Dear Editor,

In situations of unfamiliarity, people long for comfort; however, people often overlook the potential power of being uncomfortable. Syracuse University provides 58 diverse fraternal organizations to choose from, so people may find a “family” away from home. Essentially, Greek affiliation serves as a catalyst to new friendships and an immediate remedy of being uncomfortably alone in a place of unfamiliarity. Syracuse University is currently ranked 77th out of 2,475 in the nation for diversity, and this powerful statistic influenced my decision to attend.

According to the student demographics of Syracuse University, the student body is made up of 55.4 percent Caucasian, 10.3 percent Hispanic/Latino and 8.1 percent African-American people. As a white female, the majority of campus was my safe space. Hence, being part of a predominately white sorority and voluntarily separating myself from others epitomized self-segregation. I discovered how joining a sorority actually disconnected me from the diversity on campus, so, I dropped out of the sorority — an action representative of my own voice.

Inclusive programs established by the university such as the Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services Office; the Office of Disability Services; the Office of Multicultural Affairs; and the LGBT Resource Center aim to protect students from the subjection of sexual harassment, physical abuse and from being specifically targeted. These groups are a positive idea of a safe space. However, Greek life has derived another idea of a safe space which has become ascendant, and that is the idea of being safe ideologically. Being challenged emotionally and ideologically is needed for people to grow and mature as human beings to one day make a difference in society. People need to learn to deal with adversity.

When a person is a member of the majority, it is easy to become blind to the divide. College may be the first setting where people are confronted with the issue of race and identity, and it may feel uncomfortable. Although Greek organizations are tradition, following history is not always progressive, and in this instance, it actually draws us backward. In a TedTalk with Luvvie Ajayi, I learned that by being true to my core values and bringing awareness to my identity, I am promoting the diversity on campus because “in a world that wants us to walk around as representatives of ourselves, being yourself can be a revolutionary act.”

Sincerely,

Christina Borza, Class of 2020