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Tour guides are not Œsugar coating"
Letter to the editor
To the Editor,
As a tour guide, I don"t consider omitting certain information to be sugar-coating Elon to the potential students. Campus tours are designed to highlight Elon"s positive features, not to point out problem areas. I believe most students expect any tour at any University to show off its features.
Personally, I don"t really care about the negative aspects as long as the school appears to have what I am looking for.
Elon is not a dry campus and that information alone should be enough to give potential students a general idea of the role alcohol plays on campus. However, Elon does abide by all state laws. Consumption of alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal and Elon does incorporate this into its alcohol policy.
Many questions about Greek Life are asked on the tours. Although alcohol may play a large role in many Greek activities, I do not feel that we as guides downplay the role of Greeks on campus. Elon is only 36 percent Greek, and this percentage includes the honorary and professional fraternities as well as the social ones. MTV has redefined Greek life for many high school students who are clueless about college frats and sororities. However, the Greeks at Elon are nothing like what is seen on television. Elon owns each of the houses in the Loy Center and each organization on campus is nationally affiliated. Those seen on MTV are not nationally affiliated and are not depicted as how most Greek organizations are actually run. No lie, no sugar-coating. What is seen on television doesn"t happen at Elon.
Most students do not choose a school based upon the role alcohol plays on campus. If for some reason alcohol is the deciding factor, I would be more than happy to answer any questions the student has individually once the group tour is finished. The role of Greek Life could possibly sway a student"s decision, but information provided on the tour is not misleading. I feel it irrelevant to talk extensively about alcohol consumption or Greek Life while giving a tour and choose to wait for specific questions to give more details.
- Colleen Corrigan Œ06
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