Many posts are dedicated to establishing a rank or hierarchy of sororities and fraternities; others focus on comparing members looks such as ranking sororities by the hotness of members through a cutie score.. Our identity is formed by both. Your happiness should not be contingent on the baseless, ignorant and probably inaccurate opinions of a frat bro. 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. It hurt to see her affected by people she didnt even know, said Arreza. The girls look normalRead More, A post called Consistent Ranks has been pushed up forRead More, Let me tell you something about Chandra Jogani. The problem with that mentality is that many people do. 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. These new students are unable to meet upperclassmen themselves, and they now have to resort to one of their only methods to gauge the Greek system: Greekrank. The study found that 59% of American internet users believe it is impossible to completely hide your identity online. She has been on the staff since her freshman year. With the first month of 2021 in the books, we're ranking the best sororities so far. Payton Toomey (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in journalism and information sciences and eSociety. Many people don't want the things they say online to be connected with their offline identities. Wait. For example, an advert could flash on your mobile phones screen offering a coupon for a store youre half a mile away from. Sure, websites can tweak adverts to zero in on your interests based on the web searches youve made on the same device, or sites visited. She asked UBC to help take down the online discussion board, stating that all sorority chapter presidents had emailed Greekrank to have UBC removed after the passing of a member, but Greekrank had not responded. 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. Be notified when someone replies to your post. For these individuals and the organizations that support them, secure anonymity is critical. Greekrank flames the idea that fraternities and sororities need to one up each other to gain social clout. Perhaps youve travelled to a new city. It may be something each person has to live through on their own to understand. 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. All Content 2023, The Daily Wildcat. It does strengthen misogynistic and patriarchal views, because a lot of the posts promote [the stereotype] that us women at UBC sororities can be quite literally ranked by how we look, said Arreza. The toxic content that permeates through the message boards and sorority and fraternity pages is abhorrent and does not accurately represent the inclusivity of Greek Life at the UA. Didn't find your school?Request for your school to be featured on GreekRank. One of the major issues with the website is the anonymity enjoyed by users, free to cook-up whatever nonsense they choose without repercussions. The Cornell Daily Sun One could even argue its even detrimental not to divulge at least some info. Science/Health. I've been looking through my school's greekrank hoping to get a feel for some of the fraternities but all of the reviews are horrible. No. Greekrank has been the site of recurring gossip, misogyny and cyberbullying severely affecting the mental health of several members of the Greek community, some members say, to the point that the RCMP became involved in one dire case. Assuming that means white, skinny and wealthy, I think this is a reason why the university needs more than just a one-time, two-hour diversity training for undergraduates. Its much harder to be anonymous than it was 20 years ago, at least from the biggest companies and the government, says Peter Swire, professor of law and ethics at Georgia Institute of Technology, and who served on US President Barack Obamas Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology. EFF filed a new amicus brief in support. 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. In just the span of a few short years, peoples comfort level with the internet has risen to the point where information-sharing can be careless or reckless. Ten months later, the discussion board is still active. The Daily Wildcat Presents:Al Jisr The Bridge. she said she was most surprised by the high number of fraternity men actively involving themselves in sorority-related chats on the site. Thus in 2002 the Supreme Court struck down a law requiring proselytizers to register their true names with the Mayor's office before going door-to-door. The Chi Omega sorority house on Greek Row. But anonymity is under threat in our interconnected digital society. The site also says, If the content is found to be very malicious in nature it will be removed in a timely manner." NEW! NEW! PiRead More, TOP: XO, KD, DDD The Daily Wildcat publishes daily at DailyWildcat.com, and regularly distributes its nationally-recognized print newspaper across the UA campus and neighboring communities. 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. Sororities on campus have over 300 girls and to place all of these girls into such dehumanizing categories is absolutely absurd. I feel sometimes like Im fighting an uphill battle against Greekrank., While Husain and others tried to limit their use of Greekrank when going through sorority recruitment, it proved difficult to completely avoid the winds of its rumor mill on campus. 