The content of these anonymous posts on GreekRank is clearly abhorrent and would not represent standards and values at SMU. All of us need to keep some private space where our deepest dreams and darkest fantasies are hidden away from other people it gives us room to develop as humans, to try out different thoughts and different sides of ourselves, says Swire. Fowler's fraternity, an honors co-ed organization, is one of many non-mainstream Greek organizations that have yet to be noted on GreekRank.com's radar. You shouldnt ever feel like youre in a house that you have to change to fit into you are the person you are supposed to be, and if someone doesnt appreciate that, they are not meant for you. Perhaps youve travelled to a new city. Some of the posts lead with arbitrary titles (think COVID-19 fall frat rankings), some target specific Greek organizations, while others simply complain about the state of the Greek community. As a student I feel unsupported, like my voice isnt heard, like my tuition dollars are not worth as much as my white counterparts, and more importantly, Im disappointed, Gulley says. The Hustler reserves the right to remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, personal attacks or that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation. 7 Vanderbilt battles back against Austin Peay to pick up sixth win of the season, 11-7, PODCAST: Does Vanderbilt have a path to NCAA tournament? The Court firmly rejected the argument that copyright law creates a shortcut around the First Amendments protections for anonymous critics. Gulley says she has no idea who authored the post. The discussion board is updated almost daily and each house has hundreds of ratings on its pages. The Daily Wildcat Presents:Confronting Scarcity. Rush can be a confusing time for new college students and we are hoping to make that time a bit easier and less time cons Read More Phone Number: (217) 344-2291 Website: www.greekrank.com Revenue: Anonymity didnt exist in small towns in the days of yore, Swire says, where everybody knew everybodys business. But companies and advertisers are chasing technology and business deals that pinpoint your exact whereabouts in real-time for personalised advertising. OPINION: Starve yourself. She's theRead More. I was the biggest social climber in the whole sorority. . var site_id = 4609; Despite the overwhelming awareness that this could all be over in a matter of days and despite the best efforts of students online to publicly shame those who break the rules, Cornell was moved to threat level yellow after a mere two days of classes not by a group of students who contracted the disease in spite of Cornells ample countermeasures, but by a group of students who willfully ignored them. This website is not controlled by UBC and therefore not subject to university oversight, said Ramsey in a statement to The Ubyssey. Why should certain houses feel obliged to help others, or the Greek system in general, when theyre locked into a battle for supremacy? Anonymous chatting enables you to express your personality and opinions with strangers, giving you the opportunity to connect without worrying about being judged. . (Credit: Getty Images). The Daily Wildcat publishes daily at DailyWildcat.com, and regularly distributes its nationally-recognized print newspaper across the UA campus and neighboring communities. The new GreekRank.com is here to clarify to students, pledges, and rushes what the greek life environment is like on their particular campuses. In 2013, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania published a study in which they conducted in-depth interviews with dozens of internet users on four continents. The girls look normalRead More, A post called Consistent Ranks has been pushed up forRead More, Let me tell you something about Chandra Jogani. I am considering doing my first semester abroad but really.Read More. Impact of Greek Life on Leadership Development. And to those Donlon freshmen: Youre probably going to find much higher quality reading in that FWS book you were going to SparkNotes than on Greekrank. During a normal school year, the first week of school would have been marked by wild and untamed freshmen beginning their annual migration to sweaty, orientation week fraternity basements and annexes. Greekrank, and the Greek life system in general, perpetuates the idea that certain people's lives matter more than others because of their social status. Swire says that anonymity is a relatively new construct, and that the rise of cities gave rise to it. And Im not even being clich. The right to anonymous speech is also protected well beyond the printed page. Brendan Kempff is a sophomore in the School of Hotel Administration. 512(h) Subpoena to Twitter - Order Granting Motion to Quash, India Requires Internet Services to Collect and Store Vast Amount of Customer Data, Building a Path to Mass Surveillance, Impact Litigation in Action: Building the Caselaw Behind a Win for Free Speech, UPDATE: Colorado Supreme Court Grants Review in First U.S. Case Challenging Dragnet Keyword Warrant, Victory! An anonymous posting onGreekRank--a popular website with information onGreek life chapters atcampuses nationwide -- detailing why black women shouldnt try to join the predominately white sororities at Southern Methodist University (SMU) has students nationwide outraged. Greekrank is a national website that allows users to compare, rate and discuss fraternities and sororities by campus. Despite saying he hates the site, rising junior and President of Pi Kappa Alpha Henry Standard said that being a leader in his fraternity requires him to constantly monitor posts related to Pike, taking attention away from his normal duties. Greekrank is an interesting problem in the Greek system, and one that is particularly hard to root out. Emails during late August last year show the UBC admin discussing how to address the