+ OPINION + FREE-FOR-ALL ยป WE HEAR FROM YOU KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, OCT. 8, 2015 Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351) I've said it before and I'll say it again, putting leggings on after a shower is the realest of struggles. I'm gonna start posting a bunch of snaps of campus squirrels on the KU snapchat. Where can I get me one of those nifty LFK stickers? Never write to-do's on an erasable board Mine are erased and idk what to do with my life. To the man with the beautiful hair riding his bike around the corner between Sphar, Murphy,& Anschutz... Date night? It's always awkward when the girl says "love you" first. Things haven't been the same between my Mom and I... Fall break: I want to go to there I have no patience to wait for busses. Mid term Sid term Sad term Fall break I am so ready to graduate but so not ready to graduate at the same time Here's a thought: school is the Devil and pizza is Jesus and I wanna be saved. RT if you cried on your midterms and the Scantron wouldn't read because of it. the worst part of this week was learning I'd spent three years of my college career not knowing Cork and Barrel has 10 percent off wine on Tuesdays Why is "Mercury is in retrograde" a snapchat rn? Anyone ever seen the video of Mary-Kate and Ashley's sleepover pizza song slowed down like 30 times? Check it out if you haven't and get ready to freak out READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM Pro/con: Does Greek life benefit students? AUNGELINA DAHM @ aungelina_dahm PRO Recently, Greek organizations have attained bad reputations โ€” reputations that have become so strong that those involved in the Greek community tend to be judged and labeled as soon as they are seen in their house's Greek letters. But the Greek system does more than give women excuses to monogram everything or for men to wear pastel-colored shorts. The Greek community also provides life experiences, friendships, tutoring and connections that will aid members after graduation. Despite the popular belief that being in Greek life RACHEL GONZALES @rachelinoel CON There are several stereotypes that typically apply to Greek life, and many of these stereotypes are not always misleading. While there are benefits to sororities and fraternities and the work that these organizations do, the cost โ€” both literally and figuratively โ€” could outweigh the value. The large financial commit ment is a primary reason many students choose not to join Greek life. According to a 2014 USA Today The GPA standards set by the Greek community encourage students to achieve high academic success. In fall 2013 at the University, the all-Greek GPA stood at a 3.18, which was 0.14 percent higher than the all-university GPA, according to the Greek academic report from the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. changes those involved for the worse, Greek organizations set goals and hold standards for their members that help mold individuals to be successful in the professional world. Philanthropy is also a significant part of joining a sorority or fraternity. Through foundations like St. Jude Children's Hospital, the Make a Wish Foundation and more, members of Greek life are involved in the article, the most recent data published by the University of Central Florida found that the average new sorority member will pay $1,280 per semester and the average fraternity member will pay $605 per semester, not including room and board at the chapter house. community and help contribute to each foundation's philanthropic mission. Sorority and fraternity members have constantly been scrutinized for different stereotypes. Members of Greek life are often portrayed as snobby, self-centered partners. What's even worse is the stigma that those people are "paying for their friends." Many chapters also charge fines as punishment for unexcused absences and even tardiness at events. That is in addition to the cost of tuition, books and more. "For recruitment, they have very specific outfits," Jaclyn People who are not involved in Greek life can easily assume these stereotypes are true. In reality, Greek members are paying for the resources that the organizations provide. Just like any other organization, sports team or club, every member needs to pay dues. In addition, some chapters even allow their members to eat meals, do laundry, seek tutoring and much more Schwartz, a junior at the University of Illinois and a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi, told USA Today. "We had to buy two different pairs of shoes, jewelry, a nice dress shirt for one of the days, and then two dresses." Besides the financial obligation, joining Greek life will also cost individuals their time. Being in Greek life requires commitments such as weekly chapter meetings, formals, Greek-sponsored events, pledging activities and recruitment, all of which can distract or take away from other responsibilities. In college it is important to remember that academics come first, and in some cases Beyond this are less obvious financial costs, like required clothes or gifts for your little or big. within the comfort of the Greek organization's house. For that, members pay a significant amount of money, but most fraternities or sororities have payment plans to apply for, which can make it more affordable so that no matter how much an individual's family makes, they can be a part of Greek life. Being a part of Greek life gives its members many opportunities and pushes them toward success. All but three of the U.S. presidents since 