NationStates Jolt Archive

If yes, how is/was it? Good sides, bad sides? Any hazing? Do you recommend undergrads joining a fraternity or sorority?

If no, are you considering about it? Why or why not?

I was a GDI.......G-- D--- Independent.

No time an no money just to play around. And I was good enough at making my own friends.

I was a GDI.......G-- D--- Independent.



"Goddamn Independent", a derogatory term for a student who does not join a fraternity or sorority at a North American university


:eek:

Sweet. Gamma Delta Iota. :cool:

**gets a t-shirt made**


No time an no money just to play around. And I was good enough at making my own friends.


The courtyard/plaza area where the fraternity and sorority groups set up for their activities at my school is always covered in a layer of garbage and other litter after they leave. I decided right away that I didn't want to associate with such irresponsible and filthy pigs.

Promoting responsibility and community service my ass.

I am, however, a member of three honor societies wherein membership is based on merit above and beyond the simple ability to drink one's self to death

Wow, I have absolutely no idea what these terms are.

I didn't because my school (BU) has a very weak greek life. It just wasn't/isn't worth while.
Had I gone to a school with a stronger greek life, I might have considered it.

My best friend went to a certain southern school that has a very large greek life, and pleged a frat there. There was definate brutal hazing (drugged and left in a ditch without shoes in another state over night, cinder block dropped on chest, forced to sit in a bag of ice, things like that). I should note that he does not regret it. It did have the desired effect (creating Stockholm Syndrom within the victims), and he knows what it did...but he did have one or two decent friends out of the deal (one of which was a pledge with him...the other, I'm not sure)

Hazing is much less prevelant in the north, from what I have seen and heard. My personal opinion is that you are retarded if you feel the need to pay someone to beat the shit out of you just so you can call them your "brother". Brothers protect each other. I could never respect someone who demanded I put my life at risk to be their "friend" or "brother"

Wow, I have absolutely no idea what these terms are.

Go and watch Animal House

Wow, I have absolutely no idea what these terms are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Life

HMC doesn't have fraternities or sororities. Can't say I'm complaining.

I was in a fraternity in college, but I don't think my experiences would be typical - I went to a Southern Baptist university that seemed to be stuck in the 1950s. Was it worthwhile? Sure, I guess. Didn't go to many of the parties (they didn't allow alcohol, so what's the point?), so I was mainly only involved in the intramurals...

If you have the opportunity to get into a fraternity, by all means take it. Never again in your life will there be 250 drunk beautiful 19 year old women in your basement every weekend. Florecent paint/beer parties with sororities and thier new pledges with glowing hand prints all over them are some of the finest memories of college. Never again will you get the opportunity to take a black permenant magic marker and circle a stuck up naked sorority pledges fat. Hazing was fun and was always way more mental then physical hazing and was no big deal. You will never ever ever have those oppotunities again in your life so if you have the chance, take them now. Sooooo much fun.

If you have the opportunity to get into a fraternity, by all means take it. Never again in your life will there be 250 drunk beautiful 19 year old women in your basement every weekend. Florecent paint/beer parties with sororities and thier new pledges with glowing hand prints all over them are some of the finest memories of college. Never again will you get the opportunity to take a black permenant magic marker and circle a stuck up naked sorority pledges fat. Hazing was fun and was always way more mental then physical hazing and was no big deal. You will never ever ever have those oppotunities again in your life so if you have the chance, take them now. Sooooo much fun.

You know, for all I hear about this, I have to wonder.

How prevalent is that attitude nowadays?

By attitude, I mean the whole idea that fraternaties have the hazing going on and, as I remember hearing a few months ago on NSG, "the point of sororities is to provide girls for the fraternaties"

not really an english thing. thankfully.

At my college there is a sorority, I was invited to pledge, but I don't have time/interest.

You know, for all I hear about this, I have to wonder.

How prevalent is that attitude nowadays?

By attitude, I mean the whole idea that fraternaties have the hazing going on and, as I remember hearing a few months ago on NSG, "the point of sororities is to provide girls for the fraternaties"

As long as you are looking for dumb and loose.

You know, for all I hear about this, I have to wonder.

How prevalent is that attitude nowadays?

