November 18, 1998 There are benefits (letter to the editor)

Following letter was published by the UH newspaper The Daily Cougar

To the editor:

Brenda Tavakoli's column "Greek or not, it's a matter of choice" (Opinion, Oct. 28) provided us with a very interesting view of the Greek system.

Nevertheless, the UH community can benefit from a graduate description of the Greek system, in particular from a person who is a Greek volunteer like myself.

The most important issue is what Brenda indicates "a matter of choice." Being part of a Greek organization does not have any guarantees (positive or negative). Every individual has the ability to choose his or her personal success in a Greek organization -- or any organization, for that matter.

Will Greek membership cure the lack of school spirit? Not any more than being a student at UH will help school spirit. Does investing several hundred dollars in a Greek organization make the members defend it? Not any more than investing thousands of dollars at UH makes students defend their school. I don't think that school spirit and Greek pride have much to do with organizations and/or money. Simply, school spirit develops from having a good college experience.

What about paying to be part of an organization? I am member of various professional organizations, and they all require membership dues. Dues are the basic tool for organization to provide benefits to their members. Most college organizations need funds to be active, but they don't require membership dues because their expenses are covered by other entities.

Greeks don't have these entities to provide them with the freebies. What they have is a commitment to maintain an organization that in many cases includes a house, insurance, events, national conventions and more.

What are some of the benefits? As vice president of finance, I was able to have first-hand experience in the financial responsibilities of my chapter. At that time, my chapter's cash flow was in excess of $56,000 annually. Is there any other type of organization that can provide a college student that opportunity? I don't think so.

To be part of the Greek system is to invest in ourselves. It is an investment that may pay out handsomely. The sad issue is that some Greeks choose not to harvest the benefits.

Well, it has been many years since graduating from college, and I am continuing my education at UH. More important yet, I am a volunteer to my fraternity's local Sigma Phi Epsilon Chapter. In fact, I still collect on my investment through helping current Sig Ep undergraduates while my undergraduate brothers benefit from my experiences. Very few organizations have this type of benefit, and for that I am most proud.

As volunteer alumni for our local chapter, we have established monthly forums where undergraduates can learn from alumni. All of you who are interested in learning about the Greek system are invited to attend these Sig Ep forums.

Gonzalo Camacho
MBA student
Sigma Phi Epsilon alumnus