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What do you think of the Greek system in college life? It seems they are a cultural staple at Big 10 schools in the Midwest and at all the major universities in the Southeast.
They have their advantages and their disadvantages (I know some people whose GPAs were lower than what they could accomplish because of TOO MUCH Greek involvement). Some schools won't allow them. Notre Dame and Rice (Houston), both prestigious schools, will not have the Greek system because it promotes elitism and segregates the student body. The bigger Catholic universities are hit and miss on this issue. Smaller religious colleges don't seem to have them.
I thought Rice didn't have them because they segregated students into a "house" system sort of like some of the British schools. I visited there back in high school, and that's how I remember it.
I think they're okay for the majority of schools, but only if they fit with the school's values. I remember the case of the Delta Zeta sorority being kicked out of DePauw basically because the national leadership were discriminating against some of the members.
I don't really think there is a place for them in a lot of religious schools, the exclusivity of it seems to be contrary to a lot of religious beliefs.
we had them but we didn't have frat houses...just "sections" of the dorms lol. i think most of their parties had to be open to anyone. sororities didn't even have dorm sections. they didn't live together at all. i wasn't into that scene but their presence never bothered me. i went to a few "section" parties and they were pretty lame. i'm sure i'd have a different opinion had i gone somewhere with a bigger greek scene.
My school had them with fray houses. I guess a decent way to get people to meet people. With that you get networking. I prefer schools just try to create "frats" based on majors, and allow them to be coed. My wife was in a professional fraternity, for one of her majors. She met lots of like minded people, made great friends(some in our wedding) and had some great parties. Also did some community activities.
The social frats.... And yes I called them a frat even though they hate it. I guess are ok. They seem to focus on partying, I know a lot cheating is done through them, seems like its a big social group, who their last thoughts are school and community giving but they do them because they have to.
Not saying all feats, just the couple I experienced. As for fray parties, I got to go to one, which is rare being a guy. Yes there were 150 chicks there, but it was still a sausage fest with 400 guys.
I also had the luxury of going into 2 different sorority houses, and having some friends. Other then having crazy fantasies, they seemed a little more true to what those organizations claim to be. Probably since females in some ways are more mature. At the same time they were usually raging ******* to other sororities.
Oddly enough the most pure groups in community giving I have ever seen. Motorcycle groups lol.
I don't really think there is a place for them in a lot of religious schools, the exclusivity of it seems to be contrary to a lot of religious beliefs.
The guy who founded Rice wrote it into his decree, or whatever it's called. He used the word elitism.
I absolutely agree that the religious universities should NOT have them at all, and don't have much respect for those that do.
However, as someone pointed out, I believe that professional fraternities that are based on the course of study (engineering, business, etc.) are perfectly acceptable because they don't use looks and family income as a determinant as some sororities, and maybe fraternities, reputedly do.
Last edited by robertpolyglot; 06-17-2012 at 10:57 AM..
If we're talking specifically social fraternities/sororities (vs. professional orgs, national volunteer service orgs like Alph Phi Omega, or academic honor societies like Sigma Tau Delta) I don't think they matter at all. This is probably because I didn't go to a school where they were a major focus, although they were a presence in a rather muted incarnation. I didn't go to a large public university, or a private school with a big focus on "secret societies" and the like, I went to a small, private liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran church...so, nominally religious, and technically parochial.
At my alma mater, "Greek" organizations existed, but they were really no different than any other campus organization or club on campus. I put Greek in quotes, because all of them were independent chapters, essentially made up on campus by students...none of them were nationals, or part of any larger Panhellenic organization. Just a bunch of students who would get together, and say, "Hey, let's call ourselves a fraternity/sorority," adopt a Greek letter name, write some sort of constitution, elect officers, etc., but really be, essentially, like any other group on campus. Some of them had been around for up to 100 years on campus, but they were never part of any larger, dues-paying, charter-maintaining, service-providing, nationwide Greek org body. They existed solely at the school. The school also didn't provide fraternity houses or sorority houses, although some people opted to live off-campus, together, but they weren't traditional Greek houses, they were just like any other rental house in a college town.
