Contrary to popular belief, fraternity life is not the alcohol fueled monster that the media makes it out to be. While there are some issues with specific fraternities and individual chapters, the vast majority of fraternities are actually beneficial to their communities. The issue is that the negative aspects of fraternity life are highlighted in the media and the positives are simply buried. Through multiple sources I will prove that there is an overwhelming majority that place fraternities in a negative light. However, some authors do look past the criticism and detail the positives of fraternity life. By examining the common issues and the overlooked benefits, I will show that fraternities are not all bad.

First the issues. Topics such as hazing, binge drinking and sexual assault are common discussion topics in reference to fraternities. However, while these issues do exist, their prevalence, and sometimes their existence, is over exaggerated by the media. For example, the rape case at the University of Virginia in 2014. The case itself gained massive publicity after Rolling Stone Magazine released an article condemning the fraternity for "brutal gang rape". In reality, the facts of the investigation disproved the article entirely, however, the damage had already been done. Ravi Somaiya, an author with the New York Times, stated that Rolling Stone "failed to engage in basic, even routine journalistic practice" (2015). This oversight created massive publicity over sexual assault and rape in which fraternities were involved. This further created massive negative sentiment towards fraternities. Furthermore, the young men who faced rape allegations were treated as guilty until proven innocent by the media. The young men faced scrutiny not only by the media, their university, and law enforcement, but their peers as well. The Rolling Stone argument has had a massive impact on their lives in a negative way. Their experiences are probably similar to a student from my high school who was falsely accused of rape. While the allegations were proven to be entirely false, the boy spent time in jail, had a permanent record with both his school and local law enforcement which further caused his denial from multiple colleges and universities, and extreme scrutiny from his peers. In short, the false report created a massive amount of difficulty in his life, from which he could not recover. 

Stigmas follow the fraternity as well. The young men involved in the UVA rape case were members of Phi Kappa Psi. Putting those four young men on the national stage and linking them only through rape allegations and Phi Kappa Psi membership had a negative effect on the fraternity as well. The fraternity received condemnation from the media for allowing this to "happen". When this news was released, Phi Kappa Psi chapters everywhere were labeled as the fraternity that gang raped a girl at UVA. Much like the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Kappa Psi has been unfairly linked with rape and sexual assault. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) itself has faced massive national scrutiny both by the media and Greek life alike. The common nickname for SAE is Sexual Assault Expected, a simple change of the acronym. This has occurred due to rape allegations associated with specific SAE chapters. While some of the allegations may be true, there are dozens of SAE chapters nationwide. The unfair labeling of this fraternity as a rape fraternity is unfair to those who actively seek the true goal of a fraternity.

The second issue, hazing. Hazing itself that is often one of the first negative aspects of fraternity life presented. The issue again is that it is also over exaggerated. While I am not naive and I know that hazing does occur in fraternities, I believe that the scale at which it is presented is simply false. Every national fraternity in the United States has published anti hazing policies and extreme punishment for those who take part in hazing activities. They do this in accordance with federal law that outlaws hazing. The United States Department of Education defines hazing as such: 

""Hazing," means committing an act against a student, or coercing a student into committing an act, that creates a substantial risk of harm to a person, in order for the student to be initiated into or affiliated with a student organization, or for any other purpose. The term hazing includes, but is not limited to: Any type of physical brutality such as whipping, beating, striking, branding, electronic shocking or placing a harmful substance on the body. Any type of physical activity such as sleep deprivation, exposure to weather, confinement in a restricted area, calisthenics or other activity that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student. Any activity involving the consumption of any alcoholic beverage, drug, tobacco product or any other food, liquid, or substance that subjects the student to an unreasonable risk of harm or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of the student. Any activity that intimidates or threatens the student with ostracism, that subjects a student to extreme mental stress, embarrassment, shame or humiliation that adversely affects the mental health or dignity of the student or discourages the student from remaining in school. Any activity that causes or requires the student to perform a task that involves violation of state or federal law or of school district policies or regulations. "Student organization," means a group, club or organization having students as its primary members or participants. It includes grade levels, classes, teams, activities or particular school events. A student organization does not have to be an official school organization to come within the terms of this definition" (Department of Education, Laws and policies about hazing). 

