Despite a dark past, statistics show an increasing trend in overall student involvement, grades and community service on college campuses due to Greek Life organizations.

By Dylan DeRaud  

djd133@txstate.edu

Greek Life around the United States has an infamous history that does not go unreported in today’s time. Texas State University is no stranger to this history either with the campus’s own storied history adding to the controversy.

Leading the Rebuild

Wasn’t long ago that a former student at Texas State University, died of alcohol poisoning provided by his fraternity brothers of Phi Kappa Psi. The fraternity was then kicked off-campus. Since that tragedy, Texas State has been making an effort to rebuild their reputation. Leading the effort towards the culture change is Bob Dudolski, Assistant Dean of Students at Texas State University. Dudolski was hired nine years ago in the spring of 2013. His past experiences from the University of Alabama will assist him in his journey to bring change to Texas State.

“There were some major tragedies on this campus that were driven by five fraternities in particular, and those organizations were promptly closed,” Dudolski said. “By closing those old groups, it cleared a path for the new groups to change the culture. So, after the moratorium of the Greek Life community in 2017 and 2018, the community regrouped. I do feel like moving forward, we have made some tremendous strides. There is a core value and focus on being a good student, focusing on service and philanthropy and being leaders on campus.”

The past narrative about Greek Life has negatively impacted undergrads who are interested in joining social outlets. Through Dudolski’s efforts of creating a positive stigma, different from the past organizations that have left. The university has seen positive results come out of joining these communities. The consistent theme of the data shows that joining a fraternity or sorority leads to above average showings in total GPA averages. According to the Texas State University Fraternity Sorority Life website, in the fall of 2021, students with membership amongst recognized groups had higher GPAs compared to unaffiliated students. The combined averages of all Greek Life organizations was .03 grade points higher, than the combined grades of the rest of the 33,607 student body.

“Average GPA is higher than the average Texas State student, it’s because of a little more scrutiny on that membership. In order to be in good standing, and to be able to attend the fun stuff, organizations have to make sure that they’ve met their classroom academic requirements,” Dudolski said. “In fact, just tonight, we actually have an academic workshop that has been provided to the attorneys to help them with their members who may be struggling in classes, to give them the resources and support that they need.

Grades, Grades and More Grades

Now just .03 points higher isn’t much statistically when comparing what the overall grades of the student body is making compared to the 1,789 members of the greek community. However, Texas State sororities boast an average GPA of 3.02 compared to the rest of the women’s student population that sits at an average of 2.87. These results don’t come without leaders amongst the community stressing to undergrad members just how important grades are in order to maintain membership. Marion Rodriguez, member of Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority and President of the Multicultural Greek Council, spoke about how the pressure the sorority places upon members to bring out the best in each of them. By being a part of the sisterhood, girls have an obligation to present themselves positively in the community, maintain high grades and be leaders for others.

“We are known for putting our academics really high. We always have one of the highest GPAs in our council,” Rodriguez said. “One of our principles is academics. So in our sorority, we hold study hours as a chapter every other week. So let’s say we have a chapter and then we’ll study together as a chapter.”

With a 2.91 grade point average for the Multicultural Greek Council, the standards held by its members and leaders show the progress they are making since the spring semester of 2019. The MGC held an average GPA of 2.78, with these results coming off the heels of the suspension of Greek Life in 2018. Ms. Rodriguez attributes many factors as to why students continue to join the recruitment process every semester despite the past.

“I feel like we get the people who like the feeling that they can find a home away from home. Because I feel like the majority of MGC, we’re mostly first-generation students, we’re trying to figure out what the heck is going on,” Rodriguez said. “Me personally, I found my home away from home and I found a group of Latina women who support me and empower me because I feel like that’s a big thing about sororities. I just wanted a group of women to support me and empower me throughout my college. That’s why I joined Greek life.”

The “Tears” of Recruitment

That feeling of belonging Greek Life creates for an individual is not shared by just Rodriguez alone. Faith Loughrey, Panhellenic President and member of the sorority Chi Omega knew more about the community she was potentially joining than Rodriguez did. However, both hold the same sentiment on how much the organizations have helped them to create a memorable college experience. Loughrey spoke on her experiences during recruitment weekend in her freshman year.

