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Greek Life

What is a fraternity?
What is a fraternity house?
What is a co-op?
 
Tranced said:
What is a fraternity?
What is a fraternity house?
What is a co-op?
Click to expand...

Fraternity: An exclusive organization of people (like a club or guild) who have a hierarchy, moral code, and "secrets" that only initiates know. "Fraternity" means "brotherhood", while for the girls it is a "sorority". In many ways, a fraternity is like a masonic chapter. As a matter of fact, fraternities came out of freemasonry.

Frat. House: Either the place where all the memebers meet regularly (usually the house of the highest-ranking member), or they actually all live there.

Co-op: A house where several people share costs and duties like cooking and cleaning in an organized manner. Most coops tend towards an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
 
I consider joining a fraternity one of the best, most rewarding choices of my life.

Consider these things-

I attend a school that recently enacted a dry student housing policy- it applies to dorm and greek housing. We cannot drink in our house, which upsets alot of the greek community.. but who wouldn't be a little pissed if you couldn't drink in your own house? It sucks, but alot of fraternities are more than drunken pits. The house I live in is worth well over 5 million dollars- paid for by alumni who loved their experience so much that they are willing to invest massive amounts of their income to ensure others can experience it too.

Fraternities are social organizations- yes we party, but we also do tons of community service, do well in school, and contribute to the university. Whats wrong with that? I'll admit that I probably wouldn't participate in half of the things I do now if I weren't in a fraternity.

I personally know a good number of alumni who are top-level executives at many different prestiegous cooperations who would and have hired a member of the same fraternity over a more qualified person simply because he was a member- yes it may be unethical, but that is how life works.

Furthermore, I live with 85 guys- each one is different. There are guys who wont touch drugs or alcohol, and guys that do on a regualr basis. There are very religious members, and members who don't believe in God. Some like techno, some like country. Some wear polos and khakis, some wear blue jeans and t-shirts...etc. The great thing about it is that every single person is diffent and adds a little character to the house- we all learn from each other, and help each other out when in need.

I could tell you about the pros of greek life forever-

Go through rush- if you meet a group of guys that you click well with, pledge their fraternity. Ask them why you should join- do they haze? How do they contribute to the school? The community? Your college experience? Your life after college?
It never hurts to try it.. you can always back out.

Hope this helped a little bit-

PA ;)
 
This makes me sad! Everyone stereo-types! (I, too, am guilty) but it doesn't matter if it's a frat or a group of junkies, are they the kind of people you would like to hang out with? Are they people that are going to be there for you?

Awww, teaker..are you a TKE? I agree with him, though. You can always quit before you fork over your moola!
 
I was in a fraternity when I was college, and I enjoyed it a lot. All the fraternities are different though, and a lot of the negative vibe you hear about them is not true. Yes some dousche bag fraternities will haze the fuck out of you, but some are totally chill. If none of the fraternities at your school seem good, then do what we did, and start your own on campus. I did this when i was a senior in college so i already had a lot of friends, but the new people I met through the fraternity were really interesting people, and I glad I met them.
 
Yeah so I was invited to a closed rush today. One of the alumni who's like in his 80s went to my church back in the day, so when he found out that I went to AU and that I was on the "list" he invited me to come along. Well I can safely say now that I have absolutely no interest in joining a fraternity. I mainly wanted to join since I get along so well with most of the brothers, but I can still be friends with them without committing myself to something that really just isn't me.

I'm still gonna go to their private party tonight though ;) Thanks for the advice!
 
>"To all the people in this thread who are naysayers: If a bunch of people you were cool with said, "Hey look, we all want to live together, we found this really bitchin' house with a pool table, an xbox 360, and a bar in the basement, and we want you to live with us, sign in on this lease. And we've agreed to all chip in $20/month to the beer fund." -- you'd be hard-pressed to turn that up."<

Although you make some good points throughout your post, I can't take this quote seriously--I've spent some 20 years on campuses (as a student, student/instructor, and as a professor), from small colleges to major universities, and, *in general*, your description (above) is mis-leading. Sure, you and some friends can chip in and live together, but most frats are FAR from this laid-back description: instead, too many seem to have a bizarre dynamic--the "group-think" in those "houses" is like a perverse fog, yet they never let up lecturing everyone as to how very "individualistic" they are. And their antics embarrass even some of their own members. Jesus...

