<p>My frosh S just called enthusiastic about joining a fraternity. Could someone at Wes provide info as to whether the fraternity experience implies 1)exclusivity2)lots of drinking3)a less studious approach to college? Am I totally off track? Please advise, as I am very surprised by this development.</p>
<p>Which one? The Psi U guys I know generally 1) are really friendly 2) don't drink more (or less) than anyone else 3) are serious about academics and community service. The tend to be a little less “quirky” and maybe a little more pre-professional than the student body as a whole, but they’re basically really decent guys, and their chapter does TONS of good community service (I believe last year the won an award for it from their national). They throw and host a lot of open parties, and their members tend to be involved with lots of other things on campus. If you can’t tell, I think pretty highly of Psi U.</p>
<p>I know a lot less about DKE and Beta (Theta Phi). They have reputations that tend more towards the “animal house” side of things. They also seem to keep more to themselves, or maybe they just run in totally different circles than I do; either way, I’ve met far fewer DKE and Beta members then Psi U ones. That said, the few Beta boys I’ve met have seemed like nice enough people, so I’m sure the stereotypes aren’t entirely true. </p>
<p>If your S is actually talking about one of the co-eds (Eclectic or Alpha Delt), than that’s a different story entirely in terms of "feel" of the groups. But since you said “fraternity,” I’ll assume it’s not one of those unless you tell me otherwise.</p>
<p>Thanks for your quick response. It's Psi U, and the description you give of its members does fit my son. OK, panic over...</p>
<p>I'm glad! I bet joining Psi U will be a lot of fun for your son if he decides to do it – they’re definitely my second favorite Greek on campus (after Alpha Delt, but since I’m a member of ADP I’m a bit biased there…)</p>
<p>Yeah, no worries :) Psi U is a great group of guys who do a lot all around campus. It's nothing like the fraternities you'll see in "Animal House" or "Greek"!</p>
<p>I am a freshman pledge at Beta, and generally speaking the whole deal seems rather reasonable. Psi U is a bit more pre-professional, perhaps even "preppier" (loath as I am to admit it, given my being a dyed-in-the-wool prep), than DKE or Beta. However, future investment bankers and management consultants would do well to seek out the latter two. One of Beta's former president, recently, had actually a extremely close relationship with Senator Bill First, former Senate Maj. Leader, so fraternities are not just about drinking.</p>
<p>I would also warn that Psi U is, technically, a co-ed frat. Now of course they will try their mighty best to avoid actually realizing that technicality, but that is how it is.</p>
<p>(Oh, and despite the DKE-Beta rivalry, DKE definitely has the best house of all.)</p>
<p>Could someone explain a little about Alpha Delt or Eclectic? How big are they, and how do people join? Is it selective? What do they do?
Also.... Is the secret society just a myth, or DOES it really exist.</p>
<p>The secret societies definitely do exist. Sometimes they have mysterious (and sometimes non-mysterious) events.</p>
<p>Eclectic and Alpha Delt are both very nontraditional Greek systems. Eclectic has something of a hipster reputation, and they without a doubt get some of the best musical acts to come to campus (most of the famous ones that people are impressed by). Their house also has a huge open downstairs area, so it's ideal for shows and parties.</p>
<p>Alpha Delt used to have a bit of a geeky reputation, but that may be changing. Now it perhaps would more aptly be described as "quirky." Regardless, I have a lot of love for the place. I pledged it (but didn't join) my freshman year. Their house is also absolutely gorgeous. Also, they have a special fund for educational events that gets used to sponsor some really fantastic and interesting stuff around campus. Their parties tend to be a little less wild, a little more chill and laidback: ie. the "literary ball" (dress up as your favorite literary persona), an all night reading of "the phantom toll booth," a screening of "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog", or a wine & cheese party. Not that some serious unscheduled partying doesn't happen in the Grotto, their cozy basement.</p>
<p>Herrsque: Psi U is NOT a co-ed frat. They are a frat that is also a program house through the University, which means that sometimes they let women live in the house (same for DKE), but that is VERY different from letting women join the frat itself. Believe me, co-ed status is NOT something that comes without a HUGE fight: no frat would be co-ed but try to avoid letting girls in. </p>
