FREE ESSAY ON FRATERNITIES ARE NOT ALL BAD

FRATERNITIES ARE NOT ALL BAD

Fraternities
A fraternity is a men's student organization, formed chiefly for social purposes having
secret rites and a name consisting of Greek letters. Fraternities get a lot of bad
publicity, as with the hazing problems at U.T. Many people think of guys involved in
fraternities as stupid, drunken fools running around pulling pranks and partying, but
there is another side to fraternities that many people do not see. Fraternities do have
plenty of social events, but they also participate in a lot of philanthropy, service
projects, and other school and community related events. 
In order to join a fraternity, you need to sign up for rush in the first weeks of school.
During "pre-rush," there are many parties and events put on by all fraternities so you
can get to know them better. Then, there is a week called formal "rush", when you go to
all the different fraternity houses and decide where you want to go and find out who
wants you. After formal rush, the fraternity calls you and gives you a bid. If you
accept, you are now pledging that you want to join that fraternity. Pledgeship is
different for all fraternities. Some have a longer pledgeship, a harder pledgeship, and
some have none at all. After you complete pledgeship and get initiated, you then become
an active member.
For a long time, fraternities have faced three main social issues: hazing, alcohol, and
sexual harassment. The national fraternity organizations and individual schools have been
cracking down on violations for hazing. There have been many reports of death or serious
injury due to excessive hazing. Sometimes, the rules are ridiculous. Take SFA for
example; carrying a pledge book around campus is considered "hazing". Also, members of
fraternities drink substantially more alcohol than non-members. Even though there are
more opportunities to do so, I would say that is mostly the fault of the individual,
because they are choosing to do it.
The main reason that people join a fraternity is for brotherhood. A special bond is
formed between fraternity brothers. They will be there and will do almost anything for
each other. They are friends for life. Most fraternities are like this but there are
exceptions, such as bad chapters at a school that don't have good ideals and don't
concentrate on school and brotherhood. It's people like this that give fraternities a bad
name. For the most part I think that fraternities are just misunderstood.
As stated above, fraternities participate in a lot of philanthropy, also. They do
fundraisers and volunteer for events such as the Special Olympics, Adopt-A-Highway, and
other events that benefit the community and charitable organizations. For example, in
Nacogdoches, there are many fraternities and sororities that do canned food drives, such
as the Gobble Gallop during thanksgiving.
Members of a social fraternity participate in more extracurricular activities than
nonmembers, are more likely to graduate, and many claim to be more satisfied with their
education than non-Greek college students. Also, research shows that membership can have
a positive effect on grades if a chapter supports academic achievement, and a negative
effect if it does not. Most fraternities have adopted a grades policy to where if you
don't make the grades, you don't get initiated. "Fraternities help students adjust to
college life, and provide a supportive peer group."(Winston 4) The older members can help
you get more familiar with the school campus and town layout. They can also tell which
classes and teachers to take, and which to avoid. In the fraternity are people with
varieties of majors and a willingness to help brothers who need it.
Fraternities have their pros and cons. They have problems with hazing, alcohol, and
sexual harassment. On the plus side they help with school, provide opportunities to be
more social, and participate in philanthropy and other community events. The main things
they provide though are brotherhood and ways to teach boys how to become better men. 
Bibliography
Winston, Roger B. "Fraternities and Sororities." 2000. 6 Oct. 2000