I curled up on the sofa in the corner of the room, attempting to get a temporary escape from the chaos. In front of me laid my shot of unfinished vodka and a mess of other party foods. The others, a dozen feet away from me, were screaming, wiggling and jumping around as if they just got out of jail. With nightclub music blasting in my ear, I murmured to myself: “why does this happen?” Slightly over a month ago, a friend of mine invited me to attend his fraternity party, and mischievously whispered to me that he wanted to show me the ‘fun’ side of US life. Without a second thought, I accepted the invitation and was feeling excited about it. However, I was proven to not be mentally prepared for the revelry. The first things that came into sight when I entered the party were dozens of wine bottles; not just beer, but plenty of strong drinks such as rum and vodka too. While the first part of the party looked normal and I …show more content…
Kristin Czubkowski wrote in the article “Greek Life Turns 150 Years” that frat parties in the early twentieth century were mainly ball parties. Students dressed up and had formal interactions between fraternities and sororities. These parties were closely monitored by the college staff and all the participants were quite restrained. From this information, we know that frat parties were not so chaotic in the past and the form of partying can be influenced by policies and decisions of higher authorities. The real change came in the early 1960s, where policy reforms in the colleges took place and altered almost everything. According to Caitlin Flanagan in her article titled: “The Dark Power of Fraternities,” American colleges began to regard their students not as dependents whose private lives must be shaped and monitored, but as adult consumers whose contract was solely for an education, not an upbringing. As a result, most schools lifted Fig.2 A frat party after the policy
Fraternities and sororities are at the center of binge drinking on college campuses. It is proven that in fraternity houses, approximately 80% of students binge, and over 50% binge frequently. Fraternities attract people beyond their members, including high-school seniors, which are future college freshmen that are already being introduced to binge drinking as being a social norm. The majority of alcohol-related deaths of college students involve fraternity parties. College administrators are afraid of acting out against fraternities because they do not want to anger the generous alumni donors who themselves, too, were partying during their college years. Colleges should not wait until a tragic event happens to realize that something must be done about fraternities and the alcohol-related problems that they cause. Also, it is morally wrong to treat alumni better than students, giving them the privilege to drink at events such as homecoming activities and sports. Banning alcohol for just students is not an effective way to gain students’ support for any new alcohol-control policies. It is quite obvious that colleges base their decisions on
By participating in Greek life, the students’ social circles are expanded. Because sororities and fraternities are specific to gender, religions, races, and even majors, those who participate in Greek life create lifelong relationships with people they choose to associate with by
Often partying, drinking, and hazing are key words that come to mine when talking about fraternities and sororities. “Since 1975, there has been at least one hazing-induced death per year across college campuses—and 82% of these have come as a result of binge drinking” (Glass, Nicole). Greek life leads to a culture of alcohol and drug abuse. Young, inexperienced drinkers find themselves running into trouble when trying to fit in around alcohol. Also there are some organizations that partake in “forcing new members to drink as much as possible” as part of a right of passage (“Joining”). The drinking habits being learned due to Greek life cause a serious threat to a student’s life in the present and in the future. Statistically, “75% of fraternity members engaging in heavy drinking compared with 49%” of non-fraternity members (“15”). Also like fraternity men, “62% of sorority members engage in binge drinking compared with 41%” of non-sorority women (“15”). The likelihood that members in Greek life are more likely to suffer from substance abuse after graduation scare away the timid potential new
Wether it is a college freshman or a college professor reading Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy both will be held captive to this way of writing, it draws in audiences of all sorts. You target your main audience extremely well by seeking the open minded and possibly naive freshman, warning them of the craziness of the fraternity atmosphere, which can be said to lead to “being consumed by who you think you are becoming” (364). You make no promise of a happy ending, this piece of writing is meant to give the audience information. It is clear that “change is slim” repeating the focus on simply informing what is going on with fraternities. By switching between different sides of the story no reader has to feel disconnected from the subject of the article. Your article has informative structure by having a recollection from Lohse’s greek life, then
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.
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.