issue after a sorority member reached out to President Santa Onos office, describing her damaging experiences of bullying on Greekrank. As Svedka gets taken down like water in the halls of Donlon, there is a word being whispered: Greekrank.com. Eva Pace ('22) is the former Life Editor for The Vanderbilt Hustler. It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . Wrong. Sports. After the reputation section, you will have the opportunity to rate the house in different categories including friendliness, social life and popularity. UNBIASED fraternity rankings By: GreekRanker Last Post: 49 minutes ago. The postings from what may be one person can easily be amplified to incorrectly represent the opinions of many, even if there is no actual affiliation with the group they purport to represent nor truth in what they post. The lower-ranked sororities [on Greekrank], which the frat members could know virtually nothing about since they are not members nor went through the rush process, were irrelevant and it was looked down upon if a girl thought they fit into those chapters the best.. The problem with that mentality is that many people do. An anonymous posting on GreekRank -- a popular website with information on Greek life chapters at campuses nationwide -- detailing why black women shouldn't try to join the predominately white. The study found that 59% of American internet users believe it is impossible to completely hide your identity online. . We knew some sororities and fraternities had issues, but we didnt know people still advocated the things in the post. According to UBC Media Relations Director of University Affairs Matthew Ramsey, UBC decided against intervening directly with Greekrank following legal advice. Waning anonymity sounds inevitable. Protect digital privacy and free expression. Top Philanthropy Events - Spring 2019. Even though the GreekRank site caught most peoples attention, this isnt about us wanting or needing to be let into their organization, Gulley says. var zone_id = 336; GreekRank is an independent site that has no ties with the University. EFF filed a new amicus brief in support. Youre free to do anything or go anywhere or talk to anyone. Even if you don't use social media, advertisers could still find your online footprint. (Credit: Getty Images). Believe it or not, the comment section is often more objectifying than the process to gain access to it. The sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi will be hosting their first ever Phi Fair this week. Not knowing if its friends or strangers posting your name, job or what you study, Greekrank has molded a culture of distress and insecurity. Rating their looks? Impact of Greek Life on Leadership Development, Top 10 Most Famous Sororities And Fraternities. Yet, a recent look at the website shows 14 active threads on a single day. Request for your school to be featured on GreekRank. A sorority is not just letters, it is a house full of people, and users need to recognize that when they say these harmful things. Ramsey emphasized that the universitys mental health services are available for cyberbullying victims. In any case, efforts to completely anonymise our activities are more or less futile: With the rise of the internet of things, more and more of the devices we use every day will require our personal information to function, and the more theyll be integrated into our lives. Kappa is a middle tier sorority and thinks they haveRead More, Love yall so much i wanna be besties with allRead More, Which sorority has the type of girls who'd actually careRead More, KD XO DG The online site serves as a place to rate and review different fraternity and sorority chapters at universities across the United States, giving incoming freshmen an inside look at a chapters standing on campus before formal rush. Rush ranks for everyone By: hi Last Post: 3 hours ago. Greekrank, and the Greek life system in general, perpetuates the idea that certain peoples lives matter more than others because of their social status. Wait. Potter instantly realized that their comments contributed to a destructive cycle of women making decisions based on the opinions of men, she said. COVID-19, however, has thrown a wrench in this annual rite of passage (luckily, thats the first thing the virus has messed up). Arreza confirmed to The Ubyssey that the sender of the email to UBC admin, her friend, had battled depression and suicidal thoughts, and had to go to paid therapy sessions due to the extremity of what was being written about her on Greekrank. The postings from what may be one person can easily be amplified to incorrectly represent the opinions of many, even if there is no actual affiliation with the group they purport to . KKG DDD I heard guys using it as a way to justify and tell which sororities the girls should aim to get into for clout, Potter said. NEW! Do we believe what people say when an interviewer asks them [about privacy], or do we believe their purchasing habits?. The Vanderbilt Hustler welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. Individuals can pay to have posts removed, but otherwise, it is unclear how consistently or rigorously the site is moderated for harassment. I argue that the Greek system should take an active stance against Greekrank.com. Most websites provide a 2-Step verification using a mobile number in which an OTP (One Time Password) is sent to your mobile number . These comments are about actual people. Some organizations are represented on GreekRank.com but are not rated and have limited, if any, mention in discussion boards. One interviewee, for instance, created an anonymous online community for English learners to practise their language skills. The first question you are asked is about the reputation of that house; whether they are good looking, smart, party animals, athletic or wealthy. SMU has always been a meeting place for minds that change