PROS/CONS of a Fraternity

Parents Forum
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<p>Fraternity affiliation can positively influence retention through graduation. Fraternity affiliation directly impacts campus involvement and overall student satisfaction with college. Fraternity affiliation can positively influence involvement in civic organizations after college. Some statistics compiled by the North-American Interfraternity Conference include: </p>

<p>48% of all US Presidents have been Greek </p>

<p>42% of US Senators are Greek </p>

<p>30% of US Congressmen are Greek </p>

<p>40% of all US Supreme Court Justices have been Greek </p>

<p>30% of Fortune 500 Executives are Greek </p>

<p>And Greeks only make up 3% of the US population.</p>

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<p>Our son, a sr. at UCLA, joined a fraternity his sophomore year based upon the brothers' reputation as the "gentlemen of fraternity row." I would never have pegged him as the "frat type" based on my preconceptions; however, for him it was a great experience. Being a design major with only about 200 kids in the entire department, he got to meet students from across the university. He also had to live with a diverse population and learn about tolerance. As for parties, he saw first-hand how getting wasted was fruitless and tends to err on the side of caution when drinking. He's also participated in the many community service activities that the house performs and gained a lot from that. Being from out of state, he was able to stay in the house during breaks. He lived in the house for two years and now shares an apartment but remains involved in activities. Coincidentally, it's the same fraternity (different chapter) as the one to which my husband belonged in college.</p>

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<p>Some of those numbers are skewed.</p>

<p>By the same token you can claim the majority of US presidents are non-Greek.
At selective colleges, Greek systems can dominate the school. Think Penn or Dartmouth. Only 3% of the US population are Greek? Well, that's because most non-selective colleges do not have frats. Also, a large part of America have not even gone to college, are not wealthy enough to go to college (remember the median income is ~45k), and some are too young! What percentage of this nation is under 18?</p>

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<p>Oh, and being in the fraternity motivated him and the other brothers to keep their GPAs up in competition with other houses.</p>

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<p>Fraternities are great, but may not be for everyone. When you consider the thousands of chapters across the country compared to the number of incidents that you read about, it is relatively small. </p>

<p>The most important thing for anyone is to find the fraternity that is best suited for that person. Before pledging, you can get an idea of what you will be going through to get into the house, and if that is not right for you, join a different house. For me, the house I joined was bad as far as hazing goes, but they did everything for a purpose. That being to bring the pledge class closer together and it worked. </p>

<p>A major part of pledging is risk management. More and more fraternities are looking at what they are doing and measuring its risk. I know in my experience, that if someone had way too much to drink, they would take them aside and not let them participate in any other events because there is a big liability if anything actually happens to that person. Now, not all fraternities are this vigilant, and this is where the trouble can begin. I will agree that some of the practices that pledges are forced to do are stupid, dangerous, and serve no purpose. However, if things are done properly, everything will be fine. I have seen more houses begin to approach their actions in this way, and not in the animal house fashion. </p>

<p>Moreover, to those that say there are no pros to fraternities, you are dead wrong. Throughout pledging and now as a brother, I feel that I have grown much more than I ever could have otherwise. Before, I was not very active in my school, but now I am treasurer of my fraternity, treasurer of a large on-campus organization, and members in many other clubs. This is because others push you to do things and reach your full potential. These are the best friends I have ever had, and I am building life long friendships. </p>

<p>Yes, there is alcohol, but no more than in any other part of college. In addition, no, we do not have kegs running 7 nights a week. If some people want to drink every night, they do, but this does not mean that everyone has to. Most do not drink until the weekend. </p>

<p>Overall, I am not trying to say that you do not have to like greek like, but what I am trying to say is that you should not just automatically judge the system based on some movies you have seen or news articles you have read.</p>

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<p>By the way, I am not pro-fraternity at all. However, this is a decision that is totally in the hands of my son. We will support his decision either way!</p>

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<p>Another vote for more pros than cons on fraternity life. Sure, there were inane situations & probably at least as much alcohol consumption as dorm or apartment life would have provided, but it was a 'place to call home'. That's a quality not to be underestimated. The physical space of a fraternity house means a lot when you need a cozy place to study, you don't want to be in your room, and you don't want to walk to the library.</p>

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<p>Crackah, at least two of the parents who have commented negatively about Greek life have strong connections to particular campuses. I wouldn't toss around words like "unknowing" casually.</p>

<p>And I haven't yet seen a posited advantage of Greek life that can't be and isn't met via other means, i.e., getting to meet people, a place to call home, lifelong friends/connections, etc.</p>

<p>At UCLA, the Greeks are the core of one of the two main political factions, the other being a minority-dominated one. Having read the campus newspaper for years, my attitude is "a plague on both their houses."</p>

<p>At many campuses there's a lot of sneering from Greeks at so-called GDI's...the term "GDI" tells me all I need to know and I'll root for the GDI's every time.</p>

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<p>52% of all US Presidents have been not been Greek </p>

<p>58% of US Senators are not Greek </p>

<p>70% of US Congressmen are not Greek </p>

<p>60% of all US Supreme Court Justices have not been Greek </p>

<p>70% of Fortune 500 Executives are not Greek </p>

<p>97% of the US population is not Greek.</p>

<p>These statistics would make me wonder just how valuable the Greek system really is.</p>

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<p>Never heard of the term "GDI". Does it have anything to do with sexual orientation?</p>

