Every year on almost every college campus in America, thousands of young men and women rush and eventually pledge Greek organizations. These people come from a range of different backgrounds and not all of them are looking for the same experience in a brotherhood or sisterhood. Some are seeking to expand their social life and get involved on campus, while others are looking for future employment connections for their post-graduation lives. Whatever people are looking for, there is usually an organization of students with similar interests, hobbies, and life goals. However, Greek Life is not for everyone. It is a large commitment of time and resources that can be taxing in both a monetary and mental sense. Many Greek organizations, namely fraternities, have been the subject of controversy since their origins of literary clubs and secret societies. In a modern setting, Greek organizations have become associated with alcoholism, group cruelty in the form of hazing, and ideas of elitism because of negative coverage and pop culture. While there are some standout cases of chapters behaving in ways that clearly violate the values that their letters stand for, the majority of people that have gone through the Greek system benefit from what it provides, both as individuals and as groups. Despite the malicious actions of a handful of chapters, Greek involvement has a positive impact on the people who choose to undergo the rigorous recruitment process by improving the social skills needed for success, providing students with a group of like-minded individuals, and allowing young men and women to explore the type of person they want to become later in life. 

Dating back to 1776 with the creation of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity at the College of William and Mary, Greek organizations were originally founded as literary societies that would hold regular meetings to discuss popular publishing and political issues at the time, such as taxation and legislation (SJSU). Word of these organizations spread along the eastern states and Greek-Letter societies began popping up in Union College, Miami of Ohio, the Virginia Military Institute, and many other colleges and universities throughout the 19th century. The members of these societies adopted Greek letters to reflect their mottos and values while maintaining an essence of secrecy and prestige. The first women’s fraternity was founded in 1851 at Wesleyan College for Women. It was originally founded as the Adelphean society and was later renamed to Alpha Delta Pi. It was not until 1882 until the term “sorority” was adopted by women’s fraternities with Gamma Phi Beta being the first. Modern fraternities and sororities serve as social organizations with an emphasis on community service, academic success, and lifelong friendship. Many obstacles have faced the growth of Greek organizations such as the anti-Masonic sentiment that secret societies are evil, the various wars throughout American history, and the sociopolitical strife of the 1960s. Despite these setbacks, Greek membership has grown to approximately 9 million current members and alumni belonging to 123 different Greek-Letter organizations (The Fraternity Advisor).

Today, Greek organizations face accusations of substance abuse, hazing, and fostering a superiority complex. Fraternities have especially been questioned whether their existence is healthy for college campuses after many scandals are exposed every year including alcohol-related injury or death, accounts of hazing, racist behavior, and sexual assault. This has spawned a great deal of backlash from concerned parents, college professors, activists, and non-affiliated college students. One student at the University of California Berkley wrote, “one element of their culture promotes safe space, discussions around sexual consent and measures to ensure students are not discriminated against. Another element—one which thousands of students continue to sign up for every year—encourages racism, elitism, bullying, and sexual assault.” She also wrote “Their very existence is in conflict with the progressive ideals of American universities.” (Tuxworth-Holden). While there have been countless cases of fraternity and sorority members exhibiting these characteristics on certain campuses, especially in recent years, this is not a reflection of the national organizations that these individuals belong to. Rather, they are people who have it in their nature to commit malicious and self-destructive acts such as hazing and alcoholism. While many college fraternities and sororities participate in partying, this is because these people are young and in an environment where they are independent. The truth is, they would participate in underage drinking and other stereotypical “college behaviors” with their friends regardless of affiliation with a Greek or any organization. Fraternities and sororities were enacted to bring people with similar interests and personalities together through friendship and scholarship, and they still embody that goal today.

Unfortunately, alcohol and sexual abuse on college campuses is not just a Greek problem. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “every year for students age 18 to 24, 696,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, 97,000 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault, and 1,825 die from alcohol-related injuries.” When it comes to the prevalence of alcohol on college campuses, “58% of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 reported drinking alcohol in the past month and 37.9% reported binge drinking in the past month.” (NIAAA). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, out of the over 17 million undergraduate students, only 750,000 belong to a Greek organization (NCES). These facts point to the conclusion that fraternities and sororities are not the cause or even an enabler for students who drink during their time in college. Greek organizations serve as a smaller community for members to feel less alone in a college environment that can be intimidating, not to foster tendencies such as alcoholism to all those who join. Those with addictive and self-destructive habits are going to participate in these activities regardless of an organization they are affiliated with. If anything, membership in an organization of any kind can be helpful to these people by providing them with friends who can be responsible for them and even guide them to a healthier lifestyle. The argument that Greek organizations are nothing more than a playground for young people to engage in malicious behavior because no one is stopping them is invalid because, by that logic, the same can be said about the colleges themselves.

Whether Greek organizations are healthy for modern campuses or not, most people believe them to be sanctums for debauchery and mayhem because of the image that has been portrayed in movies and on social media. Because of this image and the subsequent controversy, Greek organizations have been under the public eye in recent years and therefore, held to a higher standard. “Charges of hazing, alcohol abuse and anti-intellectualism have challenged Greek societies to emphasize community service, scholarship programming, and responsible social events. Universities know, however, that fraternity members have a higher graduation rate compared to non-members. The fact that fraternity members show more loyalty to their alma mater, are more involved as undergraduates and alumni, and make more donations to their schools offers a convincing case for the worth of Greek organizations.” (SJSU). The Greek Life community prides itself on being involved on campuses to make a more enjoyable college experience for not only its members, but the entirety of the student body. However, it is easy nowadays for information to be misconstrued and seen by many who are quick to judge. The ability for people to see almost everything through the internet combined with the common stigma that the negative cases reflect the entirety of the Greek community makes it easy to fabricate a slander and therefore the Greek organizations find it difficult to break this stigma. However, this has been beneficial to both the Greek community and college campuses because members are now much more careful with their actions, knowing that a slip up could potentially be devastating to their organization and themselves as individuals.

