Fraternity And Sorority

In today’s society, going to college has become the norm. Freshly graduated students escape high school to become a freshman again. By August students start filing into packed cars to leave for college and try to find their place in this world. Out of the millions of students that attend each year, a percentage of them will rush a fraternity or sorority for the chance of sister or brotherhood. To some it is a sign of superior status, and others it not the right fit. Greek life is known from everything to volunteering for the community to the wild parties that somehow do not get busted by the cops every weekend. In the nation, Kimberly Brandy on Marie Claire states there are 5,975 fraternities governed by the North American Interfraternity Conference and 3,127 sororities governed by the National Panhellenic Conference. At Kansas State alone, about one in five students are a part of the greek community. K-State is also known for its diversity. We take pride in this fact here at Kansas State, but as a whole, the nation is having troubles combining these prides. It is in the combination of

Greek life, made up of sororities and fraternities, is prominent in many universities and colleges throughout the United States. Greek life is on all types of campuses ranging from public to private, and especially Ivy League schools. Those who choose to participate in Greek life have the opportunity to become members of sororities and fraternities specific to gender, religions, races, and even majors. Colleges and universities in the South have strong Greek life with many undergraduate students participating, and at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, twenty percent of undergraduates participate in Greek life. For many, Greek life is an important facet of their college experience. Getting involved in Greek life provides students with many opportunities, such as an expansion of their social circle, involvement in community service, and leadership opportunities. In addition, the students who participate in Greek life are less likely to drop out. While participating in Greek life provides students with benefits, downsides also occur on college campuses. Serious dangers range from hazing to drug and alcohol or abuse, or even sexual assault.

she is a new woman due to her sorority and her sisters which is where the

Sororities are commonly known as a college social club or organization for women, with particular distinction given to the African American sororities. Brought about at the time in history when traditional roles of women were being challenged, the founders of the first black sororities had to overcome the stereotypical views of sexism as well. They were considered unique, although college wasn’t really an option for African American’s. Within society they were being treated in rejection because they were black. They wanted to have an organization that would be called sisterhood and ties into their community. Nine dedicated women wanted peace, sisterhood and wanted to become leaders amongst

Between family legacies, traditions, and an abundance of college themed movies, books, and television shows, it would be difficult to find a prospective college student who is not familiar with the idea of “Greek life.” For the purpose of this essay, “Greek life” refers to the system employed by many colleges and universities to establish and maintain fraternities and sororities (primarily dominated by caucasian and economically advantages students). It is important to note the existence of fraternities and organizations outside of this stereotypical “Greek” realm, such as coeducational honor and service based fraternities, though even these are not fully exempt from detrimental practices. Fraternities and sororities are often looked down upon with a negative light for a number of reasons, some of which include dangerous hazing habits and unsavory social scenes. While there certainly are undeniable benefits and negatives within these systems, the biggest effect they have is on gender. “Greek life” in college is unhealthy due to its impact on post-college gender expectations by promoting party culture, encouraging misogyny through ingrained tradition, and indoctrinating women into subservience at an impressionable age.

The first Greek organization to assemble was in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. Fraternities were built to provide friendship and recreation. It has been 239 years since the first fraternity was established and now in 2015, there are 123 fraternities and sororities. There are nine million college students involved in Greek organizations (Glass, Nicole). These members are looking to make friends, to build their resumes, to go to social events, or to learn leadership skills. Each member when joining has the incentive to change some aspect of his or her life (Glass, Nicole). If one has the opportunity to join a Greek life organization he or she should for the reasons of giving back to the community, the higher academic standards, the

When one first thinks of Greek life or a sorority the only thing that comes to mind is the social aspect. Most people don’t think of sororities as social institutions that envelop their own culture, with mannerisms, languages and customs that are unique to each individual organization. However, these institutions promote a common set of values that enable members to become connected in a way that has a more profound meaning than just social interaction. Greek organizations are good examples of how institutions can affect and be affected by social status and roles within the collegiate community. They are also a prime example of how race, class and gender can affect a social setting in both positive and negative manners.