“It is an insane weekend, we wake up at four in the morning.” Loughrey said. “Put on a full face of makeup, a dress and heels and go and stay at a conference center for 15 hours while we’re running on empty and barely eating. Our emotions are so high, I just loved that weekend. The high intensity and everything. It was good for me, and that’s where I thrive. So that’s really why I wanted to apply for executive staff, because I knew that after that weekend, I could handle it.”

The scene described by Loughrey shows the scramble the women face attempting to join a Panhellenic Sorority. With 979 total members, the most out of all the other councils within Texas State Greek Life, and a 3.02 gpa. The Panhellenic Council led by Ms. Loughrey is in a contentious race to help these students find an organization to call “home”. Loughrey described it as “anxiety filled” and would see many girls “bawling their eyes out”. However, Loughrey explained that it’s part of the fun and is a major part of the process of bringing in undergrads who will benefit the community.

“You’re going to grow with your friends because you have the same values and you care about the same things,” Loughrey said.

Organizations also pair with charity foundations that they sponsor and hold events to raise money for. Chi Omega held a color run last semester in November in which they raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We get a wish kit every semester and we grant their wish, and then once we’re done granting their wish, we raise money for the foundation as a whole. There are a bunch of events, and I just love that I get to have a personal connection with it.” Loughrey said.

The chaos described by Loughrey isn’t the norm when explained by other council leaders within Greek Life. Otto Sanchez, Vice President of Recruitment for the Interfraternity Council at Texas State and member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, has a different approach to recruiting than sororities. Instead of just a weekend, fraternities have a 365-day recruitment period with specific days where they can extend invitations to join around six weeks into the semester. The struggle for Sanchez is to make sure potential new members know the benefits of joining as well as the assurance that similar actions from the past regimes aren’t around anymore.

“My goal this semester for next semester is to open the doors for these new incoming freshmen and to give them the direction that is important,” Sanchez said. “As well as give them the values that they want to reinforce, but also create a safer school for them. It’s about getting to grow, getting to meet new people, and you’re realizing what you have in common with other people.”

What’s Trending Now

With the upholding of values and accountability of members being enforced by Bob Dudolski and student leaders within each Greek Life Council, organizations have seen an increase in the Greek Life population and academics since 2017. With the data trending in the positive direction, time will only tell how impactful these organizations will be on university campuses and overall student involvement.

About Me:

Hello, my name is Dylan DeRaud. I’m a senior journalism major and business minor here at Texas State since 2019. I transferred from the University of North Texas up in Denton, TX after my freshman year. I had originally hoped to transfer to the University of Texas looking for a fresh start but ultimately ended up in San Marcos in the summer of 2019 and have been happy ever since. I’m currently serving my last semester here at Texas State with the hope of graduating this upcoming May.

After graduating I plan to move to Scottsdale, AZ with some freinds of mine to pursue a career in sports reporting or start my own business. At the moment I currently work at a plastics company in Austin where I monitor inventory and the shipment and/or receiving of product. On the side, I’m an intern for TheOldCoach which is a multimedia sports website that I cover high school football or basketball for.

Some of my favorite things to do in my free time include hiking, playing/watching sports and reading. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson series and Dune. Down the line I hope I can hike some beautiful places in Europe and Asia when I actually have the money too.

Resume:

Capstone Project – MC4386

Greek Life on Campus Will Not Go Away

Despite all the controversy, Greek Life provides too many positives for student’s social lives and college retention rates to just get rid of them.

By Dylan DeRaud  

djd133@txstate.edu

Greek Life around the United States has an infamous history that does not fail to be unreported in today’s time. Texas State University is no stranger to this history either with the campus’s own storied history adding to the controversy.

Wasn’t long ago that former student, Matthew Ellis, died of alcohol poisoning provided by his fraternity brothers of Phi Kappa Psi. The fraternity was kicked off-campus and Texas State has been making attempts to build their reputation back up for the past five years. Leading the effort towards a complete culture change is Bob Dudolski, Assistant Dean of Students at Texas State University. Dudolski was hired around 10 years ago in the spring of 2013 and has since faced many challenges during his tenure.

