This newspaper has been criticized in the past for being “anti-Greek” after extensive coverage of some unfortunate alleged incidents at UW-Madison fraternities over the past couple of years.

I’ll admit some of my colleagues are pretty ignorant of the political atmosphere surrounding Langdon Street, and even more struggle to understand the vast differences between each house. Regardless, I promise you as a senior member of the Herald’s editorial staff and a proud frat boy that we are hardly anti-Greek.

There have been two stories in my time at Madison that have pissed off a good portion of Greeks — one in May 2008 when we reported on an alleged hazing event at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and one back in March when a woman who said she was raped at the Sigma Chi fraternity house came forward to a Herald reporter.

And they had their fair share of pushback from some of my fellow Langdon Street residents. A good portion of the anonymous comments amounted to “Why do you cover these things and not all of the good Sig Chi/Sig Ep do for the community?”

The answer is simple: Because we don’t know about them. In my time writing for the Herald’s news department, including a semester-long stint as campus editor, only once did I receive direct contact from a Greek member about a “positive” event. And you know what I did? I wrote a story about it.

I was provoked into writing this column thanks to an e-mail I got last week from Jake Langbecker, the vice president of Sigma Chi, through John Lucas at University Communications. He was promoting a charity barbeque at the house in memory of Kevin Cleary, a former president of the chapter who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Proceeds went to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund and it was a nice way to recognize those lost eight years ago.

While the Herald news department chose to only mention the event in a story published Friday, the Daily Cardinal chose to publish a small story in Monday’s newspaper recapping the event. Sure, it wasn’t much, but it was positive press — and Lord knows Sigma Chi could use some these days.

I know firsthand some of the great events fraternities and sororities on campus do each year. Some of them are small and probably wouldn’t get noted in the newspaper, even on a slow day. But when Greeks have large events — like Delta Gamma’s annual Anchor Splash — why wouldn’t the press be one of the first groups you contact?

This opinion page has been critical of the Greek system in the past for failing to be open when controversy arises. Barb Kautz, Jeff Benson, the Interfraternity Council and chapter leaders shut their mouths, close their ears and wait for the loud noises to go away.

OK, fine. If you don’t want to be transparent about controversy, here’s your chance to openly communicate the things you do want in the newspaper. Find a journalism major and have him or her write 250 words about whatever good thing it is you’re doing.

E-mail [email protected], or, better yet, get in touch with University Communications. They can get your little press release out to a much larger base of news organizations throughout Madison, and your positive press can spread beyond the downtown area.

Or don’t — it really makes no difference to me in the end. Just stay away from our comment boards next time some frat screws up.

Kevin Bargnes ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.