Members of the Greek community – here and at schools across the country – pride themselves on their commitment to particular social communities and philanthropy. While service, charity and love for fellow brothers and sisters are noble hallmarks of sororities and fraternities, negative stereotypes do exist.

There’s still the exaggerated “frat boy” – the drunken, testosterone-laden undergraduate seeking to deflower a freshman and stab his slave pledge with a red-hot poker in the shape of Greek letters.

Recent altercations between Alpha Delta Gamma and Beggars members have done nothing to quell this stereotype.

While the rituals, initiation processes and traditions of Greek organizations are important to those involved, interference in them by individuals of other Greek organizations should never lead to any sort of physical or verbal confrontation. Shouldn’t it be a brother’s job, as someone who upholds the ideals of his fraternity, to stop another from engaging in a potentially violent situation that would reflect badly upon the entire Greek community?

Until Greeks learn to treat other Greeks as friends – not rival gangs – there will always be people who disdain the Greek community in general.