lacks certain essential elements in
building a true sense of community, there are units of UCLA that
accomplish this goal. These are called student groups, and at UCLA,
they mean something totally different than they might have meant in
your high school. Obviously, at UCLA joining some sort of activity
is a necessity. Your chances of staying in school, getting better
grades, and having a good time increase exponentially with the
activities you are involved with and the friendships you build.
Many student groups offer just these things, which brings me to my
point.
Go Greek.
The Greek system at UCLA allows you to celebrate the Fourth of
July every day, because its foundation is community. If you choose
to go Greek, you may do so for a variety of reasons. You may want
to party a lot, meet lots of people, get involved in community
service, take advantage of alumni resources, or play intramural
sports. But what you will eventually take away as your reward for
joining is the fact that the minute you sign your life away in
blood (You know, ’cause that’s how we do it!), you will
be a part of rich and continued tradition at UCLA and around the
country.
Critics of the Greek system will claim that what I argue as
community and tradition is some form of buying one’s friends.
They are wrong. You can’t buy friends. Just ask the
“fat naked guy” who won “Survivor.”
He’s got a million dollars and still no one likes him.
Friendship is based on common interests, personality similarities,
and possibly the alignment of the planets.
When you join the Greek system you pay money for someone else to
do your planning for you. Want to tailgate at a football game, play
competitive sports, have a great party, or go on a ski trip? If you
were to do any of these activities, it would cost you money and
time. Wouldn’t it be nice for someone to plan, organize and
lead these tasks? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a
tradition associated with each one? Of course it would.
Most Greek letter organizations have been around longer than
your grandparents have. They have the experience, connections and,
most importantly, the drive to make things happen. As a freshman,
it will probably be the only thing at UCLA that will be handed
right to you.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an upperclassmen show you the
ropes, teach you where to eat, or more importantly where to park in
Westwood? Wouldn’t it be great to have someone to tell you
which classes are best, which teachers to take and what time Powell
or Wooden closes? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an
upperclassman to show you how to get to the Rose Bowl or explain
what the “walk of shame” is? There are so many
questions that could be answered if someone just thought they had
enough in common with you to share their knowledge. The Greek
system is the forum for this exchange of information.
The real point here is that you will never find a Greek
“house” in which everybody is friends. It is
inconceivable. What you will find is the Fourth of July
“feeling” I referred to earlier. Everybody will not be
“best friends forever” in any house, but they all have
something in common that can be celebrated.
The most important information I can convey to any potential
Greek is that four years of college go extremely fast.
Surprisingly, I have been told, five years of college go even
quicker. In this short time you will want to make as many friends,
gain as much knowledge as you can and expose yourself to a
multitude of experiences. You can do this without involving
yourself in any activities.
But if you want to accomplish more in your first year than most
do in five, the Greek system is your ticket. Listen to me now and
believe me later, being Greek will open doors in all walks of life.
Want to play sports? Each house already has a team. Want to do some
good deeds? Each house already has a philanthropy. Want to
party?
UCLA has teachers and classrooms so students can learn. UCLA
provides dorms and student housing so students can build
independence from their parents and families. UCLA has limited
parking so that it can make money from parking tickets. UCLA has an
intramural field so students can be athletic.
But most importantly, UCLA has a Greek system so students can be
social. In this extremely diverse world of UCLA, everyone needs to
find a niche. The beauty of the Greek system is that as different
as we all may be, we can come together and celebrate our version of
the Fourth of July.