By Myron Mathis, Columnist
Hofstra has played a key role in the execution of the local Greek chapters’ annual Greek Week – but, some would argue, too great of a role. Many members of fraternities and sororities feel that Hofstra interferes in their private celebrations during Greek Week.
Should Hofstra be so strict on removing events from Greek Week when part of the problem is the lackadaisical officiating by students? It is rumored that football was removed from the festivities a few years back due to a big fight between two fraternities. People also murmur that soccer was removed because a girl tore her ACL, which I believe has no relevance to whether soccer should be included in Greek Week.
Does this mean that basketball will be removed next year because this year one fraternity member got a concussion? The NBA did not shut down because Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) jumped into the crowd and assaulted a fan back in 2004. The fact of the matter is that there will inevitably be fights and injuries no matter what event the fighters or injured are at when something stops the game.
Though Hofstra was heavy-handed on the administrational front, the student officiating crew did a lackluster job when it came to the personal mediation. During a softball match between two fraternities, a female referee stood with her back to the game, on the phone, leaving every controversial call up in the air. When she sided with one side simply to end the argument and move on, the referee’s officiating abilities (or lack thereof) were frustrating. Not only that, but the game also prematurely ended with one team getting the first and last at bat, which all baseball fans know should never happen in a fair game.
A member of one sorority said, “One girl elbowed my sister in the throat, stepped on her while she was down, then took the ball. And the ref didn’t even disqualify her or anything!”
There was a multitude of Greek Week participants who stated that it would be more appropriate for Hofstra to either get out of Greek Week or officiate the entire thing properly. Maybe a better administration crew would lead to better control over what happens during Greek Week games.