<p>Starbuck: </p>
<p>ADP and Eclectic are both co-ed, but other than that are rather different. I’m not sure how big Eclectic is, but there is an application one fills out if one wants to get in, and they select people at least in part using that, or so it seems to go. Members tend towards the “hipster” side these days. Rumors would have it that many of their members do drugs, but they are also very smart and creative (I think a ridiculous number of their members got high honors last year). They have strained relationships with their Alumni (at best), and, as I understand it, are not part of any national organization anymore. They throw a lot of concerts, as Mad said, as well as a couple of very popular yearly parties (the Sex Party, the Halloween Party, the Valentines-Day party). </p>
<p>ADP’s size varies. We have 25 rooms in the house, but membership numbers can swing between say, 40 and 60 (though at one point in the 90s there were a ton more). We used to be part of the ADP frat, but broke off because we wanted to allow women to join; we’re now part of a very small national ADP Society that includes chapters at Brown, Columbia and UNH. </p>
<p>The stereotype is, or used to be, that we’re all sex obsessed geeks, but that’s totally not true. It is true that many or most of us are geeky in one way or another, and many of us do enjoy sex (as do most college students…), but in general we’re just a bunch of pretty chill, laid back people who have found that we like each other and like living in a self-governed group doing things together. We also run the Star + Crescent, which is by far the best food on campus (I’m not biased, it’s just true). </p>
<p>We don’t have any official Rush season or events that someone has to go to if they’re interested in joining, and our process for who choosing who gets bids is, obviously, a secret, though, like most (all?) of the frats on campus, our pledging takes place in the first half of the semester. As Mad said, the open events we do have tend to be smaller, partially because our space isn't big enough for the kind of huge parties Electic and Psi-U throws, though we occasionally throw dance parties in the grotto (those on campus: look out for a blacklight party coming at some point!). We throw a lot of game days (Apples to Apples = the best) and food related events (S'mores is my fav. event we throw very semester). </p>
<p>ADP and Eclectic both have pledging every semester (I think, obviosuly I know ADP does), and at least ADP will take people at any stage in their Wes career; that is, we don't just take Freshmen or Sophmores (I don't know if any of the frats at Wes do, but certainly there is a limit at other schools).</p>
<p>what about the black frats??? i haven't heard much bout them.....</p>
<p>They exist, but don't have their own houses. They occasionally throw parties at one of the other frat houses, but other than that I don’t know much about them.</p>
<p>Dekes and Beta represent traditional frat experiences. In that respect they are much less Wesleyan than just traditional collegiate. I can't speak for Dekes, but Beta has got lots of good, solid, well-rounded, traditional kids from good areas in the tri-state area. i.e., the All-American crowd. </p>
<p>Is there drinking? sure. Is it excessive? sometimes. Is it unhealthy? definitely. But is it worth it? I would hope to say yes.</p>
<p>And exclusivity should not be a concern. Wesleyan is not Yale; there are neither Skulls & Bones nor the Porcellian. The big thing is that the guy has a bunch of other good guys just like him who he knows he can depend on for support and help. Being able to identity with a solid, recognisable group structure is a great help in the often chaotic times (especially at Wesleyan) of college. </p>
<p>And people who complain about frats being non-academic: it's pretty hard becoming a management consultant or an investment banker, the two most selective professions out of college, with crappy GPA's. I can't imagine fraternity members, many of whom tend toward those professions, being ignorant of this key fact. </p>
<p>Psi U is a special case. It really is an excellent institution, except I don't like the guys they turn out. In many ways it is an exemplary organisation; the downside, of course, is that the group feeling and identity is relatively weaker. Maybe it's just me, but I just cannot imagine Wesleyan's Psi U brothers being the type to unquestioningly help each other out with careers, deals, or even just call up each other for some Sunday golf.</p>