“There were some major tragedies on this campus that were driven by five fraternities in particular, and those organizations were promptly closed,” Dudolski said. “By closing those old groups, it cleared a path for the new groups to change the culture. So after the moratorium of the great community in 2017, and 2018, the community regrouped. And I do feel like 2018 moving forward, we have made some tremendous strides. There is a core value and focus on being a good student, focusing on service and philanthropy and being leaders on campus.”

The past narrative about Greek Life has been everything but flattering towards students going to campus as undergrads looking for social outlets during the semester. Through Dudolski’s efforts to revamp the stigma past organizations have left on the remaining Greek groups, the university has seen positives come out of joining these brotherhoods/sisterhoods. The consistent theme of the data shows that the accountability fraternities and sororities hold their members to, lead to above average showings in total GPA averages. According to the Texas State University Fraternity Sorority Life website, in the fall of 2021, students with membership amongst recognized groups had higher GPAs compared to unaffiliated students. The combined averages of all Greek Life organizations were .03 grade points higher respectively, than the combined grades of the rest of the 33,607 members of the student body.

Now just .03 points higher isn’t much statistically when comparing what the overall grades of the student body is making compared to the 1,789 members of the greek community. However, Texas State sororities boast an average GPA of 3.02 compared to the rest of the women’s student population that sits at an average of 2.87. These results don’t come without leaders amongst the community stressing to undergrad members just how important grades are in order to maintain membership. Marion Rodriguez, member of Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority and President of the Multicultural Greek Council, spoke about how the pressure the sorority places upon members to bring out the best in each of them. By being a part of the sisterhood, girls have an obligation to present themselves positively in the community, maintain high grades and be leaders for others.

Youtube Channel – The DeRaudMessinger Show:

Contact Page:

Feel free to reach out to me at dylanderaud@gmail.com and connect with me on LinkedIn at dylanderaud.

The Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions, both struggling franchises, take a new direction at 2021 NFL Draft.

These two franchises have a lot in common over the past decade or so. Both are in the same division, both have struggled to find stability within the organization and both are looking for a new QB to steer them towards a championship. However, both front offices took a new direction at the draft last Thursday with the players they drafted. The Chicago Bears and General Manager Ryan Pace traded the 20th pick and future draft picks to the New York Giants for the 11th pick. With that pick the Bears chose Justin Fields, the quarterback from the University of Ohio State, who will serve as the centerpiece for the offense going forward. With their second round pick the Chicago Bears chose Tevin Jenkins, a offensive tackle out of Oklahoma State University to shore up their offensive front. Why these two picks are important for the Bears is because they have never went this direction in the draft in recent memory.

According to lifelong Bears fan Otto Sanchez, a sophomore at Texas State University, the Bears have finally made an exciting move in the draft that fans can be happy about. “After the Mitchell Trubisky years, it’s nice to have a QB with a lot more potential and less uncertainty and with our defense still stacked. I think the team can make a playoff run,” said Sanchez.

The Bears front office management, the guys in suits who pick and sign players to the roster, focused on mostly the defense when it comes to past additions. This has left the

team with a run-first defense that is very archaic compared to new generation offenses like the Chiefs and Seahawks who feed off athletic QB play with speedy receivers on the outside. With the pick of Justin Fields in the draft, the Bears are moving in the right direction. Fields has an incredible arm as well as the ability to escape the pocket and gain yards with his feet.

On the other side, the Detroit Lions and their new front office and coaching staff that include first year GM Brad Holmes and new Head Coach Dan Campbell chose to stand pat at their draft spot. With the seventh pick, the Lions went with Left Tackle Penei Sewell

from the University of Oregon. In the second and third rounds, they picked two defensive lineman in Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill, both solid pass rushers and physical players. Sewell is one of the best offensive lineman prospects the draft has seen in a while and even though Detroit needed a wide-receiver. They picked the best player available and went with the rebuilding style of “building from the trenches”. In football terms, that means a team signs players or drafts players on the defensive line and offensive line where most of the action happens on the field. The philosophy stems from the idea that if you control the line of scrimmage, other positions on the field (for example skill positions like running back and safeties) will fall into place. This method has been popularized by the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts who have had quick success after struggling for a few years.

Detroit Lions fan Cade DeRaud, a freshman at Texas Tech, was ecstatic about the way the team drafted. “Yeah I know we didn’t have any flashy picks but we have talent on the front lines now and hopefully we can apply pressure to opposing teams that we couldn’t do last year.” said DeRaud.