By attitude, I mean the whole idea that fraternaties have the hazing going on and, as I remember hearing a few months ago on NSG, "the point of sororities is to provide girls for the fraternaties"

I graduated in 1990 as the heyday of fraternal life was just starting to get legislated away. Fraternities of today, at least in my University and from my understanding of other fraternities in the NE part of the United States, have mellowed out considerably. Even in my 4 years of college from 86-90, parties went from open wild bashes (we had a 45 keg weekend bash) in 86 to having to hire required security guards to no kegs at all. A year or two after i left this changed to BYOBs and fraternitys couldnt provide beer period. Nowadays our fraternity is a dry chaper that even the brothers of legal drinking age arnt even allowed to bring alcohol into the house even if they live there.
As far as the hazing went, it was much more widespread in the 70s and up to the mid 80s. Even during my frat years the abusive physical aspect had pretty much been phased out. Lots of mental hazing and it was all a riot. We used to blindfold pledges and make them take off thier shoes and socks, then we would smash beer bottles against the wall and have the pledge step up on top of a cinderblock then were told to step off the other end. They land barefoot into a pile of potato chips that they just think is glass. Harmless funny shit like that.

Of course this is just how things went in my school and the Universitys in my geographic area, this may not be the case for other Fraternities in other areas of the US.

I wasn't in a sorority, but I know a lot of people who pledged various fraternities and sororities and loved it. Of course, I gather Greek life at my school wasn't much like it is at other schools (read: Greek life existed, but it wasn't the be all and end all of campus social life, and no one cared if you didn't pledge), so take that with a grain of salt.

I was invited to join a women's music fraternity (Sigma Alpha Iota) last semester. I turned them down for several reasons: 1.) the fees were too high when they didn't have a house; 2.) it doesn't make sense for me as an engineer to join a music fraternity; and 3.) they had mandatory meetings every week the night before my statics homework was due, and I'm not good at mandatory.

they had mandatory meetings every week the night before my statics homework was due, and I'm not good at mandatory.

If you had a fun house, then the meeting is one of the best points of the whole week. Aside from house business and fraternity formalities, it was sort of the rag out session for all the dumb or funny stuff brothers did that week. Usually it was a riot to participate in.

If you had a fun house, then the meeting is one of the best points of the whole week. Aside from house business and fraternity formalities, it was sort of the rag out session for all the dumb or funny stuff brothers did that week. Usually it was a riot to participate in.

I've already learnt that studying is probably best put ahead of fun

If yes, how is/was it? Good sides, bad sides? Any hazing? Do you recommend undergrads joining a fraternity or sorority?

If no, are you considering about it? Why or why not?
Oddly enough, I am a Kappa Sigma.

Yes, that's a frat. Yes, I'm female.

Here's how it went down:

In my sophomore year, I became very tight friends with a small group of awesome people. Three guys, one other girl, and me. They are my bestest buddies.

One of the guys was a frat brother in Kappa Sig. Toward the end of our Senior year, he sat us down and told us that he wanted to initiate the rest of us into the fraternity, because he viewed us all as his brothers/sisters. It was just a symbolic thing, but it meant a lot to him (and, thus, meant a lot to me!).

He could probably get in a lot of trouble for performing the initiation with us. It's supposed to be uber-secret, and he actually snuck out a special item that is only supposed to be used for the ritual and nobody but the brothers are supposed to even know about it.

So, while my experience of "Greek life" exclusively consisted of getting drunk at their parties, I do happen to be a sworn Kappa sig 'brother.'

Not in college, no.

But I did join a fraternity at the Georgia School for Wayward Boys in 1987.

If you had a fun house, then the meeting is one of the best points of the whole week. Aside from house business and fraternity formalities, it was sort of the rag out session for all the dumb or funny stuff brothers did that week. Usually it was a riot to participate in.

That would be a negatory. There were no fun activities that I had time to attend even during rush week, when they tried to recruit me. And they would be "sisters", though they were adamant about being a fraternity.

I've already learnt that studying is probably best put ahead of fun

I had the best of both worlds -- an awesome study group.

I've already learnt that studying is probably best put ahead of fun

Trust me, Dundee and i do mean this from the very bottom of my 40 year old heart, you will not remember chapter 7-9 questions 17 18 and 19 in the few days remaining before you go to your grave. That awesome basement bubble party? You betcha!

Trust me, Dundee and i do mean this from the very bottom of my 40 year old heart, you will not remember chapter 7-9 questions 17 18 and 19 in the few days remaining before you go to your grave. That awesome basement bubble party? You betcha!

Prioritising is your friend. If I have to hand in something the next day i'll forego a party in favour of it. Work hard and play hard is better than simply sticking with the play hard bit. I don't have to spend all my time studying but if it's a choice between necessary work and play i'll choose work

I'd also very much like to remember as much as I can of what i'm taught since I could end up severely damaging someone if I don't

I hung out with lame people who did lame shit.