1. Any enterprising social climber knows the website like the back of their hand. Is greekrank complete BS or is it an accurate source to learn about some of the fraternities on campus. The damage Greekrank causes cannot be overstated, for rush and really the entire system, Standard said. NEW! Its emerging as one of the major challenges of our age: how should we go about both ensuring national security and enhancing our lives through technology, whilst also maintaining a basic right to privacy that feels like it has existed since the beginning of human history?, Artists and writers, like Banksy, have leveraged anonymity as a benefit for centuries. One interviewee, for instance, created an anonymous online community for English learners to practise their language skills. This article has been updated to remove reference to the passing of a member that was potentially connected to cyberbullying on Greekrank, a point that was not properly fact-checked. GreekRank is not only a problem at the UA. There may be signs that, while most people certainly want to keep sensitive information like bank accounts and medical records safe, others may not care about sacrificing true anonymity for a perceived greater good. 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. And Im not even being clich. The Ubyssey regrets this error. Our attitude toward privacy has become increasingly blas. The opinions expressed in this article are the writers own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus. Greekrank, and the Greek life system in general, perpetuates the idea that certain peoples lives matter more than others because of their social status. NEW! Ultimately, some leaders of Vanderbilt's Greek life believe that Greekrank cannot contribute to a positive rush experience. Ole Miss Sorority Tier Rankings (MY VERSION) By: SkoRebs Last Post: 2 days ago You choose. Sorority rush at the University of Illinois was an experience like no other. I was the social chair of my bottom-tier sorority, meaning I had the demeaning job of reaching out to fraternities and pleading for them to make plans with us. If youre a social media party pooper, that might mean old flames or long-lost classmates cant track you down. The sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi will be hosting their first ever Phi Fair this week. The challenges of hybrid online and in-person courses, new social-distancing rules which are prevalent in nearly every facet of the college experience, family financial hardships and, of course, the concern for health and the health of our loved ones is on everybodys mind. Ramsey emphasized that the universitys mental health services are available for cyberbullying victims. UNBIASED fraternity rankings By: GreekRanker Last Post: 49 minutes ago. Using chat rooms anonymously can also give you more control over how you . 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. Instead of putting the Greek system together as a community, Greekrank pits houses against one another. 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. Why should certain houses feel obliged to help others, or the Greek system in general, when theyre locked into a battle for supremacy? 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. var corner_video = 'left'; Without one or the other, our wellbeing can easily become disrupted.. There is this huge disconnect, Ohm says. 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BOTTOM: ADPI,Read More, Why are they ranked so low? Advertisers track your internet habits across your devices phone, tablet, laptop to know where you habitually go, shop, and what kind of websites you visit, and there has been growing controversy about what internet companies should be allowed to track and sell to third parties. In todays hyper-connected world, it is becoming harder and harder for anyone to maintain their privacy. 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. He affirmed that in the past, some PNMs expressed that they would not like to join Pike due to discussion posts and rankings on the website. For these individuals and the organizations that support them, secure anonymity is critical. According to GreekRank this is what matters the most in a Greek organization. (Credit: Getty Images). Our results show that people from all walks of life had reason, at one time or another, to seek anonymity, the researchers wrote of the 44 interviewees. You dont know anyone, and no one knows you. OPINION: Starve yourself. Not only are you investing money (and a lot of it, at that), you are investing your whole self; your time, your energy and the people you surround yourself with. You will Perhaps you feel free of the judgment and scrutiny from acquaintances or associates. As Svedka gets taken down like water in the halls of Donlon, there is a word being whispered: Greekrank.com. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the right to anonymous free speech is protected by the First Amendment. Its up to the university to say heres where we went wrong in our policy, and this is how were going to fix it. Gulley says she has no idea who authored the post. 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. Impact of Greek Life on Leadership Development, Top 10 Most Famous Sororities And Fraternities. 3.Read More, Emails from IFC come out in the morning, good luckingRead More, Heres my ranking of sororities at UD. Is it time we just gave up on the idea altogether? 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. The difficulty with anonymous postings on social media is clearly demonstrated in this case. Anonymity also has a dark side. Request for your school to be featured on GreekRank. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Vanderbilt University and its official representatives. 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 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.". 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? News. Follow him on Twitter at @bryan_lufkin. Rising sophomore Steph Potter said she saw the rankings herself but became painfully aware of how misleading they could be when she finally rushed.. But what if youre one of those people who eschews Facebook, has no social media presence, and goes to great lengths to leave a fleeting digital footprint? 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