In Brief

Speaker advises Greeks on 'idiots,' other problems

A Panhellenic Council-sponsored speaker addressed members of the Greek community Tuesday night in PC Ballroom.

T.J. Sullivan delivered his presentation,"That One Member," saying members of fraternities and sororities claim to love each other as brothers and sisters, but when a potentially dangerous situation arises, they do not "call one another out on it."

He opened by asking the audience to answer questions about the "idiots" in their lives.

"How many people have an idiot in their chapter? In your family?" Sullivan said. While this caught many by surprise, there was a massive response of raised hands.

Sullivan instructed the audience of over 400 to stand up and collectively yell out the name of the idiot in their lives.

This exercise led to Sullivan's speech about how to non-confrontationally confront the "idiots" in one's life, so that they no longer are the ones that mess up things for the whole group.

Sophomore Delta Delta Delta member Carrie Meadows said, "I like the fact he pointed out that we (sororities) aren't a normal organization, and that we need to be a sister and be there for each other, not just worry about liability."

Using alcohol abuse as an example, Sullivan spoke about confronting someone who has a problem.
The audience participated in an exercise where pairs confronted each other about a hypothetical alcohol problem, but used the word of "I" instead of "you." Sullivan said the use of "I" included: "I get scared when you drink," "This is how it makes me feel" and "I feel helpless when you're drunk."
He said this tactic helps the person who has the problem not feel he or she is being accused, allowing them to productively take steps toward resolving their problems.

Meadows said, "[Sullivan] asked who had younger sisters or brothers in real life and if we would be OK with the behavior that some of our Greek sisters and brothers exhibit if they were our real sisters and brothers. This reminded us we should hold our Greek sisters and brothers to the same standard as our biological family."