I never had the change to join one of those society type things, though it's not up my alley, as I tend to err on the anti-social side and hibernate in front of my computer, waiting for GW:EN to come out, which is tomorrow. :)

Too much effort and cost for too little return. Anyways, why bother? A vast majority of people at OSU are not greek, and you don't have to be greek to have a social life (unlike some schools), so, yeah.

Hell no. My university wasn't big on organizations like that anyway, they had to have off-campus housing. I went to a couple parties with friends but it was the usual awful beer and stupid girls, I was surprised how stereotypical it was. I've always gravitated more towards hipsters I suppose.

I hung out with lame people who did lame shit.

To any uninformed outside observer, anyone that hangs out with any particular person are lame people who do lame shit.

Not in college, no.

But I did join a fraternity at the Georgia School for Wayward Boys in 1987.

I've heard of that place. It's down near Columbus, isn't it?

My frat held it's meetings in Cherry Point, NC.

I've heard of that place. It's down near Columbus, isn't it?

My frat held it's meetings in Cherry Point, NC.

Yes, it's in the woods near Columbus.

Oddly enough, I am a Kappa Sigma.

Yes, that's a frat. Yes, I'm female.

Here's how it went down:

In my sophomore year, I became very tight friends with a small group of awesome people. Three guys, one other girl, and me. They are my bestest buddies.

One of the guys was a frat brother in Kappa Sig. Toward the end of our Senior year, he sat us down and told us that he wanted to initiate the rest of us into the fraternity, because he viewed us all as his brothers/sisters. It was just a symbolic thing, but it meant a lot to him (and, thus, meant a lot to me!).

He could probably get in a lot of trouble for performing the initiation with us. It's supposed to be uber-secret, and he actually snuck out a special item that is only supposed to be used for the ritual and nobody but the brothers are supposed to even know about it.

So, while my experience of "Greek life" exclusively consisted of getting drunk at their parties, I do happen to be a sworn Kappa sig 'brother.'

Had I picked a frat, we would have been brothers :eek:

As far as I know, they don't really exist outside of N America...

Dutch universities don't have sororities/fraternities. They do have student societies which vary a lot, and most of them are divided up into disputes (that's what they're called, don't ask me why) in which members of same mind come together. These usually are segregated by gender. The societies can vary from highly hierarchical and with loads of traditions (in Leiden, Minerva) to a very loose organization with little to no requirements of their members outside of paying the membership fee (Catena, of which I'm a member). The five largest societies here have their own building, with offices, a bar and other facilities.

The larger societies usually also control a large number houses. The universities here don't have any dorm rooms, pretty much everybody rents a room from an organization called SLS. Whenever a room becomes available, the occupants of a house are allowed to vote in a new tenant, and when a society controls a house they usually instruct their members to only vote in someone who is also a member.

My college banned fraternities some 30 years before I attended it, which was one of the things I liked about it.

I was, however, in one of the campus's several a cappella groups, which some people jokingly claimed took the place of fraternities/sororities. :p

I'm a freshman, and I'm not planning to rush. There are fraternities on campus, but they aren't apparently the be-all end-all of social life here. I'm not much of a party person anyway. I have joined one on-campus society - the Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Dues are $5 a semester.

Nö.

Had I picked a frat, we would have been brothers :eek:
I actually had an awkward situation recently, because I found out a coworker was a Kappa Sig when he was in college.

I take my membership in the fraternity seriously, out of respect for the dear friend who brought me into it, so my impulse was to be "brotherly" with this coworker and show him the friendship and loyalty I extend to members of my brotherhood. But that would lead to a lot of very odd questions, and I was concerned that he wouldn't understand or would think I was making fun or something. So I ended up keeping quiet about it. :P

Not in college, no.

But I did join a fraternity at the Georgia School for Wayward Boys in 1987.

Sounds like it might involve tattoos and "blood in blood out".

Sounds like it might involve tattoos and "blood in blood out".

Not exactly. The tattoos are optional. It mostly involved 13 weeks of pushing down a small section of Georgia by hand.

Unfortunately-- given my paddling fetish and penchant for homoeroticism-- there were no frats at my alma mater. One started up, the year after I graduated, but even then I don't think it would have been "Greek" enough for my liking (ie. not enough 'brother'-on-'brother' action) :-D