Fraternities

[DixiesFinest]

I was not sure where to place this thread, so I just put it here…

Are there any other men in fraternities on the forums?

To any fellow Sigma Chi out there, In Hoc Brothers!

 

[twosweetgirls]

Not a Sigma Chi, but a Gamma Phi Beta. (Epsilon Upsilon chapter [closed], University of South Dakota)

Hello fellow Greek!

 

[Leopard]

…Are there any other men in fraternities on the forums?..

I Tappa Kegga.

 

[DixiesFinest]

I was not sure where to place this thread, so I just put it here…

Are there any other men in fraternities on the forums?

To any fellow Sigma Chi out there, In Hoc Brothers!

By the way, Omega Omega Chapter, University of Arkansas

 

[ChristineML]

OK, you (presumably) Catholic fraternity brothers, let me ask the question. Was your involvement in the Greek system purely about drinking beer and meeting girls, or is that just a stereotype?

Did your involvement in fraternities have any benefits for you academically or spiritually? What would you advise your sons and daughters to do about joining or not joining fraternities/sororities?

 

[DixiesFinest]

OK, you (presumably) Catholic fraternity brothers, let me ask the question. Was your involvement in the Greek system purely about drinking beer and meeting girls, or is that just a stereotype?

Did your involvement in fraternities have any benefits for you academically or spiritually? What would you advise your sons and daughters to do about joining or not joining fraternities/sororities?

Hmm, thats not a loaded question, well I will do my best…

My involvement in the Greek system has nothing to do with drinking beer or meeting girls. I joined for the brotherhood of Sigma Chi. The bonds I have with my pledge brothers due to the toughness and difficulty of my pledgeship cannot be described…they are deep…you cannot even imagine the closeness I have with my brothers. Drinking responsibly and having parties are simply outpourings of our bonds: we cannot help but want to hang out and have fun.

While I cannot and will not discuss the Ritual of Sigma Chi, needless to say (just look at the Badge of Sigma Chi-my signature), Christianity is very much a part of Sigma Chi.

Academically, my semester of pledging was very hard on my grades. However, since being initiated, I have had much better grades. Pledging taught me self confidence, self discipline, etc. I currently have a 3.4, much better than the 3.0 I barely had before I began pledging.

I would tell any young man to think hard about joining a fraternity. I believe it is very beneficial, and has many great rewards that extend beyond college. However, keep this in mind, not all fraternities are equal, take that into account.

 

[THutch04]

Ok so it’s not a social, but I’m in Kappa Kappa Psi. It’s a fraternity for college band members. I have some problems with the way Greek Life is handled at school, so I never pledged for a social (not related to any of the individual organizations…I actually would consider pledging for one if it weren’t for the fact that I’m graduating this May).

 

[Biblioassistant]

The bonds I have with my pledge brothers due to the toughness and difficulty of my pledgeship cannot be described…they are deep…you cannot even imagine the closeness I have with my brothers.

I’m a middle aged woman and have no dog in this fight, but it was for precisely that reason I never pledged a sorority. I have a very deep dislike of initiations (I make an exception for military service), but to go through torture just to join a social group makes no sense to me. I had several lab partners who were Omega Psi Chi and what they did to those young men…I mean when your chemistry partner comes in with branding scars on him. Well that was disgusting. And don’t tell me how much fun and fellowship I missed out on. I had a VERY good time in college and I didn’t have to get tortured to make friends.

 

[Brian_C]

Kappa Alpha Order here. Um, we had some high ideas of order and chivalry and a ritual taken right out of a Masonic initiation. But…it was about having friends, meeting women, and yes, a place to drink. Oddly enough, a local priest permitted us to use his church for our initiations. I wasn’t Catholic then (I may have even accidentally profaned the alter) but it still didn’t seem right.

 

[DixiesFinest]

I’m a middle aged woman and have no dog in this fight, but it was for precisely that reason I never pledged a sorority. I have a very deep dislike of initiations (I make an exception for military service), but to go through torture just to join a social group makes no sense to me. I had several lab partners who were Omega Psi Chi and what they did to those young men…I mean when your chemistry partner comes in with branding scars on him. Well that was disgusting. And don’t tell me how much fun and fellowship I missed out on. I had a VERY good time in college and I didn’t have to get tortured to make friends.

Maybe they used too, but sororities dont pledge at all…as for the branding thing, thats what Omegas do, those young men volunteer to be a part of that brotherhood. For the reward that they received, and that I have received, a price must be payed, and I gladly payed it.

 

[Brian_C]

I got a fraternity tattoo and it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. When you small kids asking you why your “stamp” won’t come off, you’ll rethink how wise it was to go so all out for a fraternity. I can’t wait until my kids are older and I have to explain to them that even though Daddy has a tattoo, they can’t.

When you’re in the moment and in school, you can get real tunnel vision and place a high value on your fraternity. You’ll make a lot of friends and have a lot of fun, no doubt. But in all honesty, 12 years after my initiation, I can’t even remember the names of more than five people in my pledge class. And that was still in the “bad ol’ days” when pledging was a longer, more difficult process that formed more bonds.

Understand, I’m not trying to bad mouth the fraternity system, I loved it and if I had to do it over, I would. But the fanatical mentality will fade fast… I would certainly, at the very least, make sure to make more friends outside of the Greek system…

 

[SFAgal03]

OK, you (presumably) Catholic fraternity brothers, let me ask the question. Was your involvement in the Greek system purely about drinking beer and meeting girls, or is that just a stereotype?

Did your involvement in fraternities have any benefits for you academically or spiritually? What would you advise your sons and daughters to do about joining or not joining fraternities/sororities?

Though I am not a frat brother, I am a founding member sorority sister. Our initiation is very spiritual and all about bonding with those existing in the sorority as well as those you will enter with. We have Greek traditions, but the focus is always on the sisterhood. And, actually, you’ll find if you research that sorority sisters aren’t allowed to drink or smoke in letters, whether panhellenic or not…so, for us, that was never an issue. Most of us joined to be with other like-minded women and to have an outlet where we could all bond and make lasting friendships. Which I have. I still talk to several of my class pledge sisters as well as those that followed. Drinking and meeting guys was never the priority for anyone–at least, not while in the confines of the sorority itself.

 

[LynnGM]

Sororities CANNOT haze. It’s not legal. And if it happens, I feel sorry for the offending sisters. The National Headquarters and the universities WILL take action!

Sororities have “New Member Education” programs, which help the “new girls” learn the history, inner workings, and other dynamics of the organization.

As for initiation, no one is harmed, scared, or threatened. Basically, the ideals of the sorority are explained through

1. Greco-Roman mythology
2. JudeoChristian values or
3. personal symbolism ("For us, the ‘Beta’ in our name symbolizes ‘Beauty’. That’s why we use the White Rose as our sorority flower.)

I can’t speak for fraternities, but I do know that they have outlawed hazing.