In defense of Alex Purdy, the gutsiest senior at Syracuse

Last week Syracuse senior Alex Purdy uploaded a video about why she left her sorority. In the video she makes allegations exposing what went on among the girls in the sorority.

Unfortunately, as soon as the video came out, there was a lot of backlash on Yik Yak towards her.

I, on the other hand commend Alex for doing what no one else had the guts to do.

As a freshman, I am obviously not as informed about sororities around campus as some other members. Since I am not a member of any sorority, nor did I even rush this semester, as well as me not knowing Alex Purdy personally,  I think I am an impartial source in this whole feud.

I wanted to know more so I interviewed Alex to get more informed about the situation.

When I watched the video, I felt an enormous amount of sympathy for both her and the girls affected by the disturbing claims made in the video. I am not trying to bash sororities, I honestly do not even know which sorority she was a part of and I would like it to remain that way. I speak on behalf of a vast majority of people when I say the things mentioned in the video are heinous and I am glad Alex spoke up because now people will be more aware.

I’m a huge believer in being yourself. I wear sweatpants almost all the time, I don’t like to dress up, and yeah, sometimes I get complaints from other people. When somebody tells me who I can and can’t be, it pisses me off. If I want to do something, I’m going to do it my way. I’m not going to change who I am just to be accepted by a group of people I don’t even know, and I don’t think anyone else should either.

Sororities are a great way to make friends who share similar interests and passions. I overall have a pretty neutral stance when it comes to sororities. That being said, if a sorority asks you to change a part of who you are, that’s where I get hesitant. Two things Alex Purdy said really brought my hesitation up a notch. First, the allegations diet pills were placed in a Little’s basket is very concerning, as well as telling each other to dress sluttier when going out, to get guys’ attention.

Our society already has a huge issue with body image. Ask anyone if they would change anything about their appearance and I guarantee you all of them will name at least one thing. I thought sisters were supposed to be supportive and encouraging, not playing in to your negative self talk. The action was not supportive in the slightest, and I genuinely hope whoever did feels horrible and realizes what they have done. It makes me sick to hear how somebody would even think about doing such a thing to somebody who is supposedly “family”, it’s all around disgusting.

Alex told us her intentions were not to shame her sorority or Greek life in general, but rather to share her experience in Greek life and encourage change within the organization. The sorority has yet to contact her, but Alex encourages them to have a conversation with her on how to implement change.

After talking with Alex, I understand her intentions behind the video and commend her for her bravery. Those students who think she was there to attack need to realize that was obviously not her intention. I am very grateful for her posting this video and hope some sororities will take into account the message she is intending to get across.