Sunday, September 7th, 2008

Photo

<p>The girls of the upcoming &#8220;Sorority Life II,&#8221; (from
left) Brooke, Mackenzie, Nicole,

The girls of the upcoming “Sorority Life II,” (from left) Brooke, Mackenzie, Nicole,

Reality Greek shows hit MTV

After millions of viewers tuned in for the first season of “Sorority Life” over the summer, MTV is back at it again, this time with fraternities representing.

Hoping to recreate its success garnered by exposing the inner-workings of a UC Davis sorority, MTV will premiere its second season of “Sorority Life” followed by its new counterpart “Fraternity Life,” tonight at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively.

In a second attempt at demystifying the inner-workings of Greek culture, the shows will document the fall 2002 pledge classes of Delta Zi Omega sorority and Sigma Chi Omega fraternity at the University of Buffalo, covering the entire semester from their dry rush week to crazy parties and initiation.

And all this, of course, is complemented by the backdrop of the pledges’ luxurious yuppie living quarters, a trademark of MTV that originated on its more recognized reality program, “The Real World.” With the network’s deep pockets, the producers spared no expense in creating the ideal version of what many would probably like to envision their sorority and fraternity houses to be, complete with pool tables, outdoor spas and trendy furniture.

However, the pledge house on the show was criticized by many as one of the most unrealistic depictions of Greek life. In most Greek organizations, there are no pledge houses, which may indicate that MTV’s “reality” show should be taken with a grain of salt.

Marianne Resue, former president of DZO at the University of Buffalo, had uncertainties about how her sorority would be portrayed, when she learned that an entire semester would be edited down to fit 30-minute weekly episodes.

“One major concern is about underage drinking, and the portrayal of partying,” Resue said. “I’m afraid that some of our history will not get portrayed as it really was. We’re a very tradition-based sorority.”

What some viewers may not realize is that the organizations featured in “Sorority Life” and “Fraternity Life” are local chapters that exist only at the University of Buffalo, and do not necessarily have to follow the same guidelines and regulations that most other Greek organizations do when they belong to a national infrastructure.

“We make our own rules and things like that. If the bylaws are outdated we can turn it over because we have a lot more freedom. We don’t have nationals telling us what we can and can’t do,” Resue said.

“I think it was a great way to become involved in everything. If I had to do it over again, I would do it the same way,” she continued.

After the season starts airing tonight, however, it’ll be interesting to see if the women of DZO, along with Resue, will still say the same.