Sororities and fraternities are becoming more influential on college campuses and among the professional world. Over 730 schools across the United States have the Greek life system and there are several different fraternities and sororities on each college campus. Many Americans have extremely different opinions about Greek life as a whole. Although many say it is all about partying, there are many pros and cons to joining Greek life. Greek life can be a very good experience in college, it is whatever people make it.

College; some look for the experience to open their minds in extending their educations; as others look at it as the first step towards adulthood and running away from home as fast as possible. Sororities and fraternities have been around for decades with America’s blind eye turned towards the injustices that encompass the stigma. Student hazing deaths are climbing and something has to change to prevent these actions. What will it take to change fraternity culture?

After joining a Fraternity or Sorority, students found that the “Greek system had larger support systems and more friends than students that chose not to” (Jacobs). Being in the Greek Life widens your social life and group very tremendously due to the ammount of people you meet in your fraternity/sorority and the brother/sisterhood you create with them. If you want to gain many friends and have fun, according to Rondone, writer of the Boston Globe, “Going Greek seems a necessity for one’s social life” (Rondone). Many people would and will agree with this statement because the ammount of sociality there is in a Fraternity/Sorority. After many evaluations the Bloomberg editorial said, ”fraternities and sororities are homogeneous, a claim that may have been true in the past but is actively changing now” (Jacobs).

Over several decades, Greek life has been an integral part of colleges and universities throughout the United States. There is a high demand of “fitting in” in today’s society and a question that students, parents, and teachers alike often ask themselves is, “Does Greek life provide a more safe or harmful environment?” With strong evidence, it is absolutely absurd to believe that fraternities and sororities do more good than they do harm. Various statistics provide factual evidence as to why Greek life is a toxic and dangerous environment for many young adults. Between the rape culture, hazing, and delinquency linked to the students associated with Greek life, it is time that it comes to an end for good so that students may have a more safe and enjoyable college experience. Fraternities and Sororities should be banned off of college and university campuses due to the danger and drama associated with them.

Since the 1770’s, fraternities have existed to bring men collectively to teach about brotherhood and service. But over time that has started to include: wild, raging parties, sex, binge drinking, hazing and finding superiority over non-Greek affiliated college students. Fraternities have existed for hundreds of years and countless stories and studies have established them to be dangerous and exorbitant. So exactly why do we keep fraternities around? And what supremacy does universities have over Greek organizations to protect the image of their school and the students that attend? Fraternity men are in ample charge of their actions, but when their actions cause impairment that gravely reflects on the school, action needs to be taken. This is why Universities have the right to step in and ought to step in before situations become uncontrollable regarding Greek life. Author and activist Libby Nelson said that “Campus Greek life might be a monster- but it’s a monster colleges created.” And it’s a

Can Greek Life Organizations, on college campuses, have a positive impact on the young students? If so, how? I plan on focusing on the positive outcomes of being in a Greek Letter Organization. Greek life is always blown up in the media as being an awful influence on college students. This paper will bring together all the positive sides of being in a fraternity or sorority instead of the negative ones. Some of the positive outcomes of being in a greek organization are the networking opportunities, job possibilities, and the personality you build while being in a fraternity or sorority. My sources will be coming from the internet, magazines, and interviews. I am interested in this topic because I am in a sorority on campus at George Mason University.

The first hypothesis that the research will dive into is that younger college students will tend to be more interested in Greek Life at their college. First and second year students tend to be less developed as a person and want a place to fit in. Greek life offers a place for people to feel welcomed and build a sense of community. Also looking at older students who have a greater sense of who they are and where they fit in on campus, and how they have little to no interest in joining a fraternity or sorority. The second hypothesis is that students who party more would be interested in joining a sorority or fraternity if their college offered it. The theory is that students associate the Greek Life system with parting and that would make

Fraternities are well-known for members claiming that within their time of membership they met many people whom they still have regular contact with as alumni. Other times, a fraternity’s wild parties or even hazing cause them to be infamous. Ian Lovett, a reporter, interviewed various people connected to Sigma Alpha Epsilon, including the president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Lovett reported on Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s decision to eliminate the tradition of pledging as part of their membership initiation process (Lovett). Then within another article called, “Should Colleges Ban Fraternities,” written by Katherine Schulten, the author raises the question of whether fraternities should be banned or not. Fraternities are groups of college students that