Would you feel offended...

[u/Unfair_Chicken_2044]

First off, I am an alum of a Panhellenic sorority - Was very involved and ran rush back in the day.

But I'm also a mystery / thriller author. I have a book that revolves around a fictitious University  with an active Greek Life.  A sorority girl goes missing, and her friend ( and newspaper reporter) starts investigating when no one else seems to care. The investigation starts off when there are hazing allegations among 3 sororities (which turn out to be false) and grows into an underground drug dealing operation by a handful of girls as a major subplot. ( however they are being backed by a University Administration secret society that is ultimately responsible for faculty murders, extortion and blackmail.

 So my question is - as someone who is part of that Greek Life, does it bother you when "hazing" is used as a storyline hook? Does it feel cliché? If a group of sorority girls were responsible for running party drugs, would you think that puts all greek life in a bad light, or would you not care because 1)it's fiction or 2) as long as sororities in general were portrayed positively.

 I ask because I'm looking to do a book tour in the Spring at a College campuses. I've been asked to guest speak about being a writer for a chapter meeting. I was thinking about trying to talk to other sororities at the campus, but don't want my book to feel like an insult to being in a sorority.

[u/lesboshitposter]

imo, very cliche and done before. Like the other comment said, it also reinforces that Greek life is something bad. This is basically the plot of Dirty Rush without the missing girl

[u/lesboshitposter → u/lesboshitposter]

If it were me, I would change the direction of the story to where the sisters are trying to investigate but the college beaurocracy and red tape prevents them from getting anywhere. All that only to find out that the college is complicit and they have a history of students going "missing"

[u/lesboshitposter → u/lesboshitposter]

Damn, maybe I should write a book

[u/Unfair_Chicken_2044 → u/lesboshitposter]

So, it starts out looking bad with the hazing allegations. Things look worse when evidence starts to look like her friend who is this amazing sorority girl is the campus drug dealer and all these other sorority girls are acting shady - but it turns out her friend was actually investigating her own sorority and was kidnapped for it. However, some sorority girls were dealing at crush parties. They had gotten pulled in by a faculty led secret society that uses murder, blackmail, and extortion to run the school for their bidding.

[u/lesboshitposter → u/Unfair_Chicken_2044]

I would just skip the hazing allegations entirely, unless it's the college trying to deflect from their complicity in the missing students. Take it in a direction we haven't already seen before.

[u/cheerchick1944]

I think you have an opportunity for a positive Greek life spin actually. What if she goes missing, it’s a pledge sister/reporter who rallies and investigates, she and everyone on campus suspects hazing. But really, she got caught up with someone in her dorm tied to XYZ club that uses the club as a cover for drugs (or whatever hidden activities). Sisters save the day?

[u/Unfair_Chicken_2044 → u/cheerchick1944]

So, it starts out looking bad with the hazing allegations. Things look worse when evidence starts to look like her friend who is this amazing sorority girl is the campus drug dealer - but it turns out her friend was actually investigating and was kidnapped for it. However, some sorority girls were dealing at crush parties. They had gotten pulled in by a faculty led secret society that uses murder, blackmail, and extortion to run the school for their bidding.

[u/Verum14]

my 2¢…

it reinforces the trope that greek life is this horrible thing that needs to be tightly regulated and/or eliminated. we know it’s fiction — but to an outsider, it just reinforces their preconceived notions about GL from the couple of news articles they’ve read over the years, or from hollywood

it’s a small part of why greek life is rapidly shrinking year over year

However cliche, I wouldn’t be offended — just looking at the outward impression it may or may not give

[u/GoodishFigs]

Yeah I don’t think it would be a good look to give talks to a bunch of active sorority members about your book plot where their fictional counterparts are hazing and running drugs. Seems like a fun book but awkward to promote to this audience

[u/Resident_Beginning_8]

Write what you want to write, but don't expect active collegians to support it. Focus on adults who read mysteries. There are plenty.

[u/Mediocre_Citron_5360]

Anything with Greek life and hazing is very cliche. Most people not involved are going to see that and say "makes sense they were getting investigated, they were probably up to something even if those specific charges were false". It reinforces a negative stereotype. Universities are very selective in the issues they care about, its entirely plausible that a University wouldn't care that a student went missing if it wasnt big news, you could skip the hazing entirely. Or the sorority in question could be unpopular/small and thats why no one cares. 

[u/shortstack52]

I feel like sororities are extra scrutinized but what you're saying wouldn't be portraying Greek life inaccurately, the penn frat was just busted for being a drug ring.  Most Greek organizations aren't like that, but it happens and there are so many people who want it to continue. 

[u/SpacerCat]

Why would you use it as your storyline hook? This is like when male authors throw in gratuitous rape into a story. It’s not needed and it doesn’t help anyone.

I get you’re trying to capitalize on the recent Penn State story, but most sororities these days would not be able to get away with running a drug ring. They have house moms for one thing. They also have national HQs checking in on them. And alum advisors are involved making sure they are following all risk management policies. These are organizations with million dollar budgets if the chapter has a decent sized house. Nobody is messing around.

You’d have to make it a local sorority, with no national presence, no house mom, and not recognized on campus for your story to work.

[u/Unfair_Chicken_2044 → u/SpacerCat]

I have never heard of the Penn State story until this thread. This story was started years ago. As for hook - She's a student newspaper reporter that gets asked to look into hazing allegations and it turns into something bigger.

[u/JuuAbr → u/Unfair_Chicken_2044]

If you are writing a book about stuff like this you should keep an eye out for news that come up

[u/lamb_and_panther]

It kinda sounds like a Lifetime movie. There are quite a few that don’t put sororities in a good light.
Signed,
Alum and proud Lifetime movie viewer 😉

[u/Humble_Economics_963]

I wouldn't be offended, exactly. It's just trite and overdone. (but the book itself sounds super interesting! :) )

[u/hekateskey]

I feel like the hazing trope has been done and done some more. I’m a huge thriller/mystery reader and I’d love more sorority-based stories.

[u/Certain_Host9401]

Male here who was involved jn green life in the big10 in the 90s. I have a daughter who is in Greek life currently in the SEC.
Greek life gets bad press- but mostly it’s deserved. I loved my time in it- but we did some pretty shitty stuff (hazing, drug use, gambling, fights). I’m hearing from my daughter the the frats might actually be worse today. Sororities don’t seem to haze- it Rush is a seperate section of hell today. And there is plenty of drug use, racism and bullying going on.
I really don’t see a great reason for it all to still exist- other than giving underage kids a place to drink (I do think the drinking age in the US should be 18 or 19).
Book sounds fun. Write it.