H -°, L 23° | Tomorrow: 
H 23°, L 9°My name is Hanna Terhaar, and I am a sophomore legal studies major and a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. I am writing to express my utter disgust in the choice your publication made to run the “Gyrating Hag” comics (Sept. 11 and Oct. 1) at the beginning and end of this month.
While it appalls me that you deemed the first comic appropriate, what infuriates me even further is the fact that, after receiving a completely warranted and appropriate letter from the Panhellenic Association, you chose to run a second comic responding to the letter in an immature and insensitive way. The attacks made on the Greek system by your comic strip are not only unfounded and misguided, but also childish and crude. The fact that you chose to attack a group of student leaders who actively work to improve not only this campus but also the wider Madison community is frankly nauseating.
Furthermore, the accusations you put forth of homophobia in the Greek community are ludicrous, as your writer founded these accusations upon the fact that we recently added a GLBT chapter to our campus.
I am exceedingly proud to be a member of the Greek community here at the University of Wisconsin, but due to the choices that have been made at The Herald, I am equally ashamed to have your writers and editors as fellow classmates. I can guarantee you that I will never touch a copy of your newspaper again as long as I am on campus, and I will certainly encourage others to do the same.
Hanna Terhaar
UW sophomore, legal studies
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The Herald was calling the Greek system out for the BS that it is. How about that panty raid where Kappa Sig nearly ran over girls in an attempt to steal bras, causing injury to many girls? How about the date rapes? How about the drug allegations against Chi Phi? How about the same against DU? Please.
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Hanna, you’ll be reading shout outs by 10:30 this morning.
Signed, Thickened Skin
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Oh no, the Greeks are mad! There’s going to be a lot of sad calls back to the coast.
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If every copy of the Herald magically goes missing, looks like we have a prime suspect…
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Oh, poor Hanna! Your priviliged life is being called out yet again. Are you really so blind that you can’t see what’s going on? A good chunk of the greek system continues to make jokes and treat the GLBT frat like the tokens they were brought in to be. Wake up!
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Or it’ll be because circulation went up. Either way, the BH gets more ad money.
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Hey, a lot of people in fraternities and sororities make this crap happen. We’re just calling you out on it.
I suspect the author didn’t base his accusations on the fact that an LGBT fraternity was added to campus; he based them on the fact that a certain culture of homophobia and transphobia is rampant in Greek life.
He may not have been targeting you personally but clearly there is something to be said about the fact that the Greek community is one of the last bastions of homophobia in a largely accepting environment.
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Wow, this letter is so melodramatic and over-the-top that if I were a cartoon writer, I would want to create many more cartoons mocking the Greeks. With the possible exception of ASM, I can’t think of a group that deserves it more.
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I never new how open minded and receptive to critisism the greek community could be until I read this letter. I had you guys pegged completely wrong.
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I’m sure greeks have a corner on date-rape, drug use and homophobia. You never hear about any of those things outside of the greek community.
It’s funny to read the responses all you holier-than-thou indies post, as you sit in judgment of 10% of the campus. How can you condemn the greeks for things that happen as much, or possibly more, outside the greek community?
Should you make fun of the greeks, hell yeah. Certainly SDT’s name alone screams to be made fun of.
But, “last bastions of homophobia”!? Nice blanket generalzation about an entire group of people; i.e. phobia?
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Oh yeah, I just posted the last defense of the greeks and…Hanna’s letter is pretty weak.
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Right on 1:48. Bottom line is, it’s easy to sit back behind “Name: Anonymous” and say Greeks are all rich coasties that just drink and rape and do drugs. If you made any other blanket generalization about a group of people you’d be deemed a racist or worst.
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Does anyone find it funny that some anonymous is complaining about people hiding behind anonymous? As for the statements about blanket generalization, I think today’s articles in both newspapers about fraternities under investigation clearly nullify your comments.
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Greeks are under more scrutiny. Every time some jerks on randall street get into a fist fight or their party gets busted, the papers are not going to report it; there’s not enough room. And, if you read the article, Sammy is getting messed with because they did not report a party to IFC; hence added scrutiny from the governing body. AEPi is getting messed with for reported hazing from an “unidentified source”. So no, those articles don’t nullify my comments.
WHAT!
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Right on, 4:34. Greek organizations face more regulations, rules and scrutiny than any other group on campus. Sure, we party, but certainly no harder than the rest of you. And TELL ME that the other aforementioned stuff doesn’t happen ANYWHERE else on campus. I’d be willing to bet more often elsewhere without the watchful eyes of fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. And let’s not forget about philanthropy - I’d like to see some of you TRY to raise $3200 in 5 hours and donate it to a local charity.
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“And let’s not forget about philanthropy - I’d like to see some of you TRY to raise $3200 in 5 hours and donate it to a local charity.”
Yes, that’s why you signed up, for charity! I’m sure the booze and guaranteed Jersey tail had nothing to do with it.
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Everyone who is not Greek and has nothing better to do but post hateful comments: GET OVER IT!
