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Brocka_FlockaFrats take away a person's personal identity when they are in need of it most in life.
.frenchythey're mostly tools.
massive fucking tools.
FunkadelicI've graduated college, but the general consensus among my friends and I were that they were tools. I also never understood paying money to have friends and throw parties. I had free friends and we threw free parties with kegs (whereas the frats charged money to get into their parties, if they let guys in at all). I also had no desire to degrade myself in order to have friends.
Networking yada yada, I don't care I have a good job and I didn't need any frat connections to get it.
p.hawksFree parties as in you paid for alcohol and gave it to everyone? Typically, when I'm home in the summer and hangout with high school friends (mostly at UVM), someone will go to the liquor store, get kegs/handles/whatever, and then we all split the cost so that he isn't out $100+. The alternative is to do a rotation. Social dues for greek life (many clubs do this as well, at least at my school) essentially is just a more organized way of doing this. Everyone pays once (typically at the start of the semester), and then this money is pooled and used to plan parties for the entire semester. Renting out a bar for example, can cost $1000+, more if you want open bar. So instead of everyone paying $5 at one party, and $20+ at bar events, we pay once. Not all dues are social, some cover things like living in the house, or even meal plans. Also, some people can't afford dues, but they are not excluded. There are a number of opportunities for them to contribute in other ways, or exceptions can be made for certain situations.
As far as opening parties, the general mentality is that if you paid for it, why would you give it away for free? If a party is organized between two groups, it can also be seen as disrespectful to open it to anyone.
I'm not gonna lie, certain people can be tools, but this is not exclusive to greek life. Take any large group of males, get them drunk, and you are bound to see a few bad apples. The exclusivity can also quickly lead to elitist attitudes. I think that in many situations though, greek life is simply the larger social presence (compared to sports/clubs), and therefore you will see more tools.
As far as the last part, the stories you hear on the news are sometimes blown out of proportion, and they represent a minority. I personally was never forced to do anything I would consider degrading, but I do know it exists in some places. It also exists among sports teams and other clubs. For example, a student in Florida was killed as a direct result of hazing done by the band a few years ago.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/famu-hazing-band/
As far as networking, good for you on getting a job. Networking isn't a requirement for a job, but it can be very helpful in certain situations, and I would never say that having more employment opportunities or even connections is a bad thing.
You do make fair points, and every school is different, but a lot of the time a few bad apples can give the whole system a bad name. I acknowledge that these bad apples still exist, but I don't think its fair to generalize on the actions of a few.
FunkadelicYeah I mean a bunch of us would chip in for a couple of kegs (which didn't cost that much per person when it's keystone) and invite anyone that wanted to come to our parties. We'd put a little donation box above the kegs if anyone felt inclined to donate to the cause.
When we were feshmen my friends and I thought the whole exclusivity thing with frats was dumb so we decided when we were upper classmen we would throw huge parties and let anyone come and not charge. That's what college is all about. We'd advertise the heck out of it on Facebook and tons of people would show up. I met a lot of awesome people doing that.
And yeah I mean I networked to get my job. I had an internship and got a job through people I've met with that. I just said that because a lot of Greek life people claim that the networking through frats is this amazing wonderland of available jobs and is a requirement to be successful. I was just saying that it's definitely not the holy grail some people make it out to be.
I remember a friend of mine coming back from class and saying a guy he was friendly with in a class asked him what frat he was in. My friend said he wasn't in one and the guy asked what he does on weekends. He started out as a cool kid and then showed his elitist self implying all of is GDIs sit around and twiddle our thumbs on weekends
GolfingElephantIf you're not a member I'm interested to know why
GregFlikTheta Chi Till I die. I like to think I'm not a tool.
lol ironic
GregFlikIt certainly isn't for everyone, but I always thought of it as a type of second family. Always being able to rely on your fellow brothers that have your back through thick and thin and are able to say things like they are. Like a type of reality check when it is needed.
Foxxy-Banga bunch of goons
All_AlpineI rely on my friends and family and don't pay to have them
GregFlikI wasn't insinuating you can only have one or the other. I'm sure for some people, need only family and a few tightly knit friends, but let me ask you this, what made you become friends with the people that you did? Like minded stance on some issues? Maybe the same likes and dislikes? That essentially is what my brothers are to me. A bunch of great friends that I have share the same views on several things and enjoy the same activities.
And there are people that mention the argument of conforming to others, or paying for friends. That isn't the case at all. We would invest our money into the charter in the form of Dues, or a amount of money that was due every month or semester, and use that money on the house or activities for the brothers. Parties that are thrown use that money, repairs on the house use that money, trips and philanthropy set ups use that money that we all pooled together.
Like I said before, it isn't for everyone. I enjoyed my time in and don't regret it at all. I've made friendships and memories that will last a life time and really grew a lot as a person in the Fraternity.
Ralph_SwaggumMy chapter actively organizes philanthropic and community service events to give back to the community and the school. Does your club or even yourself take the initiative to give back?
lIllIIf an organization does charity but doesn't rub it in everyone's face, does it really happen?
Ralph_Swaggumserious answer, it's campus presence. With all the idiots wearing Greek letters and the whole rape claim at UVA some administrations are looking to get rid of problems that dont exist. Greeks tend to do a pretty good job at self policing.
GregFlikTheta Chi Till I die.
.undetectedIm in SAE, but no, I am not racist.
MACAQUEI understand the hate towards the Greek system these days, but I'd advise you guys to criticize individual members of the Greek system, not the system itself. I didn't have to go through any fucked up hazing or have any of the experiences that make the GS seem problematic. When the members of a Greek organization inline with the actual mission of the organization the system works beautifully; when it's filled with douchebags it's pretty shitty.
Foxxy-BangGDI.
Aharrelson358$4,000-$7,000 a semester
