The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Commentary: Greeks band together during distress

A quick search of the Internet leads to a common quotation posted by many sorority and fraternity members across the country: “From the outside looking in, you could never understand it; from the inside looking out, you could never explain it.” However, after the events of the last week and a half, I would like to take a stab at describing “it” from my point of view as a sorority sister.

As we all know, Jake Freeman, a brother of Pi Kappa Alpha, died in an unfortunate twist of fate last week. Although we all miss him tremendously, it is not his actual death or the great person he was that I would like to speak about here, but instead, the realization of what it means to be a Greek, or rather, what it means to be a part of anything on campus.

I was privileged enough to see the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha come together in a showing of unity that still renders me speechless today. In this display of togetherness, the brothers made me realize why explaining what it means to be Greek sometimes seems so hard to put into words.

This is because beyond the parties, beyond the politics and beyond the daily work it takes to run a student organization lies the one dimension of Greek life that rarely gets publicized: family. I will not try to define this for everyone because it varies from individual to individual. The importance of family is what the behavior of the Pi Kappa Alpha brothers exemplified last week. In fact, it is what the actions of all the fraternities, sororities and a variety of other individuals who supported these brothers during their difficult time demonstrated. Whether it was bringing coffee to the hospital, offering up cars or lending an ear, the entire Greek community and its friends came together to support the members of a larger family and I could not be more proud.

In addition to the outside support they received, the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha took the definition of family a step further. They extended it far beyond the letters on their shirts. Whether it be getting Jake’s family on flights to Boston, providing them with lodging or setting up Jake’s heartfelt memorial service, these men did what we as students are taught to do at Northeastern, what members of families feel compelled to do for one another: they saw what needed to be done and did it. I am sure this sense of family has been demonstrated in the past across a variety of groups and will continue to be displayed across a multitude of organizations all across campus.

After seeing it play out first hand, I wanted to give recognition where recognition is due by highlighting the foundation of family, upon which any group or organization is built. From one family member to another, both inside and outside the Greek community, thank you.

– Chantal Dore is a graduate of Northeastern, 2006, and a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.

More to Discover