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So, just because people join for socializing, their charity doesn’t matter? EAD.
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The Greek Community is not asking for a pat on the back for our organizations’ collective efforts to better the community and ourselves individually. All we ask is that those students that do not understand our organizations either inquire, or remain apathetic. We have Executive Boards, a Judicial Board, a close working relationship with a Langdon Street Police Officer and the Office of the Dean of Students to ensure that all students in our Chapters are treated with respect and that safety is maintained. If mistakes are made, there are harsh repercussions.
I advise that those students who stereotype off of fabricated or exaggerated perceptions seek correct information, or remain indifferent to our organization and spend their time being active on campus instead of posting unfounded comments on a newspaper blog.
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Yes, the rest of the campus is not allowed to critize your organization. It is from now on forbidden. All comics must be tasteful and avoid any controversy, less the Greek community have to defend its actions.Your ego’s certainly must come before free speech.
BTW, telling sorority members to quit from the the Badger Herald Staff over this was complete bullshit.
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If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
I think the BH needs to refrain from ripping on ANY student organization in such a slanderous and pornographic manner.
College is here to teach you how to build others up and work collaboratively, not break others down and build up walls.
There is simply no justification for these two comics, regardless of an organization's past, present or future.
Let's all take a step back and remember why we are here… to become mature, thoughtful and respectful adults.
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Well said, Sarah. The Greek community isn’t perfect, but neither is the non-Greek community. In many ways, we are held to greater standards than many other students or student groups on campus.
We have the support of the University and MPD in our goals of self-government and attempting to be the perfect organization many of you expect.
Unfortunately we’ve never been able to fully garner the support of some outside of the Greek community. Although we haven’t asked for your full support, we certainly haven’t asked for some to consistently launch unwarrented attacks. Maybe you had a sour experience with fraternity and sorority members. I know I have, just like I’ve had sour experiences with non-Greek members.
But generalizing because of that and holding on to unfounded biases from movies or TV only exacerbates the problem. Comics like those in the past few issues of the Herald divide the student body. Comments like many in this thread are establishing an “us vs. them” atmosphere.
Maybe it’s idealistic, but it is possible to break down the divide. Maybe we should start seeing “being Greek” as organization membership and not as an identity. We should strive for mutual respect and at the least general apathy.
As for the Badger Herald, freedom of speech/press comes with responsibility. The printing of these comics was inflammatory, counter productive, and falls far short of the level of professionalism (and humor) the Badger Herald has historically shown.
Most of us are students at UW-Madison. Some in the Greek community are privileged, and some rely only on themselves for financial support. This is the same for those not involved in the Greek system. But when it comes down to it, we all wear red on Saturdays.
Sincerely, Adam Korn
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“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. “
This was a comic that criticized a real problem, and you’re claiming it shouldn’t have been done because it wasn’t “nice”? Finally the comic page adds something to the campus discussion, and you want to get rid of it?
If you can’t handle some criticism and mildly pornographic illustrations, the lack of maturity rests on your shoulders not the Badger Heralds. Correcting the wrongs on campus is more important than learning “team work”.
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I’ve been in the Greek Community for four years and I haven’t gotten any free “Jersey tail.” Maybe it’s hiding back in the 60s, where the term “tail” belongs.
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Do you know how a newspaper works? It is not the opinion of the newspaper that offends you, it is the opinion of a cartoonist. For fucks sake girlfriend, why do you insist on this ignorance. Would you write an LTE responding to every opinion article you disagree with? This is the newspaper that had the balls to print an ad against reparations for slavery and the Mohammed cartoon. FREEDOM. OF. SPEECH. It's a beautiful thing.
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FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT FREEDOM FROM HAVING YOUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH QUESTIONED!!! YOU PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PIPER FOR IT. G-D TRY GOING A DAY WITHOUT RESPONDING WITH YOUR VIEWS THAT DON’T JIVE COMPLETELY WITH THE PERSON YOUR TALKING TO AND SEE HOW BORING IT IS.
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Why does she make it sound like the Herald itself wrote this comic?
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Maybe because newspapers take responsibility for what they print? That’s kinda how it works.
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I think the best part of the outrage surrounding this comic (not to mention the vehement denials that hazing EVER happens in the Greek system) is that one week later, 2 frats are charged by the Greek Judicial Board for “allegedly committing violations on policies regarding hazing and social events.”
Hanna is right…clearly, hazing never happens.
Except, of course, for when it does—then the Greeks will still be pissed because the Herald has “misrepresented” the Greek system by reporting news. Boo hoo.
I think the larger issue is that Greeks are very sensitive to all the negarive press they recieve, which is not too unreasonable. But sometimes, I think they deliberately ignore the fact that they DO recieve so much negative press precisely BECAUSE of their own actions.
The Greek system is generally beneficial to the community and can offer many things to individual members, but this does not excuse it from being called into the spotlight for misdeeds. Philanthropy is NOT a justification for hazing; those who believe this to be true are severely misguided.