Whenever there is a mishap, the organization handles the affair internally or with their national council. However, in some cases the college or university that houses the organization is the one that intervenes. This past year, for example, there have been two major bans of Greek life at the College of Charleston and Pennsylvania State University. Starting with Charleston, the entire Greek system was suspended by president Glenn McConnell after “a series of dangerous behaviors connected to some members of our fraternities and sororities, ranging from disruptive parties out in the community this month to recent medical transports related to extreme intoxication.” (Behre). This action was not a response to one particular issue, but to the entire Greek system at the college.  According to McConnell,

 “Enough is enough, this is not a knee-jerk reaction to an isolated incident. This type of reckless and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. While we have a robust and comprehensive education and disciplinary conduct process for drug and alcohol abuse, clearly the message is not getting through to all students. At the College, the well-being and safety of our students are the highest priorities.” (Behre).

 In this case, the school administration is not on the same page as the Greek organizations, and because of a few incidents and this lack of connection, the administration has decided to suspend all Greek-related activities. In the Penn State case, the whole system was suspended in response to one incident. 

“On February 2, Penn State student Timothy Piazza was found dead in the University’s Beta Theta Pi house. Investigators claim that Piazza’s death was the result of an intoxicated fall down a basement stairwell at a fraternity party... the University has indefinitely suspended all Greek life activities, banned students from visiting Greek homes, indefinitely forbidden all-alcohol related social activities and stipulated that no ‘Greeks’ can be present anywhere where more than 15 Greek life members of the same chapter are present.” (The Fordham Ram). 

It is important to note the differences between these two cases. The Charleston ban was brought about by the administration’s feelings that Greek life on campus had lost touch with the college and the interest of the entire student body. The Penn State ban was enacted because of the actions of a few members. Both cases deal with the same issue: how the actions of a few can affect the reputation of everyone involved. While both these cases are unfortunate, and whether or not the administration made the right decision to punish the entire community, it is important to remember that these cases are both isolated incidents that do not reflect the organizations on a national level.

Members of Greek organizations nationally have higher GPAs and graduate more frequently than their non-affiliated counterparts. However, as we have seen, being affiliated with an organization that is known for a particular tendency, like good academics or binge-drinking, does not mean an individual will adopt these habits. It is more than likely that a student who excelled in high school will also excel in college. However, one benefit that the existence of fraternities and sororities does foster is the development of social skills. Starting with the recruitment process, both potential and current members must present themselves in a way that will appeal to the other to find the right fit. Affiliated members are a reflection of their organization by the way they look, act, and speak. Once the pledging process begins, new members are required to work together to complete it, usually becoming close friends during this time. By the time a pledge class is invited to become full-time members of an organization, they will have met most of the members and learned what they need to know about their organization. Each member is given the option to either accept or renounce their affiliation. If they accept the membership, they also accept the responsibility to uphold their organization. The whole process teaches an individual how to present themselves in an appealing way and how to work efficiently with people they are unfamiliar with. These lessons benefit students by showing them how to work hard and be successful, which are universal skills.

As well as teaching students useful skills, membership in fraternities and sororities provides a person with a group of students who are similar to them, giving them the confidence of having an organization backing them. College is an unfamiliar and intimidating place. Many students are on their own for the first time, and it is easy to feel alone. This is one of the main reasons people join social organizations. Sergio Robles of the Fresno State University newspaper writes, “College students might join fraternities, sororities or other groups to feel they belong, to be a part of a large acceptance group. In our day-to-day life, we exhibit these needs [to feel accepted] in our desires to marry, have a family, be a part of a community, a member of a church, a brother in the fraternity, a part of a gang or a bowling club” (Robles). Humans are social creatures. Acceptance and a sense of belonging are right above food and water on the hierarchy of needs. This prompts people to join groups such as Greek organizations, where the feel like they are accepted. Membership in one of these organizations can bring someone support and happiness and make their time at college seem more fulfilling.

For many undergraduate students, college is the first time that they get a sense of what being an independent adult is like. This can be a strange experience because most students have never been on their own to the point where they can truly call themselves an adult Many do not know what that means, and college is helpful in that regard because it allows people to explore different options and find out who they are. Greek organizations expose people to many new experiences, both social and intellectual. Introverts can become extroverts. It can make people change majors and realize what they actually want to do with their time in college. It can introduce students to other people with personalities that they did not even know existed. It can lead to lifelong friendships and future employment. Members join for a great number of reasons, but one thing is for sure. The person who joins a Greek organization is very different at the beginning of their academic career than when they graduate. However, it is up to the individual to decide whether that change is positive or negative. 

 

People go to college for many reasons. Most are seeking an education in something they are passionate about. For many, they are looking to learn about the real world and the struggles of living life as an independent adult. Whatever the reason, students are not looking to spend their time alone. They want to meet people who are like them to make their college experience more enjoyable and easier. This is the idea behind Greek organizations. It is a group of individuals who want to be part of a closer-knit community that will affect them in a positive way. Similar to college, people join fraternities and sororities for a variety of reasons such as social expansion, employment connections, academic support, and service opportunities. Those with similar interests will find each other and stick together, feeling a sense of belonging and acceptance by their peers and ultimately feeling the positive effects of a brotherhood or sisterhood.