the world, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, University response to anonymous social media. Instead of putting the Greek system together as a community, Greekrank pits houses against one another. OPINION: Should we separate art from artists? The GreekRank postings have created a widespread response from members of our campus community who are actively rejecting and criticizing these comments now that they have surfaced.". Perhaps this is more of a cultural thawing toward previously uptight attitudes. In emails provided to The Ubyssey through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, students in Greek life requested support from UBC administration to remove UBCs discussion thread on anonymous forum Greekrank. Be notified when someone replies to your post. GreekRank is an independent site that has no ties with the University. I give that advice to intelligence agencies, and I give that advice to ordinary people. Because while some people may not care about third parties or governments tracking their purchasing habits, people will definitely care more about being anonymous when it involves people they interact with on a daily basis. She says executives try to discourage girls from posting on the site, or even look at it. Ohm says were approaching the next great frontier in advertising: your location. The difficulty with anonymous postings on social media is clearly demonstrated in this case. But in the year 2017, its pretty much all but dead. College & university Photos See all Page transparency See all Its hard to go undetected these days. On UBCs forum, frequent anonymous comments target and tear down individuals and sorority chapters using their initials. I feel like (the universitys statement) completely missed the point, Gulley says. Sigma Alpha Epsilon () Emails between VP Students Ainsley Carry and Senior Director of Student Engagement Amandeep Breen in early September obtained through the FOI request floated an idea to help students draft a letter requesting Greekrank to have UBCs forum removed from the site. While initials are used more often, context clues hint at which individuals are being discussed, where really nasty and not so very nice statements are made. to counteract the lost brain cells from the $5 fruitscato. For a healthy and productive Greek system to exist, there must be a sense of mutual respect between houses, and GreekRank is a major threat to this. The site places a major emphasis on status and reputation that is not representative of Greek Life. To some extent, urban living created anonymity. The Greek life system as a whole requires major renovations. Before you type:Remember, do not post names, initials, or any derogatory content. NEW! If it were, then the ratings would be roughly the same from each commentator and would include a wide variety of perspectives from the campus. Rarely is any of the content positive. A bunch of outcasts? However, if I can help just one person realize the absurdity of Greekrank and the ideologies it fosters, I will have done my job. . Are you supposed to get an email regardless of whetherRead More, Hot take but seems like Asig has had the castleRead More, At what time should I give up if I haven'tRead More, there are 10 ish relevant fraternities, with 4-5 more thatRead More, With bid night approaching just wanted to wish all theRead More, is it just be or is this spring pc squiddyRead More, Top Dogs: In addition to shooting for The Hustler, she was the Development Coordinator for Camp Kesem at Vanderbilt, works in a research lab on campus and plays Club Tennis. The Daily Wildcat Presents:Al Jisr The Bridge. In the past we have asked members of [the] UBC Greek community to refrain from contributing any comments to this website. Dont fit the stereotype? Anonymity, which is Greek for no name, is a uniquely human psychological experience: its the idea that we all have identities to present to the world, but under certain circumstances, can switch the identity off and operate in total secrecy. In other words, even for people whose job it is to be anonymous, its hard to be anonymous. We have heard of schools being successful in being removed from the website, and we think it is time for UBC to follow suit, she wrote. One participant said that he frequented message boards to help people solve technical problems, but sought to avoid unwanted commitments through the detached nature of the internet. will not be displayed. Its a veritable crash course on how to backstab your friends in the name of brotherhood and sisterhood. It may be something each person has to live through on their own to understand. Its not just about customers opting out of digital services its about the choice to temporarily opt out of their public-facing identities, as well. As the Supreme Court has recognized the Internet offers a new and powerful democratic forum in which anyone can become a "pamphleteer" or "a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox. In a 2015 Pew study, Americans who were surveyed felt torn between maintaining privacy rights and ensuring national security: 56% surveyed said that they were more concerned that the governments anti-terrorism policies hadnt gone far enough to protect citizens, even if that meant sacrificing some civil liberties, like online privacy. Let us come to you. Most of the comments on the fraternity pages are about the parties they throw while the comments on the sorority pages are about behavior at parties. Its sad that lot of people are supporting whoever wrote that post. Sororities on campus have over 300 girls and to place all of these girls into such dehumanizing categories is absolutely absurd. Join 800,000+ Future fans by liking us onFacebook, or follow us onTwitter. Greekrank does this by increasing the competition felt by Cornellians. NEW! NEW ON GREEKRANK . 