Aggie Greeks

If you are a part of the Fraternity and Sorority Life community then I am sure you have heard of the website called Total Frat Move (TFM). If you have not, well then I think you are pretty lucky and have not been exposed to the ridiculous amount of nonsense that is posted on this website that goes against everything on which our organizations were founded.

A small example of what this website produces are these following statements taken from the “Top All Time” walls for both TFM and TSM (Total Sorority Move).

“I’m wondering why so many sororstitutes are posting all these lame “TSMs” rather than painting coolers, pouring drinks, giving BJs, or making sandwiches for their fratdaddies. Get it together, ladies; those damned MRS degrees won’t earn themselves. TFM.”

“On gamedays, I shotgun Nattys in $300 Lilly dresses and my grandmother’s pearls. TSM.”

As a member of the fraternity and sorority community, the fact that comments like these are not only posted online, but are getting vast numbers of readers and reposts and “likes” is horrifying. It is no wonder that the vast majority of administrators, students and family members think that fraternity “men” and sorority “women” are anything but drunks and serve as a risk to the university.

In a statement put out by the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), they state that students who “visit [the TFM] site may decide fraternity/sorority life isn’t for them after viewing the negative posts on the site. Parents are equipped with more ammunition to persuade their son or daughter from making the decision to join a fraternity or sorority.”

It is hard to argue with that. I have to admit that if these were the kind of messages I saw when my son or daughter asked if they had my approval to join an Greek letter organization I would have to say no. And for goodness sakes I am affiliated and am a huge supporter of the fraternal movement! But why would I want my children growing up in a culture that supports the kind of ideals expressed in the comment above.

In the same statement the NIC also states that “the brand – and culture – of TFM is not within our control, [and] any attempts to revolutionize TFM will only backfire and cause further damage to fraternities and sororities.”

I understand where the NIC is coming from here. We are not going to be able to get rid of TFM nor are we going to completely remove the ideals that it has created and helped to spread. But that does not mean that we must sit idle and do nothing. We the Brothers and Sisters who value our organizations and believe in the oaths and pledges we took can take a stand and not only fight back against the negative stereotypes but showcase our values and the good we do.

How do we accomplish this you ask? Easy. With a campaign of our own.

What if, instead of painting ourselves as drunks, poor students, and sexists, we instead showcased how we live our values daily and promote the good we do for our campus and the community at large? What if through our actions parents and administrators instead pushed students to get involved with our organizations because we enrich the collegiate experience? Well I say we can.

It is called a Real Fraternity/Sorority Move or RFM/RSM.

The concept here is easy. Instead of promoting actions and statements like those at the beginning of this post, post to Facebook (end posts with RFM/RSM), tweet (use the hashtag #RFM/#RSM), blog (link back to this post or share your own stories), etc. What might some of these posts look like?

“Living scholarship today by studying for my test rather than going to the bars. #RFM”

“Spending five hours today with my sisters building a house with Habitat. #RSM”

“Teaching our new members our values so they can lead our chapter with purpose. RFM”

“Knowing that my actions represent not only me, but other sorority women and the community. RSM”

While it might not seem like anything huge, someone will probably ask you what it means and you can explain. Also be sure to help spread the word. Post the link to this blog so other affiliated members can read it as well and if you are on Twitter or Facebook and you see someone else use RFM or RSM, retweet or like their post so that others see it.

Just imagine if the 37,277 people who like TFM on Facebook or the 130,035 people who follow TFM on Twitter started promoting the great things fraternity men and sorority women do. Imagine how the image of your own chapter could change by taking on this campaign.

So today I ask you to take action and join this campaign. Live your values and honor the oaths and pledges we have taken. Prove to the world that fraternities and sororities are still relevant to today’s students for the values they bestow upon them and the skills they teach them.

And for those who do not think something like this can work, remember this quote from Margaret Meade, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Originally posted on http://nickestrada.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/rfmrsm/