I don’t know whether or not I want to join a frat at USC just yet, but I do have some questions. I am not a fan of alcohol, but I do like to go to parties, so are there any houses that don’t haze by making the incomers drink? I’m okay with other forms of hazing, but when it comes to alcohol I’m kind of a baby.
Why are you comfortable with ANY form of hazing?
I have no idea about the regular fraternities, But if you can’t find one that suits you, consider the Trojan Knights, which is fraternity-like organization focused on supporting and upholding USC traditions. Hazing in any form is not allowed and should not be tolerated at any school and in any fraternity.
Disclaimer: I am not involved in Greek life and do not condone hazing.
I’d suggest you look at newer fraternities or ones that were re-established recently. My friend who doesn’t drink is in a frat that was reestablished in 2016 and is moving to the row next year, and he says that he was never forced to drink or do anything of that sort during his pledge semester. The only fraternity I know that is completely dry is the Christian one. That said, there’s a lot of aspects to consider when rushing, and just because a frat doesn’t make you drink, it doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
Other than that, I know that professional frats like the film frat have open parties that anyone can attend (as opposed to regular frat parties, where guys have to be on a list).
Also, the sad reality is that even if nobody forces you to drink, if everyone else does, you’ll find that many of the social activities revolve around drinking. I’ve been involved with a very large, very prominent student organization for the past three years (not Greek-affiliated or anything of that sort) that I won’t be continuing with my senior year, partly because I don’t drink and I felt like all the social gatherings revolved around drinking and there was so. much. pressure. to drink, even though no one technically forced me.
But that’s just my two cents.
Try targeting the fraternities with the highest GPAs. Most are forthcoming with that info and proud if they have one of the higher GPAs on the row.
I currently attend USC and am a member of a fraternity and I just wanna say that in terms of hazing, you will not be able to get a good idea of what it is like at certain houses on the internet. Fraternities keep hazing rituals pretty secretive so what you hear on the internet is probably not true. If I were you, go to rush and check out all the houses and see which ones best for you. You’ll be able to get a better idea of the hazing by listening to fellow freshman and upperclassmen while on campus/in your dorm. At some fraternities, you can tell them you do not drink and they will just exclude you from any drinking hazing but make you do something not involving alcohol. *Disclaimer I have never been hazed and know nothing about hazing at USC