LETTER: Panhellenic Association on Yik Yak

LEANN BURKE / THE DEPAUW

Throughout the past year, Yik Yak has impacted DePauw’s campus. For each individual, the impact may have been different: laughs, tears, validation or discrimination. Therefore, it is reasonable to say we all know someone or a group who was directly and negatively put into the spotlight on this anonymous social media platform.

However, this is not the first time we’ve seen this. Before Yik Yak, it was Erodr. Before that, it was the anonymous accounts made by tweens on Facebook, Bebo and Myspace that were specifically made to attack and ridicule a person or group. These forms of cyber bullying have been around for as long as the internet has existed.

We’re better than this. Why break down others for the pure enjoyment of watching them suffer? In a world that prides itself on individuality, why do we hide behind the mask of anonymity?

This week, the Panhellenic community is taking a stand against anonymous and negative social media in a week titled “Yik Yak Yuck.”  Not only are we encouraging Panhellenic women to #PutYourNameOnItDPU and take ownership of their words and opinions, we are challenging them to inject positivity into their social media interactions.

Throughout the week, we are urging Panhellenic women to promote what they love, instead of bashing what they hate. Each day is dedicated to posting something positive about themselves (Monday), a friend (Tuesday), a different Greek chapter (Wednesday), the Greek Community (Thursday), and the DePauw Community (Friday). We invite you, members of DePauw University, to post with us this week on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in an effort to flood our newsfeeds with positivity. Use the hashtag #PutYourNameOnItDPU to join the Panhellenic Community in taking a stand against negative social media.

Though we know we can’t eliminate negative social media completely, we hope that our campaign can make a meaningful impact on the DePauw community. We urge the members of the DePauw community to stand with the members of the Panhellenic community in a statement against negative social media. Existing in a shared humanity, we should stand together: united and full of love.