Greek Fraternities and Sororities in Universities Essay

Introduction

Aside from the higher learning that one can expect from college life, there are a host of other experiences that one can partake after getting admitted into a university. Aside from a life away from home, independence, and a more rigid routine as compared to high school, university students can get “pledged” into fraternities and sororities.

This study will look into the lives of fraternity brothers. It is clear that from the start that it would be impossible to get a better understanding of this type of social organization without studying its counterpart, the female version, which is known as a sorority. But the following pages will focus on men and their secret world of Greek-lettered societies and brotherhood.

Go Greek

There are many American high school students who cannot wait to get to college. For many, it is the ultimate ticket to success and fortune. There is simply no other sure way of getting to the top, of having the capability to get the best and nicest things in life than having that diploma from a well-known university.

But once inside these campuses – and even before they get admitted – they learn that there is a shortcut to prestige, power, and wealth, and it is through a narrow road and an uphill climb to become a member of a fraternity. The allure of fraternities is made possible by what one sees on TV and in the movies. But the most effective sales pitch can come from alumni and successful brothers who made it big after post-college life.

Greek Letters

Author Alan DeSantis is the main resource person because, as a college professor and alumni adviser in the Greek system of fraternities, he is the ultimate insider. And he said that there are three kinds of fraternities:

1. professional – the society of students based on their professional and vocational fields, e.g., Phi Delta Phi for law students;
2. honor societies – a fraternity for those who have achieved distinction in scholarship, e.g., Tau Beta Phi for those students who excelled in engineering; and
3. social fraternities – the most popular kind and the one that gets the most members as the only requirement for membership is being a student and then pledging, which is a process of initiation.

Social fraternities are the main focus of this paper as it is the most popular and the one that affects the most number of students. By way of introduction, DeSantis also pointed out that going by Greek letters does not mean that these organizations did not come from a Greek type of social organization or an idea taken from the study of Hellenic culture. The only reason why they use letters such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Kappa, Phi, Theta, etc. is simply that at the time of their inception – the most popular and influential ones can find their beginnings in the 19^th century – Greek studies were in vogue (DeSantis, 2005, p. 3). The Greek letters also signify secrecy and exclusivity. There is no way an outsider can decipher what those ancient symbols mean Alpha Delta Phi means unless one gets to survive the pledging or hazing.

Outside Looking In

Getting inside information will not be easy. The first one has to get admitted into a university, then the same will have to survive the “Rush” where fraternities examine the same for their potential worth he can bring to the organization, and then he will have to go through a series of tests both mental and physical to prove he belongs to the group.

There is another way to gain access to this exclusive enclave. The proponent of this paper decided to interview a frat member and was able to get confirmation on a common assumption that one joins a fraternity to find a group that will help that person get the best out of college life and, most importantly, get an advantage over others after graduation. The following is a summary of the Q & A with Mark Melanson, former President of the Phi Kappa Tau:

Interviewer: What urged you to join this fraternity?

MM: It is the most social thing on campus. My friends became members, so it was the next logical step for me.

Interviewer: Did you have to go through any hazing to become a part of this fraternity?

MM: Yes, physical tests, endurance, mental and physical challenges.

Interviewer: Was the involvement in this fraternity a significant part of your college life?

MM: Yes, I practically lived in the frat house. I eat my meals there and practically everything else except for studying, which was done in the library. We even had our own cook.

Interviewer: Did this fraternity help shape you for the future?

MM: Yes, I learned to talk to people. I learned to handle unexpected problems and other life situations. And I was able to build a network that proves to be useful after graduation.

Interviewer: Would you recommend others to join this fraternity?

MM: Yes, absolutely. Best time of my life.

From the exchanges made above, one can get the impression that Mark is so loyal and devoted to his fraternity, and it is not surprising for die-hard adherents of this system to praise their chapters to high heavens. But there is a dark side to fraternities, one that frat brothers, fathers, and alumni may not want to reveal.

Alpha Male

DeSantis proves his worth as the ultimate insider into the world of Greek-lettered fraternities because even though he is still an active member of a particular social fraternity, he did not cover up its dark secrets. Although he admits ambivalence – even after getting all the facts that overwhelmingly go against the idea that fraternities can help students in the long run – whether to endorse or ban this type of campus organization.

One of the most disturbing facets of fraternity life is the perverted view of what constitutes a real man, and based on their behavior, the quintessential American male is white, middle-class/upper-middle-class, promiscuous, dominates women, and loves to drink. There are numerous studies to back up this claim which forces many to conclude that “Some fraternities continue to behave in ways that are antithetical to the norms of contemporary society and the regulations of their college” (Hoffman, Robert, & Fenke, 1998, p. 81).

Rape and Alcohol

The legal definition for rape is when a person engages in sexual intercourse with someone, not his wife, and then doing it:

1. by forcible compulsion;
2. to a woman that is unconscious; and
3. to a woman who is so mentally deranged or deficient that such a person is incapable of consent (Sanday, 2007, p. 84).

All of the above can be done by making a woman so drunk that she does not know what is going on around her.

It may be acceptable that fraternity boys get so obsessed with their bodies and take steroids. It may even be acceptable that they use hazing as part of their initiation. And it is their right to drink themselves to death, but it is not part of their privilege to rape women.

Conclusion

Man will always be a social creature. He cannot survive on his own, especially in an alien environment that is so far from the comforts of home. This is part of the allure of fraternities, aside from the fact that is joining promises a ton of adventure and a very helpful network of friends after graduation.

From the outside looking in, everything looks good and makes one want to participate. But inside the world of frat boys, there is a dark side. One that is full of deviant behavior, binge drinking, date rape, and promiscuity. These are behavior that will not help a person develop into a man that society can depend on. In fact, looking at the recent headlines of sex scandals and other unethical behavior is done by highly educated men makes one wonder if they are members of a Greek-lettered social fraternity back in their college days.

Works Cited

1. DeSantis, Alan. Inside Greek U: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 2007.
2. Hales, Dianne. An Invitation to Health. CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
3. Alpha Delta Phi. “The History and Traditions of the Alpha Delta Phi.”
4. Hoffman, A., J. Schuh, & R. Fenske. Violence on Campus: Defining the Problems, Strategies for Action. Maryland: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 1998.
5. Rutstein, J. The Steroid Deceit: A Body Worth Dying For? Boston,MA: Custom Fitness Publishing, 2005.
6. Sanday, Peggy Reeves. Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood, and Privilege on Campus. New York: New York University Press, 2007.
7. Thornburgh, Nathan. “Frats Get a Manners Makeover.” 2006. Time Magazine [online].
8. North-American Interfraternity Conference. “Government Relations.”
9. The Delta Chi Fraternity, Inc. “A Tradition of Leadership Development.”
10. EducationUSA. “Campus Housing.”
11. USAToday. “Hazing” Web.