Why Joining a Frat is the Best Thing You Can Do

[macintosh]

Why Joining a Frat is the Best Thing You Can Do in College

Andy Park

For most college students, fraternity life is an unavoidable presence. If there is Greek life at your school, you will be exposed to it at some point during your higher education, whether it is by attending a party or sharing a class with a brother. But even though fraternities exist on most college campuses, they often get a bad reputation. At even the slightest whisper of the word "fraternity," critics envision nightmarish basements filled with polo-clad bros submerged in a sea of kegs. Admittedly, I once believed that too. But after joining a fraternity myself, I have come to learn how it can actually be one of the best things you do in college.

Due to popular culture and films such as American Pie and Animal House, society has cultivated a negative perception of fraternities. People see them as places where meathead males go to engage in drunken debauchery. And yes, brothers do like to have fun, and yes, sometimes they consume alcohol. But then again, so do many college students. Drinking and partying are not the primary focus of fraternity life. Instead, they are a secondary offshoot of a fraternity’s main focus, which is brotherhood.

As part of a fraternity, you forge bonds with your brothers that will last throughout your lifetime. Fraternities transform complete strangers into a family you can always rely on. Additionally, you get to interact with a variety of people who you would never have gotten to know otherwise. If you are a freshman engineer, it is unlikely that you would naturally befriend a junior on the crew team. Fraternities break typical constraints such as grades and social circles, allowing you to make unexpected friendships. I myself am currently rooming next to a senior from Puerto Rico who I never heard of last year but is now one of my closest friends. And he is just one of the many brothers I have bonded with in my fraternity.

In college, you make lots of casual friends from classes and clubs. These are people you say hi to when you cross paths and then put out of your mind until the next time you run into them. In contrast, fraternities offer you a tight group of closely connected friends. Your brothers will actually care when they ask how you are, and they will come to the event you’re promoting even if they’re not the least bit interested in it. They will also drop everything that they’re doing to come help you at a moment’s notice. Last year, after receiving an unexpected laceration, I needed emergency medical attention. My brothers immediately sped me to the nearest hospital and stayed with me the entire four hours from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. while I waited to get stitches. That is brotherhood, something that the American Pie series seems to overlook in its portrayal of Greek life.

From my personal experience, I believe that rushing a fraternity is definitely something everyone should consider while at college. Although fraternities can have notorious reputations, don’t let the media’s depiction of them make you forget their true purpose. I have made such fond memories with this diverse group of incredible men, and I look forward to my future years at college and all the great times we will have together.

www.policymic.com/articles/62887/why-joining-a-frat-is-the-best-thing-you-can-do-in-college

Andy Park: Currently studying English and film at Tufts University. Loves reading books, watching movies, and traveling to distant places

[macintosh]

Exile the GREEKSTERS
What is a GREEKSTER? A GREEKSTER is someone belonging to a club or organization where the membership is based on superficial elements of a person's character. Your acceptance into a Greekster organization is determined by how well you "measure up" to the following.
1. Are you physically "attractive", i.e., "handsome" or "pretty", (by their pre-determined standards)?
2. Does your daily attire match up with the attire worn by those in the club?
3. How "popular" are you?
4. Do you come from a "good" family?
5. How well can you "party"?
6. Are you "attractive" to the opposite sex?
7. Are you desired by other clubs or organizations of the same kind?
8. What is your financial wherewithal, i.e., do you come from a family of wealth and social "status"?
9. Will you benefit the GREEKSTER club by attracting other like kind into the organization?
Official acceptance typically comes by being voted in by existing members of the GREEKSTER organization. Typically, the seven superficial elements listed above are the criteria used for existing members to determine if the prospect is "worthy" of consideration. After sufficient discussion amongst the "brotherhood" or "sisterhood" the prospect is put to a vote.
To vote, GREEKSTER organizations typically "pass the box" on a new prospect. Passing the box is carried out by passing a small box with white and black marbles around to each member in a formal GREEKSTER meeting. Each member votes on the prospective member by placing either a white or a black ball in the box. White means you're in, and black means you're out.
To place a marble in the box requires each member to lift a veil covering the box. This protects the privacy of their vote. After all, who wants their "brother" to know they don't approve of a friend in that another "brother" that wants his friend to be accepted.
After lifting the veil each member secretly looks in to seize either a white or black marble to cast their vote. In many organizations all it takes is one blackball, and the prospective member is not given acceptance into the club. GREEKSTER organizations typically allow a prospect three votes to 'pass the box'. If the prospect is blackballed three times they are no longer considered for membership.
I was a member of one of these frats, regretted it, and eventually renounced my affiliation. The fact Kathy Hoard in tow with the city council would unanimously back these animals houses saying it is a "good thing" for Athens is appalling.
The UGA frat party video below goes a long way in making my point.
Exile the GREEKSTERS!