Fraternities and sororities have been the norm for many college students throughout the nation for the last 238 years. When it was first started, it was an honor to be accepted into one and that is still considered that today. For many schools, that is where most of their history lies. To ban fraternities and sororities would be like banning centuries old of tradition.
Cliche as it sounds, college is a time to venture outside of the comfort zone and try new things. Students that decide to join a Greek organization end up learning so many useful qualities and social skills that will take them far in life. There is no excuse to hate something if no effort was put into trying it in the first place.
People who are against the Greeks need to look at the bigger picture and not just the over-exaggerated horror stories and movies. The Greek Life’s main focus has always been on integrity, respect, responsibility, the well-being of their members and keeping the sister and brotherhood alive.
People are against the Greeks because of their supposed tendency to be one giant clique and the fear of being excluded. All Greek groups have numerous bonding activities to bring every member closer together. If you look at most fraternity and sorority calendars, you’ll find that there is an event almost every day, whether it is a movie night or a formal.
No one wants to feel left out and they make sure of that. These groups are known being like families and having more than 20 brothers and sisters that would help out at any cost, which might never happen to someone if they were quick to judge and never joined.
The Greek life opens many doors for members and is the perfect way to network while being among the familiarity of brothers and sisters. Because they have been around for quite some time, there have been tons of well-known members and they already have something in common just by being part of a group. Some of the most successful people have come out of fraternities and sororities including Steven Spielberg, Paul Rudd, Condoleezza Rice and Lucy Liu and the list will just keep growing.
Yes, being a part of these groups gives an advantage but so do so many other groups and programs on campuses. Greek life or not, if someone wants to go after what they really want, they will. The Greek name does not put a name on who is successful.
Watching from the outside in, these societies may seem like just a way to get in with all of the best parties and not having to do schoolwork because of the Greek status. Greeks have been known to be one of the most hard working groups in colleges. Some of them will not let students join unless they have an above average GPA.
The philanthropic activities that the Greeks do each year is more than impressive; the activities they do and the amount of money they raise. Where do people think the parties and events get funded from? Not only do the fun events help raise money to help the organizations but the colleges and communities as well.
These groups even try to get the whole campus involved because everyone giving back means so much more than trying to stay within the exclusivity of an organization.
Even if fraternities and sororities are not your cup of tea, you should not have a say whether to ban them or not. Unless you’ve been in one, you do not know what actually goes on. Throwing away the Greek life would be like throwing a way a part of history.
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counterpoint by: Brittany Gonzales
Should we get rid of fraternities and sororities? Yes. They are dangerous for students.
In Columbia, S.C. a student was killed and they suspect his fraternities for hazing because he was running with his fraternity brothers. Pennsylvania’s Baruch College was investigated on homicide charges due to a fatality during a pledging ritual when a freshman died. The university of Tennessee had some fraternities who made pledges pour hot sauce on their genitals. In Atlanta at Emory, pledges were made to eat items that are not for eating. At Wesleyan in Connecticut two women claimed to be raped by two different fraternities.
This is just the recent incidents that have been reported. There are many more incidents like these throughout the history of fraternities and sororities. Fraternities and sororities are known for being party houses and are known for being loud and crazy.
The University of Connecticut was banned after they had a member lie on the floor and “sizzle like bacon” then drink until she passed out. This was only one of a few sororities that have been found forcing members to drink until they passed out. There are several more sorority houses that were caught abusing alcohol, Fraternities were also caught drinking.
Sororities and Fraternities were not created to do this sort of thing. They were not meant to be party houses or hazing disasters. Greeks were put together to help students bond and to get resources for a better chance of getting the job they want when graduating. Some fraternities and sororities still follow this but those that do not should be banned.
The way sororities and fraternities that still live up to the original plan should be awarded because very few have kept to this. The ones who have been able to keep their place in order are scarce and hard to come by because the average thought of any student going into college is that they are there to live life to the fullest and party as hard as they can. College is the place where the high school child is able to find what kind of adult they are. Because of this, fraternities and sororities become a party and the party can get crazy just like any other college party.
Some students are scared to join these fraternities and sororities because they are afraid to be embarrassed or abused by their peers because of the claims and allegations against them. If fraternities and sororities went back to the original way they were supposed to be, there wouldn’t be as many claims and allegations against them. They would be held in high regards by their universities and colleges.
