Remember back when you were in grade school riding the bus and singing “The Wheels on the Bus” with the rest of the students? Imagine that same enthusiasm, but instead of grade school kids, it’s men chanting racial slurs at the top of their lungs.

This is what members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Oklahoma were recorded doing in their video that went viral in March.

This incident is one of many others that have been reported and we’re only four months into the new year.

With all the bad publicity surrounding the Greek organizations, the question arises: are they still worth joining?

Depending on the school and organization, to join a Greek organization can be expensive.

University of California Los Angeles estimated the cost for one year for a fraternity is about $9,537 and for 9 months at a sorority it’s about $12,792. That’s not including the extra fees these Greek organizations charge for failure to attend meetings, ceremonies and events.

Not only is it hard on your wallet, it’s also hard on your liver.

A study done by Harvard University showed that four out of five fraternity and sorority members are binge drinkers compared to  the overall college student ratio, which is two out of five.

With drinking rates being higher among the Greek organization, the rate of sexual harassment and abuse is higher as well.

At the beginning of this year, Brown University announced they were suspending two fraternities for having parties with punch that was spiked with date-rape drugs. Although no one was charged with anything, the university saw the dangerous environment the fraternities were providing.

And this is not something specific to individual fraternities or sororities.

Fraternity members are more likely to commit rape than other college students and sorority members are more likely to be victims of the act, according to the study by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Some people argue that the Greek organizations are meant to provide long lasting friendships and a better college experience, but, in reality, sorority members are more likely to have problems with eating and body image and fraternity members will bully one another to drink more alcohol, according to Zen College Life.

There may have been a time when Greek life was less preoccupied with alcohol and more worried about ways to make the community a better place, but from what we see on the news and in studies it seems like those days are over.

And though it’s nearly impossible to ban Greek organization from college, it is possible to decrease the amount of pledges that sign up each year when many of us transfer to another college or university.

However, if it’s your dream to join a fraternity or sorority, get informed on the cost, the fees and, above all, the amount of sexual assaults reported on your campus each year: do your research.