1st tier: Sigma Phi Epsilon () Sigma Alpha Epsilon () Pi Kappa Phi .Read More. Mattigan Kelly ('22) was Deputy Multimedia Director for The Vanderbilt Hustler. Nothing on the site brings anything to the table for incoming first-years, he said. Privacy and online free expression are once again under threat in India, thanks to vaguely worded cybersecurity directionspromulgated by Indias Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) earlier this yearthat impose draconian mass surveillance obligations on internet services, threatening privacy and anonymity and weakening security online.Directions 20(3)/2022 - A recent District Court decision in In re DMCA 512(h) Subpoena to Twitter, Inc. is a great win for free speech. Career coaches worldwide trumpet the professional importance of having a fleshed-out public LinkedIn photo complete with full name, headshot, full work history and more. If you or someone you know is in Greek Life at the University of Arizona, then you have probably heard of GreekRank. There have been times when our New Members have been harassed for being a part of our fraternity simply due to our spot in the tier system and rankings, which is heartbreaking.. Despite saying he hates the site, rising junior and President of Pi Kappa Alpha Henry Standard said that being a leader in his fraternity r. equires him to constantly monitor posts related to Pike, taking attention away from his normal duties. Although, she says she wants to believe the post is a mistake. 2. So, weve spent far more time living without it than living with it. As a senior who has watched this play out for three years, I can guarantee you: ranking does not matter. Our attitude toward privacy has become increasingly blas. However, she says shes noticed a lack of diversity in predominately white sororities, which falls in line with the points made in the post. You will (https://cornellsun.com/2020/09/07/kempff-put-down-greekrank-pick-up-your-fws-book/). . According to Arreza, the sender and Carry had a productive discussion about removing UBCs forum, which led to back-and-forth conversations between UBC, the IFC and UBC Sororities during the fall to have the VP Students Office approve the letter. According to GreekRank, the site strives to be the best place to learn about and interact with college greek life and I could not think of a less accurate statement to come from this website. Beyond the blatantly racist, homophobic and discriminatory posts which frequently make their way on to the website, much of the content appears to be harmless. Many people don't want the things they say online to be connected with their offline identities. Its going to take sweeping societal change. Didn't find your school?Request for your school to be featured on GreekRank. There is a group of people with feelings on the receiving end of these nasty comments. Lets face it; who really cares if you are ranked one tier above another house on a sinking ship anyways. Still, if you do want to protect your privacy as best you can, the experts do offer a few tips. With the first month of 2021 in the books, we're ranking the best sororities so far. The opinions expressed in this article are the writers own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus. Otherwise, get a CS pledge to social engineer a similar website called like PSUgreekrank.com and have it set up all nice and good looking, setup with all the local Greek orgs and a place to submit ranks, maybe have some ranks setup so it looks not as new, then send it . Sorry your anonymity is at risk too. Science/Health. Some of the top ranking sororities were an immediate non-fit for me when I actually went through the process, Potter said. What? I don't think [UBCs decision to step away from the issue] should have to affect people's lives and mental health and well being.. The Daily Wildcat, straight to your inbox. has been frequently cited as a platform through which hateful comments from Greek members have been amplified. This can be achieved through the quality of a pledge class, through a mixing schedule and by trashing other houses in public. 3.Read More, Emails from IFC come out in the morning, good luckingRead More, Heres my ranking of sororities at UD. Top 10 Sororities of 2021. All of this is easier said than done at a Big Ten school that fosters such a social hierarchy environment. In any case, efforts to completely anonymise our activities are more or less futile: With the rise of the internet of things, more and more of the devices we use every day will require our . Can we help students format a letter that will come from them to request their name be removed from the site?. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. In those days, internet service providers went to great, paranoid lengths to discourage users from divulging even basic tidbits in their public profiles, like first name, city, even gender. Any enterprising social climber knows the website like the back of their hand. And, while I would like to believe the event that caused this cluster was an isolated incident, a rare deviation from the straightforward and essential guidelines weve all agreed to follow, frankly, youd have to be living under a rock to believe that. In todays hyper-connected world, it is becoming harder and harder for anyone to maintain their privacy. In that same Carnegie Mellon study, 53% of interviewees admitted to malicious activities, like hacking or harassing other internet users, or engaging in socially undesirable activities", like visiting sites that depicted violence or pornography, or downloading files illegally. And that hints at a larger, serious privacy concern in the age of cybersecurity breaches and digital services that keep your bank information and home addresses on record. 