I was surprised to learn that Mindy Golub considers the large canvas bags carried by some sorority members to be "advertising," a way of getting other women interested in greek organizations ("Sororities given bad rap in column" SN 2/9). Unfortunately for me, the bags only serve as a daily reminder of why I will never join a sorority in my time here at MSU. They are generally a source of negative publicity for the groups.
Case in point: Sitting in class one day, I witnessed a girl with a large canvas bag, bright pink Greek letters proudly emblazoned on the front, spill an entire cup of coffee on the floor in front of her. As the coffee crept down the slanted floor, ever closer to an oblivious girl's backpack, I waited for the sorority girl to notify her classmate that her bag was about to become caffeinated. Instead, she erupted into a fit of giggles, and the second girl's bag spent the hour swimming in a puddle of coffee.
Another day, I was on a crowded campus bus. Several people were about to be left behind at a stop and the driver was explaining alternative routes they could take when suddenly a girl behind me with a sorority bag slung over her shoulder shouted, "Shut up and drive." Several people looked at her with disgust.
As a member of my high school marching band, we were always told that when we were in uniform, we were representing our school and should act accordingly. However dorky that might be, I think it serves as a good parallel to this situation.
When sorority members carry bags that advertise their organization, they are representing that particular sorority as well as the entire greek system and should behave as civilized adults. Obviously, I know that the examples given here only represent a few individuals, not the entire group, but sadly, we often notice only the bad apples and, as Golub said, it's all the more noticeable because of those huge Greek letters. My point is simply that when girls carry those bags, if they were to practice common courtesy, sororities probably would get more potential recruits than they can handle.
Erica Richards
journalism sophomore
