Fraternities and sororities

From TheBestLinks.com

While the term fraternity can be used to describe any number of social organizations, including the Lions Club and the Shriners, fraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher education students in the United States and Canada but there are fraternities in the whole world (for example the German Student Corps). Fraternities are all-male or mixed-gender; the female-only equivalent is called a sorority. Fraternities and sororities are also referred to as student corporations or academic corporations or simply corporations.

With few exceptions (notably "Acacia", "FarmHouse" and "Triangle"), the names of fraternities and sororities are comprised of two or (usually) three Greek letters. For this reason, fraternities and sororities are known collectively as the Greek System, and its members are known as Greeks.

The Purposes and Types of Fraternities

There are various types of fraternities: social, professional, and honorary fraternities. The most recognizable (and cliched) form of fraternity is the college social fraternity, as lampooned by John Belushi in the film Animal House. Some fraternities today are alcohol-free (referred to as "dry"), and focus on community service, sound learning and leadership qualities in their membership, though some are purely "social". Apart from the use of Greek letters, the common theme running through all is the building of friendships and "brotherly" or "sisterly" bonds through shared experiences and efforts.

Structure and Organization

Ritual and Secrecy

Most fraternities maintain a ritual system that is highly symbolic in nature and kept a closely guarded secret. Some signs point to common ancestry in both sorority and fraternity ritual, but most are likely derived from Masonic order ritual. Other "fraternity secrets" may include passwords, songs, handshakes, journals and initiation rites.

Meetings of the active members are generally secret, and not to be discussed without the formal approval of the chapter as a whole.

The Fraternity House

Uniquely among most campus organizations, members of social fraternities and sororities often live together in a large house or apartment complex. This serves two purposes. First, it emphasizes the bonds the members share as "brothers" or "sisters". Second, the house serves as a central off-campus location for the events and administration of the fraternity. Because of the unique nature of this setup, the individual organizations themselves at their respective schools are known as "houses". Professional, academic or honorary societies rarely (if ever) maintain a permanent housing location.

A fraternity house can usually be identified by large Greek letters on the front of the house, advertising the name of the group. Depending on the size of the house, there may be anywhere from three to twenty bedrooms or more. The larger houses generally have a large meeting room and/or dining room, commercial kitchen and study room. There is usually a lounge of some sort, access to which is often restricted to fully initiated members. The walls are decorated with pictures of past house events, awards and trophies, and decorative (or historic) paddles. A stereotype, but true, the public areas of sorority houses are generally cleaner than fraternity houses.

For reasons of cost, liability and stability, housing is usually overseen by an alumni corporation or its respective national fraternity organization. As a result, many houses prohibit members of the opposite sex from going "upstairs" or into the individual bedrooms. Other houses may impose a curfew or "open door" policy. Furthermore, some national organizations restrict or prohibit alcohol in the house at any time.

Joining a Fraternity or Sorority

During a period known as "Rush" or "Rush Week", fraternities and sororities invite fellow students to attend events at the house (or on-campus) and meet the current members of the organization. At the end of this period, the house invites the visitors of their choice to "pledge" the fraternity. If the invitation, or "bid", is accepted, the student will enter a period of pledgeship.

Pledge requirements for each house vary, and some houses have eliminated pledgeship entirely. However, common requirements usually include wearing a "pledge pin", learning about the history and structure of the fraternity (and the local chapter), performing a service of some kind, and maintaining a deferential attitude toward current members. Upon completion of the pledgeship and all its requirements, the active members will invite those pledges of their choosing to become active members.

Ideally, those pledges who demonstrate their commitment to the organization and its members are invited, while those who demonstrate little-to-no effort and/or cause divisions and conflict are dismissed. On more than rare occasions, however, houses will invite anyone who completes the program to become active members, in order to maintain their numbers (and survival). Other times, they may invite those who contribute little but a fun personality.

Hazing Issues

Historically, hazing as we know it now did not come into existence until after World War I. Soldiers returning from the war re-entered colleges, and brought with them the discipline and techniques learned in boot camp.

At its core, the original techniques commonly known as hazing today are techniques still used in the nations military. By making the individual fail as an individual, and succeed as a team, the individual would learn to become a valuable asset to the team and be loyal to its success. This philosophy of team development continued to be used in fraternal organizations as each subsequent war refreshed the pool of ex-military students.

Eventually however, with fewer military students entering college/fraternities, these techniques were passed onto others who did not understand their purpose or usage, and hazing became a brutal and hazardous exercise as each new class tried to create new challenges for the sake of the challenges.

Many fraternities and sororities hazed their pledges, especially during certain initiation rites. In extreme cases, some pledges even died as a result. Though now created for decoration, the iconic "pledge paddle" is a tradition and reminder of this history.

During the 1960s-1980s, however, most organizations (especially those governed by alumni at the National level) implemented clear no-hazing policies. The National Interfraternity Conference also requires anti-hazing education for members, as do most universities. Since at least the 1990s, if hazing was conducted at a local chapter, it was without the knowledge or consent of the national organization and outside the guidelines for their initiation rituals. If discovered, it usually results in the revocation of the local chapter's charter.

Many chapters today still struggle with the legacy of hazing. It is seen as tradition, and many find that the best indicator of a pledge's worth to the group is their willingness to endure the challenges put forth to them. While hazing rarely exists in its most brutal forms, many chapters still incorporate behavior such as yelling or demanding menial tasks be performed that are deemed by their universities and national headquarters to be hazing.

History of the Greek System as a Whole

The Phi Beta Kappa Society was founded on December 5, 1776 at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg VA. It is the oldest college fraternity and the first organization to have a greek letter name. It was started as an outlet to let students discuss current issues, instead of school related topics like other groups on campus had been pressured into doing from faculty and staff. It has since evolved into a national honor society with chapters at 270 institutions of higher learning in the United States.