All too
often do the social events that are associated with Greek Week become the focus
of both members in the community and the people on campus. Greek Week has always had its elements of
fun, but it is the events that accompany this weeklong celebration of
excellence that make it memorable.
This year
the organizing committee chose to have a set of speakers that many of us know
and respect. These speakers have been
our friends, classmates, and fellow Greeks.
What they spoke about was no easy task.
Each member of the three person panel recapped a story that they had
personally been a part of that could have had life changing repercussions.
Alcohol abuse, police involvement, and campus safety issues were each discussed
by a member of the panel. Pictures and
testimony gave them an opportunity to connect with audience members in a way
that many professional speakers would dream of. These Ohio State accounts were
real and sparked many questions on how we can keep each other safer.
The decision to have Ohio State students talk
about real events that took place here at Ohio State was a bold but good choice
by the organizing committee. Topics like these are always going to be
uncomfortable, but thanks to the candid and honest nature of the speakers
progress was made to bring issues like this to the table to have discussions on
ways to move forward.
I would like
to extent a big thank you to the speakers that offered their insights into
these difficult issues. Hopefully we can learn from your experiences and build
a stronger and safer community.
