As the new school year gets underway at Grove City College, one can feel our beautiful campus humming with life. Most recently, Greek groups—fraternities, sororities, and housing groups—have sprung to life once again with their annual début at the Street Dance. And, naturally, so have Greek life’s greatest critics, spouting their all-too predictable quips like “Greek life? Isn’t that just paying to have friends?” or, “Greek groups are divisive to campus life—they’re so cliquey.” On the surface, such accusations are plausible. After all, Greek groups are selective by design, forming communities that clearly distinguish “members” from “non-members”—a division that many independents on campus find disconcerting. While such opinions are not invalid, I do believe that the typical criticisms of Greek groups are ill-founded and misinformed about the nature, purpose, and goods of Greek life. Ultimately, I contend that the purpose of Greek life is to foster a formalized yet diverse community of friends aimed at virtue and meaningful fellowship. By examining the nature of friendship, as articulated by the classical (and, coincidentally, Greek) philosopher, Aristotle, we can see why Greek life—when rightly pursued—is not merely a clique, but a meaningful and life-giving source of community on campus.
In Book 8 of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle exposits his classic discourse on friendship. He makes distinctions between friendships of utility, pleasure, and virtue. Friendships of utility and pleasure arise from what one person gains from another—whether that be usefulness or enjoyment—and, consequently, often fades away as circumstances change. Friendships of virtue, however, are not so fragile. Rather than the immediate benefits of utility or pleasure, friendships are grounded in a mutual pursuit of virtue between individuals who, out of mutual admiration of the other’s character, strive together towards the good. Because of this, Aristotle states that these sorts of friendships are the most rare, enduring, and perfect form of friendship, for “the friendship of these people lasts as long as they are good, and virtue is enduring.” Moreover Aristotle explains that these friendships are not only the best but also the rarest as they require an “additional need of time and intimate acquaintance” to foster genuine trust.
With Aristotle’s vision for virtuous friendship in mind, we can now apply this vision to college Greek life. Because virtuous friendships require sustained time, intentionality, and effort, it is impossible for anybody to cultivate friendships of character with every person one encounters. They are necessarily exclusive and selective. As such, the “exclusivity” of virtuous friendships is not a result of snobbery but of natural limitations. Viewed in this light, Greek life creates a context in which this natural exclusivity can be channeled towards the pursuit of virtuous friendships. Whether it be through living together, sharing meals, attending meetings, participating in service projects, or hosting campus events, Greek groups provide members both the necessary time and the environment conducive to the development of those friendships which Aristotle praises as the highest form of human companionship. Thus, what may appear to outsiders as “cliquey” is, instead, a structured environment that fosters natural exclusivity into friendships of Aristotelian virtue.
Aside from Aristotelian philosophy, one final consideration remains, and that is the diversity of friendships offered by Greek life. By “diversity,” I am not referring to the ethnic or even cultural definition of the word. Rather, I simply mean that Greek life plays a prominent role in the creation of friendships that stretch across the boundaries of major-related activities, graduating class, or residence. Besides Greek life, what other setting—other than athletics or Orientation Board events—might a senior marketing major befriend a freshman physics major? Moreover, this dynamic is not limited to the groups themselves but throughout the whole Greek community. Through shared meals, panhellenic events, and campus-wide activities, Greek life fosters connections that extend beyond a single group. Put simply, the Greek life community plays a major role in fostering friendships that, outside of this community, might never exist.
As Aristotle has shown, one of the common charges levied against Greek life, while understandable as a concern, does not ultimately hold up. Properly understood through an Aristotelian lens, Greek groups provide a setting oriented toward the cultivation of virtuous friendships with those whom one might not otherwise encounter. As a final reminder, it is important to acknowledge that Greek life, like human institutions, will often fall short of its ideals. Scripture makes very clear that people are fallen, and, because of this reality, often do stupid, sinful things that fall short of our ideals. This reality, however, does not negate these ideals; instead, it highlights the need for members to strive after the kind of virtuous fellowship that Greek groups, at their best, are uniquely positioned to cultivate.
