Lately, it seems as if fraternities are making the news every week for all the wrong reasons. Fraternities seem to be synonymous with sexual assault and hazing. Although fraternities have been a part of American educational institutions for centuries, people are now claiming that they should be abolished. Others, of course, argue that a few bad headlines should not bring an end to an overall useful and productive system. I chose this topic because it is a very serious one and I feel as if America needs to come to a good solution.

I first became interested in this topic because I am actually pledging a fraternity this semester. I am the first man in my family to join a fraternity so I was not sure what to expect. I knew that the social aspect seemed fun and that I would like making new friends, but I was hesitant about the reputation of Greek life. I wanted to become part of an organization, but not one that was notorious for sexual assault or hazing. After doing some research, I only became more interested. I read lots of facts that made joining a fraternity seem less appealing. For instance, according to MSNBC, men in fraternities are 300% more likely to commit sexual assault than non-affiliated college men (Lohse). Statistics like this, and other ones like it, can make Greek life seem like a heinous institution that should definitely be abolished. However, I have chosen the opposite argument because of personal reasons. In my short time in a fraternity, I have had nothing but positive experience. I haven't experienced sexual assault or hazing in any form, rather, brotherhood and support from a great group of men. Because of this, I don't think the fraternity system should be abolished, but fixed, and that is what I will be arguing in my research essay.

This topic is a very controversial one because of all the people invested in it. The main stakeholders are the victims of sexual assault and hazing, fraternity members and alumni, and American universities. There are countless stories of the parents of a girl who was sexually assaulted calling out for the abolition of Greek life. These stories are emotional and convincing, as they should be. Everyone should make an effort to stop sexual assault. Fraternity members and alumni, too, care a great a deal about this issue. They argue that their fraternity helped shape them into the man they are now and helped countless others through volunteer work and philanthropies. The university officials, also, have a large stake in this topic. Many people would argue that fraternities should have been abolished a long time ago but they weren't because of immoral reasons. Fraternity alumni donate millions of dollars back to their schools and some argue that this is why they've been allowed to survive for so long. Also, colleges do not want to give themselves reputations for sexual assault and hazing, and this causes a lot of the case to be swept under the rug, rather than dealt with. This controversy and the passion of the various stakeholders is what makes this topic such an interesting one to write about.

I believe this is an interesting topic and I can write a good essay on it, but there is still a lot I need to learn. There are lots of different statistics and stories I could use to bolster my argument. For instance, I could examine colleges where fraternities have been abolished and compare them with other universities. Also, I could do more research on the philanthropies and

volunteer work that fraternities do and compare them with other college organizations. There are a lot of people already coming up with solutions to these problems so I should look into the effectiveness of those, too. An argument as controversial as this one will need lots of facts and personal testimonies to convince people that I am correct.

Fraternities are not a huge part of the college experience where I come from, so I received mixed reactions when I told people that I would be joining one. Quite a few people told me to make sure I stick to my morals while in the fraternity. I truly believe sexual assault and hazing are wrong and I know that they are a problem in Greek life. That is why I wanted to write on this topic. I want to prove that while some individuals may have given Greek life a bad name, there is still a place for fraternities in American universities. 

I do not think it will be difficult for me to write an 8-10 page paper on this topic. There are so many different stories, statistics, and proposed solutions to this problem that I think I will have plenty to write about. In fact, I may need to narrow my scope to make this topic more manageable. I was thinking that I could write about whether University of South Carolina should ban Greek life. This would help because it would give me a more focused question, but it might be hard to find data on one specific school. As it stands, though, I think my question will set my up to form a good thesis that will lead to a good essay. The topic is very controversial, has a scope large enough for me to do plenty of research, and is not too complex for my audience. Going into this project, I believe that Greek life is an overall beneficial system with some major flaws. I want to address these flaws and try to come up with a solution. However, it is possible that I will change my mind while doing more research. There is a lot of data to suggest that fraternities might not be so great. Regardless of what I choose as my final thesis, I think this is a good topic and I am excited to research it.