Please.
 
>"but I can still be friends with them without committing myself to something that really just isn't me."<

Nothing wrong with that...

Meanwhile, while The Pledges are blind-folded, sleep-deprived, and swallowing raw eggs (or whatever it is that they swallow, lol...), you can get a jump on those papers that will be due a few short weeks... :D
 
Joining a fraternity was a huge mistake I made. Between the hazing, pressure to mindlessly obey the ways of the fraternity, excessive financial obligations and overall high percentage of jackass members, I can say that I've had nothing but a bad experience. I personally have nothing to do with the fraternity that I joined and prefer to distance myself from them as much as possible. If anyone asks, I usually say that I'm not a member, followed by some derogatory comment about the fraternity itself. I have nothing but spite towards this fraternity in question.
 
teaker said:
I consider joining a fraternity one of the best, most rewarding choices of my life.

Consider these things-

I attend a school that recently enacted a dry student housing policy- it applies to dorm and greek housing. We cannot drink in our house, which upsets alot of the greek community.. but who wouldn't be a little pissed if you couldn't drink in your own house? It sucks, but alot of fraternities are more than drunken pits. The house I live in is worth well over 5 million dollars- paid for by alumni who loved their experience so much that they are willing to invest massive amounts of their income to ensure others can experience it too.

Fraternities are social organizations- yes we party, but we also do tons of community service, do well in school, and contribute to the university. Whats wrong with that? I'll admit that I probably wouldn't participate in half of the things I do now if I weren't in a fraternity.

I personally know a good number of alumni who are top-level executives at many different prestiegous cooperations who would and have hired a member of the same fraternity over a more qualified person simply because he was a member- yes it may be unethical, but that is how life works.

Furthermore, I live with 85 guys- each one is different. There are guys who wont touch drugs or alcohol, and guys that do on a regualr basis. There are very religious members, and members who don't believe in God. Some like techno, some like country. Some wear polos and khakis, some wear blue jeans and t-shirts...etc. The great thing about it is that every single person is diffent and adds a little character to the house- we all learn from each other, and help each other out when in need.

I could tell you about the pros of greek life forever-

Go through rush- if you meet a group of guys that you click well with, pledge their fraternity. Ask them why you should join- do they haze? How do they contribute to the school? The community? Your college experience? Your life after college?
It never hurts to try it.. you can always back out.

Hope this helped a little bit-

PA ;)
Click to expand...


Nice post. In the greek community we have to deal with alot of stereotyping and other problems, which can get old at times. Certainly there are some fraternities or individuals in them that fit the mould, but most people don't see the true essence of being in a fraternity.

Not being from the US I had no clue what Rush or even a Fraternity was until I came to University. I ended up going to a house and getting a bid soon after and it was one of the best decisions ever. I met alot of good guys I most likely wouldn't have associated with otherwise which opened up alot of social connections, I have opportunities to develop leadership and organizational skills, I get to put in some volunteer time and effort that I otherwise wouldn't bother to with my workload, I have a good alumni base that opens up many connections for when I get out of college or even in college. Just being in a fraternity I have a strong connection to several hundred thousand other people most of whom I don't know. You'd be surprised that you can walk around somewhere you have never been wearing your letters and meet someone who welcomes you with open arms as a brother even though they dont have a clue who you are.

The main thing to keep in mind is that while the ideals behind fraternities can be great (they do differ quite a bit, some seem better than others, mostly you can't tell because of the secrecy) its the guys in the fraternity when you rush that are important, since you can have the fraternity with the best ideological foundation and structure ever and still end up with a bunch of assholes running a particular chapter (hence why having legacy can end up being bad in certain cases, more pressure to join what may not be the best group of guys to associate with). If you find a good group of guys you can relate to and develop a relationship of brotherhood with then go for it. It may turn out to be one of the best and most influential decisions you make in college!
 