The Detroit Lions had one of the worst pass rushes in the league last year and was a big reason why their former head coach and GM were fired after the Thanksgiving game last year against the Houston Texans.

With both the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions adapting to the new style of building a super bowl contending team. It will be interesting to see how both these teams look this season and many years after. The first game of the new NFL season is set to kick off September 9th.

By Dylan DeRaud 

If there is one constant to every year in Texas, it’s the excitement for high school football. However, the worldwide pandemic that has been brought upon all of us by the coronavirus has placed a stormcloud on the beauty that is football in Texas. The seasons for 6a and 5a district teams were postponed till late september and many games since have either been postponed or cancelled all together. Just in the past few weeks, over 50 plus games have been cancelled in the North Texas area according to the Dallas Morning News. On top of that, The Texas Department of State Health Services reported that there are 5,917 new covid cases in the Central Texas area on Oct. 22. With cases nowhere near slowing down, measures have had to be taken by local high schools and the University Scholastic League (UIL) to keep their players and staff safe.  

“Because of social distancing these days, the pressbox list is a small one (provided by each school participating). We have no pass gate as such because everybody has to be counted” said Nan Arredondo, the athletic secretary at San Marcos High School. According to the UIL Covid-19 information section on their website as well, “Schools may allow spectators to attend contests up to a maximum of 50% of a venue’s capacity, provided appropriate spacing as prescribed in the guidelines is maintained”. 

Other schools have even taken different routes as Wimberley ISD follows the new guidelines by requiring every attendee above the age of ten to wear a mask while at the game, along with having every fan go through a screening process before entering the stadium. When I asked Katherine King, the athletic secretary of Wimberley High School, if I could obtain a media field pass for an upcoming game. I got the response “I am only allowed to issue out 2 media passes each game and I am out” said King. 

The drastically small amount of media passes able to be handed out shows just how much the pandemic has put a damper on the Texas high school football season. Normally stadiums are filled to the brim and media members and boosters are strewn across the sidelines. Covid-19 has really put a giant question mark on the ability of these kids and their coaches to finish out a healthy season and it’s on the schools along with UIL to make sure everyone stays safe.

The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) conversation in basketball has entertained the lives of many fans and especially from every generation. The baby boomers were the first to experience the NBA and idolized players such as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. While generation x watched Larry Bird and Magic Johnson wreck havoc in their respective conferences. Later on, those days disappeared as millennials got to see Michael Jordan change the era of the NBA, winning three consecutive championships twice in seven years. Almost instantly after MJ’s era, Kobe and LeBron arrived, who have left zoomers in amazement. The point is, with the documentary “The Last Dance” that follows the career of Michael Jordan through the NBA  being aired on ESPN. Many fans, mostly zoomers, that weren’t alive to see Jordan play are finally getting the chance. Sparking an even intenser debate over what legends of the past and present are undoubtedly the best to ever play. The documentary has displayed Jordan as the fiercest competitor to ever grace the sport of basketball and it’s not far from the truth. However, for my generation, Kobe Bryant was the embodiment of a true competitor. He stopped at nothing to come out on top and didn’t care what his peers thought about him. After watching all the released episodes of “The Last Dance” it’s safe to say MJ reminds the people born after his playing days of Kobe. Both played the same position of shooting guard, both stand at six foot six inches and both had an extremely similar play style. To conclude, it’s impossible for me to say who is the “GOAT” as all players can do is be the best of their single era due to rules and the way the game is played changing all the time. Thus, it’s unfair to compare players from different decades and “The Last Dance” has really opened my eyes to that.  