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<p>My son's experience with frats is more alligned with Boysmom's description than the Animal House stereotype mentioned by those who clearly do not have a first-hand account of frat life. He goes to an Ivy and majors in engineering. Therefore, he is surrounded by high achieving peers who certainly know how to have a good time, but also are very serious about their studies. Contrary to those who say that frats narrow the range of friendships that are developed in college, I say it is the opposite. As an engineer, the tendancy is to eventually define your circle of friends around people with whom you share a major. By joining a frat, he is exposed to a wide range of friends with a diversity of majors, personalities and political views. </p>

<p>When I went to meet his new "brothers" on parents' weekend, I somewhat expected to meet stereotyped "frat boys" i.e., rich, snobby, and a parking lot filled with expensive sports cars. Not so - I met a bunch of normal college kids who seemed to get along well with their peers and with adults. Baseed on how well the weekend was organized, I also saw organizational skills exhibited that non- greeks are rarely required to hone while in college. (And my son's '96 Chevy Lumina with the crinkled fender is one of the few cars in the parking lot and hence is one of the "sportiest's")</p>

<p>One thing to be aware of is the time required during the pledge process. Some have said that it is roughly equal to a full class. On the positive side, this has taught my son time-management skills that have benefitted him in subsequent semesters. It also gave him period of bonding with his fellow pledge brothers that will likely last a life time.</p>

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<p>Wow. My view on Greek life has never been in line with some of these negative comments. But, my experience has been with black greeks, which I think might differ greatly. I don't recall any abundance of alcohol. I do recall lots of fundraising events (parties, raffles, stepshows). I remember the nightly step rehearsals (when I was in HS, my BF was a greek who attended Penn and lived in a frat house). I don't ever remember there being keg in the house. I remember the frat being serious, having meetings, upholding academic and social standards. And today, as I attend weddings, funerals, etc, I sit through fraternity and sorority rituals as these adults seem to remain very close to their greek ties. As a matter of fact, I attend events on a regular basis that are tied the the grad chapters of these same frats/sororities. For blacks, being greek can make tremendous difference in your life and the life of your family.</p>

<p>When my son was interviewed by the alumni interviewer, he asked if the interviewer had any regrets about college. The interviewer's only regret was not pledging. </p>

<p>For frats where kegs are the rule and life is a joke, I certainly don't have any support. But, my experience and that of my friends and family members ahs been vastly different. I'm sure there are non-black frats that more closely mirror what I am used to seeing in frats. I don't think all frats are created equally and should be judged so broadly.</p>

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<p>Sokkermom, GDI = God Damned Independent</p>

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<p>I just did a google search for "GDI" and it came up with "Gender Development Index". Very interesting that the same acronym would be used for those opposed to fraternities and sororities!</p>

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<p>Momsdream:</p>

<p>The black fraternity/sorority system is, indeed, completely separate from the white fraternity system. To this day, they are governed by different "Greek" councils, both on individual campuses and nationally.</p>

<p>The separate governing struture was a natural consequence of the white "greeks" refusal to accept black (or Jewish) members.</p>

<p>Swarthmore's Phi Psi chapter was expelled from the national organization in the 1950s when it refused to honor the national charter's prohibition on black membership.</p>

<p>Historically, I suspect a case could be make that the black greek organizations served an important role, albeit one that has been marginalized by the creation of African-American Student Unions in the 1970s.</p>

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<p>crackah -</p>

<p>You mislabeled the thread. It should have been "PROS of a Fraternity" since that is clearly all you are interested in hearing.</p>

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<p>Soccerguy315 - thanks for your response re: WM & Mary's frats - I see it is a bigger presence than I realized which I find concerning.<br>
I have not been a fan of frats or sororites - the concept reminds me of high school cliques and peer pressure - just what I hope my children will grow beyond. I may have an uninformed POV but alcohol, hazing, rape and even student death is what first comes to my mind when I hear Greek, Frat or Sorority. If the Greeks are creating a positive environment or enhancing student life, they are not getting that message or image across. I can definitely understand the desire to have a "home" that is bigger than 8 by 10.....but why the need for initiations and hazing? I don't think I would want a friend or "brother" who could do something as mean or demeaning as some of the hazings I have heard about. One would think that the universities would be providing better oversight of their Greeks.....given the potential for liability.</p>

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<p>You need to check with the university and the specific frat regarding hazing. At my son's school hazing is prohibited and the initiation process, while time consuming, is one which is looked back upon with fond memories by those who join.</p>

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<p>fundingfather (like that name)-</p>

<p>Isn't most of the hazing "ungerground" anyway, even when the chapter is chartered? My own father proudly hangs his cracked paddle on the rec room wall. And, I KNOW it's worse today. I do think the initiation related hazing is probably the most common thread amongst frats.</p>

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<p>Perhaps the hazing is the most common thread among the frats, but the "choosing" of those worthy of joining is the most common among the sororities. Each year there are women who rush sororities and are not chosen for them for reasons that sometimes seem random and capricious. Back in the dark ages, I took part in sorority rush because everyone at my small LAC did so. I was offered bids to several sororities...I had NO interest in joining at all. My roommate, on the other hand, was crushed because she really WANTED to be in one, and received no bids. I had my doubts about remaining at this school, but when that happened and I saw the rather cavalier way the "women" in the sororities dealt with the disappointment of those not chosen, I made the final decision to transfer. To be honest, the whole process seemed purposely hurtful for those girls who did not receive bids. At that time, there were any number of reasons to blackball a girl...religious, ethnic, hair color, parent's income (no kidding), lack of greek participation in the family, major (yep....certain majors like drama and music were deemed inappropriate for the women on my campus). It was a huge popularity contest at the expense of those who didn't make it. I would like to think these things have changed, but I seriously doubt that they have from what DS's friends have told me.</p>