This serves as a basis for National fraternities to create their own policies over hazing. In some cases, fraternities have even gone as far as to ban pledging in an effort to eliminate hazing. For example, I am a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, which has nationally outlawed pledging. In my personal experience, hazing does not exist within my fraternity. For many members of fraternities, bid day marks the beginning of pledging. However, my bid day marked the beginning of my entrance into the fraternity. The moment I accepted the bid, I was accepted as a brother with all the rights and privileges promised to a full member. I have never been treated differently from any of the older brothers within the fraternity, in fact I was given the ability to vote on decisions that affected the entire fraternity after only being a member for two days.

While I do not believe in the hazing process, there are others that do. Hazing itself is a brutal and unnecessary act. Those who practice it argue that the hazing process is meant to break down the individual involved, simply so that the fraternity can them build them back up into a better person. However, this goal is nearly never achieved. In most cases, the hazing process instills hate between one pledge class and another. Therefore, there is no brotherhood and no fraternity. The true issue however, is the stigma that follows fraternities. Charles Eberly, a professor at the Eastern Illinois University stated that "much of the research on the college fraternity is conducted by people who are not members of the organizations" (2011). In this way, fraternities are being unfairly scrutinized by people who have never known what true fraternity life is like. They generalize the actions of the 1% to the other 99%. In my person opinion, it is not the rights of those to scrutinize if they have had the experience. Such behavior is similar to a foreigner who barely speaks English coming to America and telling you that you cannot speak your own language. It should be the responsibility of the fraternity to police its own members and point them in the right direction. The problem lies with those fraternity members who do not take action to stop hazing. 

Finally, alcohol is a large issue that surrounds fraternities. From the Medias perspective, fraternities are nothing more than a social drinking club. Numerous articles have been written on the issues of fraternities and drinking. The issue here is that not all fraternities consist of alcoholics. William Honan, an author with the New York Times, published an article referencing a study on Greek life and binge drinking. The study stated that "eighty six percent of fraternity members are binge drinkers ... " (1993). The study compared this with the "forty five percent of men who are not affiliated with fraternities". The study was comprised of a self-reported survey of university students, in which the students listed how many drinks they had consumed in one sitting within the two weeks prior to the survey. The survey went on to define binge drinking as consuming at least 5 alcoholic drinks in one sitting. While these statistics may or may not have been true, they are from an entirely different time period. This survey was conducted twenty years ago, however, it is the top search result on google for fraternities and drinking. Those who do not recognize that things change over the course of time would be led to believe that these facts are true today. The issue is that they are not. 

If drinking in fraternities was as prevalent as the media claims it to be, there would be a much higher issue with education and fraternities. The fact of the matter is that "graduation rates are 20% higher among Greeks than non-Greeks" (Jacobs, Peter. 2014). If binge drinking was as prevalent as it is claimed to be, these students would not only have a harder time going to class, but completing the majority of their school work. It would take misallocation of large portions of time to binge drink, a task that simply does not go hand in hand with making good grades. 

Critics would claim that the binge drinking does occur, however the students are still able to do the bare minimum amount of work to pass their classes and graduate. In response to that, Peter Jacobs states that "Greeks on average have higher GPAs" (2014). Jacobs then goes on to reference a study by the University of Nebraska that found that "Greeks were more likely to have High than Low GPA's and Independents were more likely to have Low than High GPA's" (2014). The fact of the matter is, fraternities are much more school oriented than their peers. If fraternity members were the massive binge drinkers that the media claims they are, achieving good grades would be impossible. Instead, fraternities have massive support and regulation for achieving good grades. At my own personal chapter, members must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. However, that number is even higher for the newest members who must achieve a 3.2 GPA in their first semester of being in the fraternity. In addition to this, there is a huge support base for academics within the chapter. Older brothers tutor the younger ones in difficult classes, members must also record a specific number of study hours at a verified study location, and there is punishment for those who do not meet the minimum standard and are placed on academic probation. 

While these things are true for my chapter, they are not necessarily true for every chapter of every fraternity. However, similar systems must be in place for the members to achieve these higher averages than their peers. Without academic support, such statistics would not be reachable. In this way, fraternities accomplish their mission by creating better men. 

In conclusion, the media twists stories of fraternity activities in order to create a negative perception of them. Fraternities are not the drinking clubs comprised of alcoholic rapists that the media describes. In fact, many fraternity members go on to become successful men, accomplishing the goal of the fraternity. While there are incidents within specific fraternity chapters, they are over exaggerated and unfairly generalized to every chapter of every fraternity. The largest issue with fraternities, however, is that there is not enough effort put in to changing these stereotypes. The blame rests with the leadership that sits idle. In order to change the public's view, effort must be given, or I fear that fraternities will slowly fade from existence and memory.