Essentially, the kids in these groups were pretty much in the same boat as students in any other club or organization. It was mostly just a social org, although some did have community service objectives. I never really got the point, since it wasn't like there was a larger network they could tap into for post-college jobs and such, which is my understanding is the main long-term purpose behind belonging to a true, traditional Panhellenic organiztion. I guess just having fun, but there were already lots of groups in existence for that, and, being a very small school, it wasn't hard to meet people without being in a club, there were only 2500 students, total. Everybody pretty much knew everybody anyway, at least by sight. For some people, I guess, college was incomplete with out a sweatshirt with Greek letters ironed onto it.
I'm fine with a setup like that. It wasn't any different than College Democrats, or Campus Activities Board. Just an extracurricular.
I also don't think it matters much whether the school is religiously affiliated or not, since many schools that were initially religiously affiliated have since become increasingly secular...some are not even any longer affiliated with the organizations that chartered them, have no particular religious requirement, and are nominally religious schools, if that.
My sister's private liberal arts college was initially founded as a Methodist seminary, but today, it's no longer affiliated with the church, and even its chapel is no longer used for church services, it has become an auditorium for choral, band, and orchestral concerts, and theatre productions. My brother's alma mater, also private liberal arts, was initially a United Church of Christ-affiliated college, but has no such affiliation now. My alma mater still identifies as Lutheran, but its chapel is designated nondenominational, there is no chapel attendance requirement, and one must take one religion-themed class over four years to satisfy gen eds, but it needn't be Christianity-based, and most are cross-disciplinary, taught by the philosophy department, music department, etc. Very loosely religious. Most of the students aren't even Lutheran.
I don't think they should be banned because it's only human nature to band about in some sort of organization and association, but I believe that most of the National Panhellenic frats and sororities are social problems, especially the ones at state universities in the Southeast. According to their charters, anyone is eligible for membership, but I think we all know that's not the case. The amount of hazing and sexism that occurs in today's frats and sororities is enough to appall anyone who's not a sociopath. It really should be something that fades away over time due to lack of student interest, and according to others' perspectives on this topic, it seems like that's occurring at universities where Greek orgs are not emphasized.
At small college towns across the Southeast, the fraternities are so organized that they oftentimes control all student activities on campus and off campus they control the bars and drinking establishments. That's definitely a problem, but I don't see anything being done about it or anything that could be done about it until enough students wise up and say "hey, I don't want to have to eat my fellow pledge's vomit on hell night to get into some booze and bong-hit club" or "hey, I don't want to treat women as objects and sexual conquests because it's encouraged by my frat brothers." If every college freshman thought seriously about these things, then I think the current model of Greek orgs on college campuses would fall by the wayside.
One responder on this thread brought up a good point. As a college instructor, I've routinely heard from mostly fraternity pledges (more so than sorority pledges) that their fraternity obligations impede their studying and ability to do almost anything else, like get a job or join some other campus org. I think that right there should at least alert parents who may pay the dues when little Johnny or Suzy tells them they want to pledge some Greek org.
On the flipside, I knew folks from my college days in Californy who were part of some Greek org. and majored in funneling beer, joint-rolling, skirt chasing, and Dead following and somehow managed to have enough credits to get some kind of degree. Today they're employed and knocking down big bucks and it seems that quite a few of them work with the people they partied with in college. Maybe joining Kappa Kappa Jerk Off is more conducive to landing a good job than is actually studying. Ah, only if I had it to do all over again--it might be worth eating another pledge's vomit in the long run!
On the flipside, I knew folks from my college days in Californy who were part of some Greek org. and majored in funneling beer, joint-rolling, skirt chasing, and Dead following and somehow managed to have enough credits to get some kind of degree.
Hah, I didn't go to college when you did, but in my day, one needn't be part of the Greek system to spend most of their time in these types of pursuits!
One responder on this thread brought up a good point. As a college instructor, I've routinely heard from mostly fraternity pledges (more so than sorority pledges) that their fraternity obligations impede their studying and ability to do almost anything else, like get a job or join some other campus org.
I read your whole post, but I like this. While some say that it boosts the college experience and thus grades, I don't believe that's true at all. Most of the people who were in fraternities were in the low 3.X range. The guys and girls sitting in corners of the library nursing their Organic Chem books were NOT in the Greek system and they deservedly got admitted to good American professional health schools instead of having to go to some island in the Caribbean.
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