Greek101 severs relationship with MTV's Sorority Life and
Fraternity Life reality shows.
Greek101.com, a leading provider of Fraternity and Sorority apparel and accessories, recently severed our relationship with the reality-TV shows MTV's Sorority Life and MTV's Fraternity Life. We no longer will provide our apparel to the shows' participants, and at our request, MTV removed our name from the shows' credits. Additionally, we are seeking to have an anti-hazing organization's logo appear in its place.
Greek101.com has always believed in the importance of celebrating the many good works performed by Fraternities and Sororities throughout the country. For us, Greek life is synonymous with forging lifelong relationships, giving back to the community through service and philanthropy, fostering leadership abilities, and having good, clean fun.
It was in this spirit that we forged a relationship with MTV roughly 18 months ago to supply Greek101.com apparel for MTV's Sorority Life and MTV's Fraternity Life. Before we entered that relationship, we conducted our due diligence on the scope and nature of the shows and were assured that, although they were unscripted and spontaneous reality shows, they would most certainly seek to highlight the wholesome, philanthropic activities for which the Greek system is well known.
When the initial episodes of the premiere season of MTV's Sorority Life portrayed Sororities in a less-than-favorable light, we publicly expressed our disappointment, but were hopeful that we could influence producers and participants to abide by the original spirit of the show. Our feedback had some positive impact on the rest of the first season, which led us to believe that the second season would portray the Greek system more favorably. Unfortunately, when the second season began, it became apparent that the show - along with the new MTV Fraternity Life program - was going to continue in a direction that was contrary to the principles and standards of Greek101.com.
As a result, we feel that we can no longer, in good conscience, continue to provide our products to the two shows. Until October, you will continue to see what appear to be "new episodes," which where filmed prior to April 1, 2003, as well as reruns. We urged MTV to remove the Greek101.com name from those episodes, but were told that since the shows were filmed with our permission at the time and have already been edited, it would be extremely expensive for MTV to remove, digitally alter, or block out our name. Since our logo appears in many scenes, the cost of removing them would be well beyond the financial means of Greek101.com.
Greek101.com is completely committed to the ideals of Greek life, and we will continue to pursue a number of charitable activities, including donating thousands of dollars to the Fraternity/Sorority Community each year.
In recent years, the Fraternity/Sorority system has made great strides in abolishing once pervasive negative stereotypes. As such, Greek101.com and all people concerned with the image of the Fraternity/Sorority system must take a stand and insure that Fraternities and Sororities remain the strong, wholesome institutions that have positively impacted so many young people over the years.
We encourage members and advisors to discuss the image of Greek life in the media amongst chapters and students. By acknowledging accurate portrayals and expressing our disapproval of misrepresentations, we can play a major role in shaping the way Fraternities and Sororities are depicted.
Thank you for your understanding of this matter. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns.
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