I was walking down campus on Wednesday, my collar popped as is habit and trend these days, when I hear somebody yelling at me. I turn around to see a group of skinny guys who look like they just stepped out of an anime convention yelling at me. “Hey frat boy,” they screamed, “didn’t you hear? The SAE house burnt down so collars are at half mast!”

I was momentarily stunned, their comments baffeling me. How could anybody make jokes about such a tragedy? I’m not Greek, but I have a lot of friends who are, and for somebody to say something like that really got to me. I screamed back at them, saying I didn’t find their immature comments funny at all, and kept walking. But I was still bothered. I told a friend about it later, and he said he had seen the same quote on some group on the Facebook. Again, this is utterly rediculous.

The eight men who lived in the SAE house lost everything. Not only did they lose clothes, computers, books, and material things but they lost pictures, trophies, and memories. They were trapped in their house and probably feared they wouldn’t make it out alive. That somebody would make fun of something that serious angers me to my core.

The important thing to realize, guys, is that just because the victims of the fire were Greek doesn’t mean that they’re not still part of the Western community. They’re still our friends, our classmates, and fellow Hilltoppers. Instead of making such immature and hurtful remarks, we need to show them our support. So grow up and show some respect.

Oh, and for the record, my collar is still up.

Ricky Skylar Jordan
Co-Chair, Student Affairs Committee
Student Government Association
Freshman
Hyden, Kentucky
270-991-8673