RorerQuaalude714 said:
Joining a fraternity was a huge mistake I made. Between the hazing, pressure to mindlessly obey the ways of the fraternity, excessive financial obligations and overall high percentage of jackass members, I can say that I've had nothing but a bad experience. I personally have nothing to do with the fraternity that I joined and prefer to distance myself from them as much as possible. If anyone asks, I usually say that I'm not a member, followed by some derogatory comment about the fraternity itself. I have nothing but spite towards this fraternity in question.
Click to expand...

Hazing is a problem in the Greek system that I'd like to see abolished. Certain campuses are better about it than others, as are certain fraternities. (*cough* phi delta theta *cough*) Alcohol is a big part of the system as well, which I feel contributes to this. More fraternities are developing an alcohol-free housing policy which is getting good results (see *coughed* fraternity for orgins) and helps to develop better brotherhood while still allowing everyone to have a good time ---> alcohol-free means nice clean house, less insurance, less pressure to drink over doing work, less pressure for hazing, and doesn't mean you don't party!
 
frat boyd are worthless pieces of shit, who drink way too much and will rape anything that moves.
 
You are a worthless piece of shit for generalizing / stereotyping groups of people.

Thank you, and people like you, for existing and making slavery, genocide, racism, sexism, eugenics, and all sorts of other great ideas and historical events possible!!
 
I don't, hence the sarcasm part of my post, though I guess that had some seriousness in it.

Its just that being in the greek community at a university and having to deal with all the stupid people who think you just sit around trashing shit and drinking all the time and then see the media (all the newspapers here are biased) support this and then see the idiots who actually act like stereotypical frat boys that should get their asses kicked.... you get a edgy about the subject sometimes.

a little [/sarcam] helps in not agitating people ya know...
 
i agree, and i see how it may be frustrating to get hit with the stereotypes.
 
Real Deal if you are interested and want honesty

I'm in a fraternity. Have been for 3 years. I don't want anyone lying to you about how they work or what you must do to get involved. My fraternity is a minority fraternity, meaning there's few chapters and the organization focuses on smaller simpler tasks, events and classes of potential members. I found this type of organization ideal after checking out many fraternal orgs.

Honestly, it depends on what type of person you are for whether or not you should commit to a greek org. If you are severely academic oriented, and want little more out of college than to graduate with high scores and resume perks, join an academic organization and stick with it, and take up big name positions to put on your resume like treasurer for finance majors or president for business/management majors. If you are not so academically oriented, you love to party all the time and want some help along the way, and a unique experience(what it really is, I can't tell you, try to research as much as you can), then try out the social fraternity or sorority scene. there's also coed orgs, and greek orgs without official houses/residences or maybe even no serious ties into the college itself.

Advice: Rush is called that for one reason- the organization rushes you through some good times and tries to get you to pledge the org. As soon as you attend rush events, you are considered a potential. Ask many members about all of the things you would like to know, and if they are too vague or secretive for your security, then tell them you would have to know more before pledging, and you will either not pledge or learn more. Check out more organizations than one, and do it for at least a semester, if the members still like you after a semester while all the other potentials fell in line, and they still try to get you the next time, that's when you should either make the move and join or forget it. Every org is different, and the biggest defining part of the org is the members, if you get along with them all wonderfully, then you are probably being lied to or conned, which is normal rush behavior. Get your info, find out what perks come with the deal, find out how long the pledging process usually takes, how many pledges make it through, how many have been hurt or even killed, and how many members are doubtless in making the right decision in joining. It's a lot of criteria and testing, and not in the least easy or very respectable, however this is the best way to learn if the life is for you. Remember to be safe, and don't believe all the hype, although most of it is probably as they claim.
 
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