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| Harm | 60% | 231 votes | Total: 382 votes | |
| Good | 40% | 151 votes |
Harm
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Add to FavoritesSince watching my best friend in college succumb to his brother-in-law's pressure, pledge a fraternity, and go from a 4.0GPA premed candidate to a 2.3GPA marine biology major, I have often asked myself what, if anything, is the use of fraternities. They are exclusive, divisive and demanding on the pledges. They do nothing to enhance the real reason people go to college, rather they are extensions of the social cliques we had to put up with in High School. The only upside to them, and this is exclusive to the members, is that they can-not in all instances do, but can-provide a level of social and business networking that members can take advantage of after college.
Exclusive, divisive and demanding: These were the three words that came to mind when I was first approached by a fraternity. "Come to our party!" the frat boy intoned. I asked if it was an open party. "No, it isn't open to just anyone, only a few select people will be there. Those are the people you will want to know. Oh, you will love the girls!" Already, in an incoming class of nearly 600, the Greeks were making cuts, deciding who is in and who is not, based on...what? They didn't know any of these people! And what happens, after you pledge, to your relationships outside the fraternity? For the most part they will die away. You have new friends now, special friends, brothers. You are no longer part of that world, now you are part of this world. You are no longer one of them, you are one of us. Aren't you lucky! And now, just so you can show us how much we mean to you, we are going to put you through hell. We are going to make silly and arbitrary rules that you will have to follow if you want to stay a member. We will abuse you and you will take it and obey and if you are a good kid we will let you stay. Tell me, if someone, your employer perhaps, told you that, what would you do? Most of you would quit, sue, or both. But if it is one of these Greek houses, then somehow it is OK to place such unreasonable demands on people.
Then there is the academic issue. Most fraternities demand that a certain GPA be maintained and some may even offer some sort of academic help. Does this enhance the academic experience of its members? Of course. Is it anything unique to the Greek world? No. The truth is that academically, you can get the same services from the college itself and you not only don't have to put up with the level of so-called discipline demanded of pledges, you have already paid for it in many cases with your tuition. Therefore, the Greek world offers nothing of real value to the real reason you are attending a university to begin with, your school career.
As for helping you after college, that is fine but it goes back to the exclusionary and elitist members-only mindset of the Greeks. They have help to give, but only to their own. They have resources, but only for the brothers. This means that those who were excluded in those first few days of their freshman year-students excluded for no reason other than looks or perceived wealth-are forever shut away from the assistance these organizations offer.
Given that this is the price for the few social and community services that some Greek organizations try to perform, I say it isn't worth it. Whatever the inital function of the Greek world was, that has long vanished. It has been replaced by fatuous, self-serving cliques that enjoy the power they can wield over their pledges and the feeling that they are part of something special.
If that is what you need, to feel a part of something special, then I know an organization that will pay you to be a member, not the other way around. They will make sure you are always the best representative that the organization could want. They will train you, house you, feed you, care for you when you are ill or injured, make sure you have a good job and just by being a member, you will have A-1 credit. When these folks haze you, there is a good purpose to it. You might even get to see the world. Does that sound good? It is called the military. If you just can't live without being a member of something exclusive, then do yourself a favor: Put the kid-stuff away and check them out.
Learn more about this author, Charles Cooper.
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Good
As an alumni member and former President of one of the most well-known sororities in the U.S., I think it is obvious that I have some strong opinions on the value of Greek life in our universities. Many individuals have a skewed version of what Greek life really is, but with a little research and exposure, I believe that the majority of those individuals would be able to see that Greek life is, for those of us who choose to take that route, one of the most valuable aspects of our college career.
As already mentioned, I held the title of President for one of the four years that I attended college. Before taking on the challenge of becoming President, I also held the roles of: Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Social Standards, and Honor Board member. In short, each and every one of these titles played a vital role in the organization of our sorority, and upheld each and every member to a series of standards that promoted honesty, integrity, and independence. I do believe that I speak for almost every single Greek leader out there when I say that each and every one of these positions taught me to be a more productive, independent person. I truly believe that without my Greek experience I would not possess the confidence, leadership, and business skills that I now use on a day-to-day basis.
Of course, we all know that with Greek life comes a wonderful sense of comraderie. Many individuals find it appalling that we would "pay for our friends", but I encourage those individuals to do a little research before they decide to make this assumption. I did not pay for a single friend I made through my sorority. I did, however, pay for a local nursing home to have individualized assistance. I also paid for a university-wide talent show each year that, in turn, raised thousands of dollars to help treat the visually impaired. I paid for our campus and its surrounding areas to be litter-free. The list goes on and on with the number of services my dues paid for, and not a penny of it went to the lifelong friendships I made during those four years.
And how can I forget the number of ongoing charitable services we participated in almost daily? My experience "adopting a grandparent" sharpened my communication skills, while bringing joy to a number of elders. For 120 hours straight every single year, when we were not in class, we sat on the quad to raise money for the needy. We planned university-wide events to educate students about the dangers of date rape and eating disorders, among others. These community service events stayed with me after college, where I still donate my time and services to pressing issues.
I could very well continue to list off the examples of reasons that fraternities and sororities are an essential part of our colleges and universities, however, I think you get the point. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Greek life is for everyone. But I do believe that there is absolutely no harm for those who DO choose to go Greek. My Greek experience helped to shape the person I am today and I would not give that up for anything in the entire world.
Learn more about this author, Dawn Crystal.
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