60 Views. var corner_video = 'left'; Wait. Also, lets talk about how most of the comments on the sorority pages revolve around looks and partying and how that really puts Greek Life in an era it is trying hard to leave behind. The funny thing is, I had no idea rankings of Greek houses existed before I heard all of the girls in line grimacing at the idea of having to even talk to the low lives in bottom-tier houses, frantically referencing Greekrank as their bible. I guarantee you that the site is as horrible as it sounds. If the site took down all the malicious content, its comments and message boards would be nearly empty. Another post targeted the newer members of a sorority for being weird sjws for discussing political issues at a party, as opposed to the hot fun girls' the sorority used to have. A frequently cited 1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission reads: Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. Maybe its time for a rethink. Llana Arreza, a fifth-year honours biology student and the chief recruiting officer for Kappa Alpha Theta, described Greekrank as a safe space for strangers to say what they want and a source of torment and mental health issues for her, her friends and chapter and other members of Greek life. The postings from what may be one person can easily be amplified to incorrectly represent the opinions of many, even if there is no actual affiliation with the group they purport to represent nor truth in what they post. The Ubyssey regrets this error. And while some people are taking basic steps to preserve anonymity, like deleting their browsing history, many users who say they value anonymity arent really walking the walk. NEW ON GREEKRANK . As one court observed in a case handled by EFF along with the ACLU of Washington, "[T]he free exchange of ideas on the Internet is driven in large part by the ability of Internet users to communicate anonymously.". We can encourage those freshmen not yet introduced to the Greek system at Cornell to not waste their time memorizing online rankings. I dont think it gives any real idea of what chapter would be a good fit. Unless youre willing to live without the internet or without any smart device, its practically impossible to go completely off the grid. The message boards are almost as bad as the comment section, full of clickbait such as Accurate Sorority and Fraternity Rankings. This ranking system only heightens the competition between houses on campus and creates a very toxic environment. Arreza said UBC admin were very responsive to her friend as emails show them scheduling meetings with the sender to provide support. It hurt to see her affected by people she didnt even know, said Arreza. While conducting extremely scientific research (Im just a hotelie, so you should give me a break) about the website with friends ranging from the BIG 10 to the SEC, I was met with a unifying groan. He can be reached at [emailprotected] Slope Side runs every other Monday this semester. For $4.99 you can pay for priority removal and remove a post within 24 hours. Perhaps you feel free of the judgment and scrutiny from acquaintances or associates. Last August, UBC Sororities and the Interfraternity Council (IFC) teamed up in an effort to halt persistent cyberbullying an effort that was stalled by the university. According to GreekRank this is what matters the most in a Greek organization. EFF's public interest legal work, activism, and software development preserve fundamental rights. ADP AOP AXO In my preference round freshman year, I essentially had to choose between two bottom houses. Being anonymous allows us to try new things or express ideas without being judged. If youre unfamiliar with Greekrank, its a Reddit-esque website where people can review and rate sororities and fraternities. She has been on the staff since her freshman year. Whats more? The anonymity the site provides brings out the absolute worst in people. As long as someone knows something about you, they can probably find other things about you, and do it really successfully more than they have in the past.. Despite being someone who went into college with a hot air balloon-sized ego, it was immediately deflated when my top house didnt invite me back. Our increased dependence on smart devices erodes anonymity. Maintaining privacy and a sense of anonymity is vital to happiness and self-development, experts say. at the hand of an intolerant society. 512(h) Subpoena to Twitter - Order Granting Motion to Quash. To give some perspective on my wisdom, I admit, I was engulfed in the saliency of social status for a chunk of my college experience. I dont believe Greekrank has been or ever will be a valuable platform.. You might not care if a busy bureaucrat or internet company can access those gossipy emails, but youd really care if your boss sees them instead, Swire says. Chi Omega: 3.49 The well-loved website is also a magnet for the major problems plaguing Greek life. Call it privacy fatigue, but our increased interdependence on our smart devices and social media has given some of us a largely lazy attitude toward staying totally anonymous. Top 10 Most Famous Sororities And Fraternities, Impact of Greek Life on Leadership Development, Fraternity ranking w/ explanations for all. Sigma Phi Epsilon () So, if the judgment of your peers, the requests of your university and the very real danger to the health of you and your friends are insufficient motivators to keep you out of a party this semester, then please consider the people who rely on Cornell for employment. Yes, these are actual comments I found on the UA GreekRank page. I am sure these people understood the risk to themselves and, given the well-expressed fears by their fellow students online, Im sure they understood the risk to the student body as well. These long-standing rights to anonymity and the protections it affords are critically important for the Internet. As a senior who has watched this play out for three years, I can guarantee you: ranking does not matter. For these individuals and the organizations that support them, secure anonymity is critical.