1825, for example, have been members of a fraternity. According to USA Today, 85 percent of Fortune 500 executives were members of Greek life. And people who show up in the history books, like the first female astronaut and the first female senator, were also Greek members. It is Greek life can get in the way of that. When considering whether to join a sorority or fraternity, one should ask: What does that money and time buy? It buys college students a social life, which may not be such a bad thing for the out-of-state student trying to make connections in a new place. However, that social life is one that promotes classifying and dividing people rather than bringing them together. The nature of Greek life itself relies on exclusivity. Each chapter, each year, either accepts or rejects potential new members, judging their decisions on a evident by the 20 percent higher graduation rate of Greek members compared to non-Greeks that success comes hand-in-hand with Greek life. Ultimately, women and men who join Greek life are given the opportunity to experience being a part of something that is greater than themselves. Building relationships,business connections and personal skills are things I have acquired through being in a sorority that will help me further my personal success,and countless other members have similar experiences. Aungelina Dahm is a freshman from Chicago studying journalism and political science. - Edited by Amber Vandegrift week of forced, minimal and literally "rushed" interactions. Even from the time of recruitment,young men and women are divided and judged by their peers. There is pressure to fit in with the group you want to belong to, and an implied status is attached to each of those groups. There are ways in which involvement in Greek life can be good. But it is up to each individual contemplating going Greek to closely consider how much they will give up to be a member, and the kind of social circle that they are buying into. How the famous Rock Chalk chant came to be BRITTNEY OLENIACZ @smrtgljournys "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk." Every student has said it. Many have sang it, yelled it and chanted it, but many students are actually unaware of what it means. Yes, we all know the Jayhawk is our mascot, but many do not know what this term means to the University and its history. The term "Rock Chalk" originated in Europe to describe the soft, white, porous sedimentary rock composed of calcite, a mineral commonly referred to as calcium carbonate or CaCO3. Rock chalk, a variety of limestone forms in deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of tiny, minute calcite shells shed from microorganisms smaller than a grain of sand. The presence of limestone indicates a stable environment during deposition. So, what does "Rock Chalk" have to do with Javhawks? Well, we walk on it, we take classes on it, we study on it and everything we do on campus is done on rock chalk. Underneath the buildings, the roads and grass sits a thick unit of limestone called the Oread Limestone, member of the Douglas Formation. Erasmus Waurorth, professor of geology and founder of the Kansas Geological Survey, named the limestone after Mount Oread in 1894 in his article, "A Geologic Section Along the A.T. and S.F.R.R." published in a University quarterly. He describes the rock as "very fossiliferous limestone, light-blue, weathering buff, 10-feet thick, capping all hills in vicinity of Lawrence, Kansas." The unit is present in not only Kansas but extends into surrounding portions of Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. The rock was deposited in the late-Pennsylvanian of the Carboniferous Period, approximately 250 million years ago. During this time, the state of Kansas was almost entirely underwater. The warm epi-continental sea, located along the equator, allowed for the optimal environment for the formation of limestone. The original chant was created by E.H.S. Bailey, a professor of chemistry, and his students in 1886. Bailey worked extensively on the mineralogy of Kansas and published his revised list of Kansas minerals in 1891. Because Bailey was one of the many founders of the first science club at the University, the club was the first to use the chant. The original chant was "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, K-U," and soon it was adopted by the entire study body. Following Haworth's publication, it was suggested by students that the chant be revised to "Rock Chalk, jay-hawk." As the University gained athletic success, the chant became all the more important and was officially adopted by the University in the early 1900s. It seems only fitting that, as Jayhawks, we want it to be known that we stand on steady and firm ground. And that ground is rock chalk. Brittney Oleniacz is a second-year Master's student from Phillipsburg, N.J. - Edited by Dani Malakoff First Night in the Phog First experience at Late Night: Expectation... First experience at Late Night: Reality... @UNIVERSITY DAILYKANSAN Oct/7th/2015 @KANSANNEWS /THEKANSAN HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES: Send letters to editor@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line. Length: 300 words The submission should include the author's name, year, major and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters. JACOB HOOD/KANSAN CONTACT US Katie Kutso Editor-in-chief kkutso@kansan.com Emily Stewart Advertising director estewart@kansan.com THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kutsko, Emma LeGault, Emily Stewart and Anissa Fritz. 1 +