Sources:

https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2020/5/7/21250616/kobe-bryant-michael-jordan-similarities-differences-comparison-youtube-video-lakers-bulls-highlights

The United States has been quarantining for almost three months since the fateful day that every sports franchise suspended their seasons. With player safety being of utmost importance it is no surprise that games have not been resumed yet. All fans can look for is trivial news and rumors about when the economy will reopen, sparking a path for sport franchises to return. There have been rumors such as the NBA playing out its season at DisneyWorld or the MLB starting its season in Arizona but those have all been speculation. However, other sports are on their way back like the UFC which is holding UFC 249 on Saturday, May 9. The event will have no fans in the stands but will be available on pay-per-view. This is becoming the new reality for fans of sports though as sporting events in the near future will not have in person attendance. Colleges are preparing to have fall sports programs like football be cancelled barring a positive medical development but are open to a possibility of resuming play with no fans. The NFL is preparing in a different fashion compared to the NCAA as the National Football League is arranging for the season to start normally in September without fans in the crowd. These differences in opinions between businesses show just how willing some employers are to make money during this depression. I understand that sports are a beacon of hope and happiness for a lot of people but we can’t be risking the health of others just for our own satisfaction. Thus, I believe that the NBA will not be resuming their season this year and the NCAA will not be allowing colleges to start their fall sports activities. It’s in the best interest of fans and players for sports to fully resume next year with limited attendance. 

Sources:

https://www.axios.com/live-sports-return-coronavirus-977cde57-69ed-4c46-8635-a7b172c6a9b0.html

https://www.boston.com/sports/health/2020/04/20/when-will-sports-come-back-coronavirus-nhl-mlb

Just released my first video to youtube! Make sure to go check it out by clicking the link!

Dear reader,

It’s been 14 long days and the nights are getting tougher. Sleep is getting worse and worse and I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna last if I don’t see playoff Lebron and fully rested Kawhi face off in the NBA western conference finals. All jokes aside though, these past few weeks have been a grueling time for me and i’m sure a lot of other sports fans feel the same. Practically all sporting activities in the United States have been cancelled, leaving sports fanatics to casual fans fiending over any type of sport. The NBA has postponed their season, the NHL and the MLB have followed suit, and the NCAA has cancelled the much anticipated March Madness tournament that is a yearly spectacle. This is one of the most difficult changes that have impacted fans of the organizations because people are starting to realize how much sports impacts them and their daily lives.  March used to be a time of excitement, where everyone was putting together their March Madness brackets, watching once in a lifetime upsets while also seeing their brackets fall apart tragically. April was gonna have the NBA playoffs with teams making absurd plays with the loudest crowds known to man. All this taken away due to the precautions the government feels are necessary to hinder the spread of the coronavirus. I’m by no means against these precautions though, it’s very important that we social distance from others and stop travelling outside the house unless we need groceries. However, it’s just very unfortunate that something like sports has been all but cancelled at this point with no other distractions coming close to filling the void. Thus, I urge all my fellow sport lovers to stay strong and we will get through this together. Our time away from the teams and their respective organizations will only raise our appreciation for what they bring into our lives and will be oh so sweet when they make their coveted return. 

External Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/terencemoore/2020/03/16/even-without-games-were-starting-to-get-exactly-what-america-needs-through-sports/#527c3aa2283c

The blog by Kera Till details her daily commute around the house during her isolation period. This blog differs from other blogs about the struggles of living in Covid-19 society due to the fact it consists of her own artwork rather than the usual paragraphs written by bloggers. The map uniquely describes just how bored Till probably is if she has the ability to perfectly depict the routine she has mastered while under quarantine. With outside distractions like sports and other events being cancelled around the world, people are having to learn new ways to entertain themselves during these tough times. Till is portraying how she has been able to pass the time by organizing a solid structure for her every day activities. For example, exercise equipment is over by the yoga mat, computer is in/by the home office away from the television and the coffee maker is near the bookshelf for better reading engagement. All these factors are grafted onto the art piece and do wonders to illustrate the life of Kera Till. Also, the piece embodies the lives of other individuals as well who are facing the same particular struggle. Most living spaces are similar to what the blog describes and do to that, many people can relate to the point that is being made by Till. With 122,653 coronavirus cases and 2,112 deaths in the United States and rising, self isolation is the key detriment to the spread of the deadly virus. Therefore, it’s extremely important for citizens to listen to bloggers like Kera Till and stay inside. Draw a map of your daily routine and the various utilities inside the household if you have to but make sure to avoid close contact with other people. In conclusion, Kera Till sends an important message to the community through her art piece and her blog by showing how she is self isolating. Keeping herself and those around her safe, an example everyone around the globe should follow. 

Original Source: http://keratill.com/2020/03/23/commuting-in-corona-times/

External source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html