HBCU Greek Organizations Legacy

Viral videos of fraternity and sorority members partying and getting drunk off of beer might be the first images of Greek Life that pop into your mind, but that’s only a stereotype. There are nine historically black Greek letter organizations across the country that present an entirely different image of Greek life. Focusing on their multiple involvement on campus, National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) members are proactive in the community and on USCA’s campus.

When undergraduates become interested in Greek life, they have to decide if the advantages outweigh the risks. In the news, the public hears the negative side of Greek life such as the students in sororities and fraternities passing away from alcohol abuse, or colleges such as Indiana University suspending fraternities on campus for hazing and alcohol violations until March 2018. While many negative topics about Greek life are prominent in the news, not all sororities and fraternities experience hazing and illegal problems. Although both advantages and disadvantages arise on college campuses within Greek life, undergraduate students usually benefit from being a part of a sorority or fraternity and are able to create a healthy environment and community to learn, work, and live in.

Reitman acquires information that in 2010, a first year student by the name of Andrew Lohse, pledged to a fraternity called Sigma Alpha Epsilon which disclosed the traditions of Greek hazing. The article elaborately describes the acts of hazing new pledges must face. “One brother recalls the night some of the pledges were served a scramble of vomit and eggs, known as a ‘vomlet’” (356). Lohse unveiled all of the hazing events that he had been involved with for nearly two years, until it had become clear that

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

On December 5, 1776 the first collegiate fraternal greek letter organization in the United States, Phi Beta Kappa was founded at Yale, the College of William and Mary.Building from the example of literary organizations, which were based on literary debates, and election, Phi Beta Kappa set many standards for collegiate greek letter organizations in the realm of rituals/traditions, selective admittance, faculty and community support. It was not until one hundred and thirty years that the first black greek letter organization, Alpha Phi Alpha was founded. The need of this organization emerged from a lack of admittance and representation in social clubs and greek organizations established on college

Everyone knows about the stroll offs, roll calls, and step shows when an African American Greek sorority or fraternity is the topic. But is that all African American Greeks do is step and stroll? Believe it or not the image of African American Greeks has been tainted and miscued by their entertaining performances. Better known as the Divine Nine, the African American Greeks their hand signs and colors. The Divine Nine is a brotherhood and sisterhood organizations that are called to help the community and give back. These organizations also give women a chance to make a difference. After all, each and every one of the Dive Nine was founded because differences.

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.

The Greek communities that have risen across the country have created huge impacts on every university that they have established themselves on. Historically, fraternities were designed for students to discreetly meet to discuss issues and host debates that their members believed would be deemed inappropriate by their collegiate faculties. Since their founding, fraternities and sororities have completely revamped their focuses. They are used as social, professional, and honorary organizations that promote many different combinations of community service, leadership, and academic success. The ideas of brotherhood and sisterhood have also transcended the college experience,

Walking around a university’s campus any day of the week, one sees an array of Greek letters worn proudly by young men and women in the Greek system. Fraternities and sororities play a big part in a university. The Greek system can also be an easy target to direct criticism. There are those who oppose the Greek system and those who embrace it. Evan Wright opposes the Greek system in his article “Sister Act” that was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine. He uses examples from students at Ohio State University in Columbus to show his disapproval of the way sororities are now days. He portrays sorority girls as catty conformists who are obsessed with partying with fraternity

Hazing as we know it today is most commonly to initiate members into a fraternity, sorority, or club of some sort. Hazing’s roots go into Ancient Greece when Plato first observed the occurrence and wrote about it in one of his works. The first sign of the term “hazing” appeared in the 16th century, when veteran soldiers would harass new sailors whenever the weather would create a haze. The integration of hazing in American society occurred in the 19th century after the Civil War. Before the war, university fraternities were a place to exchange ideas which most students did not find too engaging. After the war, the meaning of university fraternities had evolved to strengthen bonds with one another. The war put not optimal events and situations, which made soldiers strengthen bonds between one another. Fraternities would often replicate the traumatic events that occurred during the war to strengthen bonds between the recruits and the organization. The fraternities would base hazing rituals on stories their fathers or grandfathers who had participated in the war. Three hazing related deaths occurred in the

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.

Participating in Greek life allows students to be exposed and become connected with important people as soon as their freshman year of college. Many people coming from Greek background have been successful in their career. Many of this country’s important people have been involved in the Greek life. For example, according to the University of Missouri, “Up to 70 percent of the U.S. President's’ cabinet members since 1900 have been fraternity or sorority members. 
 76 percent of U.S. Senators are fraternity or sorority members” (qtd. in Mendez).

Hazing: The practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group. Hazing is seen in many different types of social groups, including gangs, sports teams, schools, military units, and fraternities/ sororities. Hazing has been around throughout history and is used as a tool to make new members or pledges bond and create a trust between one another. The media is the main source when it comes to catching organizations like fraternities and sororities engaging in hazing or hazing-like activities. Today everything is posted on the Internet so it is common for the media to find evidence to support their anti-Greek idea. Hazing is a serious problem and there are alternatives

The techniques that are used by all fraternities and sororities are called rushing and hazing. Rushing is the act of popularizing a given fraternity or sorority to attract new members. As mentioned in the introduction, the alternate forms of rushing cover a large spectrum, but they all have the same goal: be the best to attract the best. Hazing is another variable method closely aligned with fraternities and sororities, but hazing for different fraternities and sororities can have vastly different outcomes. Hazing, in its most simple and basic form, is the imposition of strenuous or complicated tasks as a form of initiation. In contrast to popular belief, a lot of normal activity is considered hazing. For example, a college football team might tell the freshman that they are responsible for cleaning up loose garbage on the field after a practice. As mild as this example might be, hazing can be taken to an extreme and often has poor outcomes that can severely damage the psyche of an individual. However, a sense of tradition and continuation continually inspires hazing among social groups, but fraternities and sororities especially. Hazing has become a form a bonding that allow new initiates to become closer as a brotherhood or sisterhood; these two both being the most important part of fraternities and sororities. To create an everlasting bond, Greek organizations promote ultimate a familial intimacy that is unparalleled by other social groups. It is in this strive for brotherhood and sisterhood that mistakes are made and people begin to