Sigma Chi's insensitivity doesn't speak for Greeks

Editor,

In a Dec. 11 article regarding the interactions between representatives from African-American Student Services and Sigma Chi's national headquarters, Michelle Touson, speaking on behalf of African-American Student Services, was paraphrased, "The problem is that most people in the Greek system don't have experience with other cultures." This is, ironically enough, prejudice.

The fact that Sigma Chi taped a swastika and left hate mail on an African-American girl's car just shows that Sigma Chi was a bad fraternity. That does not necessarily mean that all fraternities are culturally ignorant. As a Sigma Phi Epsilon alumnus, my brotherhood was very diverse. We had about 10 Iranians, a few Jews, a few African-Americans, a Korean, a Sikh, scores of Hispanics - including me - as well as a foreign exchange student from Mexico and a few homosexuals. To say that there is no exposure to other cultures in the Greek system is an uninformed and stereotypical statement.

If you look at most of the fraternities that weren't tumbled over and left high and dry by the Greek advisers and their anti-fraternity shock troops, you will find that they are composed of a large mixture of people from many different families.

In no way am I defending Sigma Chi, a fraternity which gave all of us a bad name, even after being shut down. But I would like UNM students to know that the 2 percent of the student body that is Greek is not automatically culturally ignorant. I would also like to proudly remind Touson that my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, was actually the first in the nation to initiate an African-American.

Matt Kriteman

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