Bryson: Fraternities are working to improve USC and community

In my three years at the University of South Carolina, I have been honored to meet people who support great causes I’ve worked with and inspire a shared vision. One the most powerful experiences of shared vision creating positive change has been the opportunity to serve as president of Fraternity Council at the University of South Carolina.

Media organizations jump at the opportunity to cover negative stories about fraternities and mistakes our members make. We are not perfect. We are college students faced with daily academic, financial, emotional and spiritual challenges as we search to become who we are and find our purpose in life. Tragic losses and mistakes have been made, and we suffer from them, but we are better than the stories that have been shared.

Here are the stories that reflect the actions of the vast majority of Greek men. They reflect the values of brotherhood, scholarship and service that our 26 chapters work to instill in our 1,700 members and to share with our community:

▪ Sigma Phi Epsilon was honored at its regional conference with the Scholastic Achievement Award as the chapter had one of the highest GPAs in the nation.

▪ The Kappa Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. won State Chapter of the Year and is a finalist in the regional contest.

▪ Fraternity Council received the “Excellence in Outstanding Risk Management Award” as well as the “Fraternal Excellence” Award at the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference.

Additionally, we have made a commitment to ensure our members receive education to help them identify and prevent interpersonal violence. We are proud to partner with Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands and fight against sexual violence through education and awareness and raise funds to support no-cost, trauma-focused services for survivors. We are supporting that commitment with a $10,000 donation to Sexual Trauma’s Walk a Mile in Their Shoes fundraiser.

Barack Obama said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” This is the change we seek to make at the University of South Carolina and in the community at large. We hope that the community can look beyond the mistakes that are made by a small number of our members and see the positive impact that the vast majority of our members make each day.

President, USC Fraternity Council

Columbia

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Bryson: Fraternities are working to improve USC and community."