One of the biggest stereotypes about being in a fraternity or sorority is that you party and drink a lot. Drinking alcohol is not a focal point of Greek life, although alcohol is at almost every social occasion in Greek life. In Blake’s article it is said that no matter what Greek organization you are a part of underage
In today’s society, fraternities and sororities have been known to have major impressions on students who attend college. In some cases, Greek organizations and their standings at universities aid in determining ones choice for higher education. For example, some schools are known for sports, others are known for their Black Greek Letter Organizations. When it comes to fraternities and sororities in general, the topic could seem somewhat controversial due to mixed emotions and beliefs. While attending an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) the accusations of Greeks running the yard became vividly true. The topic of research to be discussed is objectification, power and the perception of African Americans affiliated with sororities and fraternities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Thus, when we (potentially) see attitudinal/behavioral differences years later between college alumni who did and did not participate in the fraternity/sorority system those differences could reflect the pre-college personalities of the two groups and not the actual experience of being in a Greek organization (Reifman, 2011 pg 2). Some students may be impacted with the best experience out of joining a fraternity or sorority while others may experience the opposite. "for every girl who emerges from a sorority with improved self-esteem, there are numerous others whose confidence has been crushed" (Robbins, 2004 p.320). “a heavy reliance on men for social validation; and enormous time and financial commitments”. In some sororities, members are officially required to attend a certain percentage of events and even when not technically required, many feel implicitly that they should attend sorority activities over important outside functions (Robbins, 2004
Students are attracted to greek-life because of the commeriaty. According to James G. Martin Center “fraternities and sororities constitute a huge part of the social scene at Northwestern. The school reports that about 3,000 students, or 40 percent of the student body, participate in the Greek system.” With many students involved in Greek life, students are drinking at higher amounts, hazing, and other illegal activities leading to rape. With more parties being held, both male and female rape rates are increasing. “Some fraternities encourage both heavy drinking and sexual exploitation of women .” (NIAAA) “Brown University recently stripped one fraternity of recognition, including housing, for four years, and suspended privileges for another fraternity, in response to reports of spiked drinks at one party and unwanted touching at another.”(New York Times) These spiked drinks lead to accounts of rape.
Social drinking has turned into an important movement at most weekend school parties. Understudies look for data about the sort of mixed refreshments accessible preceding going to a gathering. Having a couple beverages has gotten to be synonymous with having a decent time. A high resistance for liquor picks up the appreciation of associates. Those that hurl after a couple beverages are mocked, including ladies. Strategic alcoholism rates are the most astounding among individuals from crews and sororities, which exhibits the need to drink to fit in with associates. It is addressed whether Greek life pulls in or makes fling consumers. "Numerous crews and sororities are useful cantinas. Completely 86% of men and 80% of ladies who live in organizations and sororities are orgy consumers,"
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.
The first night all of us feel terrified. As we gather in the student center you can hear it in our voices how nervous we are. None of us have Legacies or family who have been in Greek life so all we know is what the movies say and that sororities are usually the elite girls on a college campus. We attend our first party on Monday and only have 15 at each party. That night we all learn that the movies mean nothing because they
At MU social affluent, socially-oriented students are recruited with a party pathway. Armstrong and Hamilton (the researchers) include myriad anecdotes to detail how MU accommodated the party pathway and played to the desires of its students. In one instance, a math exam was rescheduled because it interfered with sorority rush. MU stood by while fraternities dominated university-sanctioned social events or even kicked them off campus to make room for their own events. (Only 17 percent of MU's students go Greek, but they dominate the social scene on- and off-campus. The time commitment required to participate in Greek life makes challenging oneself academically or holding down a job impossible.) They are all kept in the same dorm halls and placed carefully within their own little
That August day I set out into Collegetown to assert my independence from my parents by experiencing for the first time the so-called magic and wonder of fraternity parties without my parents’ consent. The ostentatiousness, elation, and novelty that define college parties in movies as a place where college students blow off steam allured me; college parties are depicted in pop culture as the quintessential Friday night.