Fraternities/Sororities

[kasanovakarl]

I think it is funny how people who were not members of the Greek community are always the first ones to make disparaging remarks about fraternities and sororities. I’d suggest you listen more to those that were a part of them and get their take.

From a resume standpoint, I wouldn’t join just because you think it will help your resume. I am members of both a social fraternity and an academic/professional fraternity, but many times people can’t tell the difference. I would think if you plan on going the music route with your professional career, joining Phi Mu Alpha would be a good call for your resume.

I'm in the same boat as Maki. I had two sets of really good friends from college. The only ones who I still keep in constant contact with were my fraternity brothers.

 

[Pilgrim]

It looks good on a resume?

I thought it was just a bunch of social elitists picking the coolest kids and shunning the uncool kids.

WRONG.

The good ones are solid social organizations which also help you build a lifelong network. The bad ones aren't worth joining.

People underestimate the value of college in the socialization process for young people. Greek organizations can help kids navigate college, avoid some very bad habits and make lifelong friendships.

I wasn't in that system in college, but my wife was and she's still involved with her sorority (Sigma Kappa) at the regional level. My brother was a founding member of a new fraternity at Washington State U.

 

[mike_v_s]

I think it is funny how people who were not members of the Greek community are always the first ones to make disparaging remarks about fraternities and sororities. I’d suggest you listen more to those that were a part of them and get their take.

I think it's less funny and more common sense. I'd find it highly unusual if the members of the Greek community were the first to make disparaging remarks.

I'm not saying that the textbook arguments against hold any water. Far from it. But you seem to be writing off the opinions of those you don't agree with. I'm not saying anyone has, but a person can make an informed decision based on their exposure.

That aside, I agree with the "preparing you for life" aspect, if you want to get that out of the experience.

Mike

 

[Joe Gress]

Probably joining one next year.

 

[thefruitfarmer]

How much money does it cost to join one of these things?

 

[WorkinOnIt]

I never was part of the Greek culture, but I had a dorm roommate who was in the process of joining one. Every so often, the pledgemasters would come around looking for him for hazing. Sometimes in the middle of the night even. yeesh. He would hide in the bathroom and get me to answer the door and just tell them he was out.

He ended up quitting eventually. Good thing as he was way too hard-headed and opinionated to be in a frat or get past the hazing/rushing thing. Nice guy really, but we are not all meant for that kind of life/scene. I know I would not be into that, (too shy and introverted I would have been miserable especially back then), but if you are then by all means go for it. This is still a world where connections matter more than anything. I should add this was circa 1980, so maybe things are different now and that whole hazing thing has diminished...

Also, if they are so involved with the community, they sure don't make it widely known. Perhaps you have to live in a college town to see this involvement. Still, I am glad to hear this is a facet of Greek culture as I was not aware of it earlier.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

I'm almost near the completition of a Master's in Industrial and Labor Relations/HRM. I conduct interviews for my university's career services center.

When it comes to me evaluating resumes, being a part of an organization in and of itself is niether positive nor negative (unless it's being a member of the Nazi party or something lol). I'm more interested in what you actually did in that organization, particuarly if you acted in a leadership or change agent role. A lot of people pad their resumes with organizations, professional or otherwise. It's normal practice to put all affliations with professional organizations on a cirriculum vitae, but putting organization membership without qualifying personal accomplishments on a resume is padding. Of course, in an interview, if something piques my interest, I'm going to ask the person to expound upon it. Hopefully, they have something important to say. Otherwise, I'd rather see an extra blurb of how a person added value to an organization (whether for profit or non-profit) than just that just that person was a brother or sister in a fraternity or sorority.

That's just my perspective. I don't know if there is any empirical support on whether having a Greek organization helps or hinders your chances of being hired. However, it would be a rather simple study initiate and control. You could have HR professionals and managers rate similar resumes that primarily differ on one factor: Whether there's a Greek organzation or not on the resume. Hmm...with a large enough sample size, I think a between-subjects format would be a good way to improve internal validity. Damn it, Talkbass! You have me thinking too much about research this week.

 

[MonetBass]

As a former president of a fraternity, I think I ought to weight in here. We're largely self governed organizations, or at least that's how it is at Mizzou. This allows a great deal of freedom in planning events, whether they be social, philanthropic, service or sports. The downside is that if you screw up, you stand to lose a lot.

Let me tell you, managing an $100,000+ budget and an 80 man house taught me more about the way the world works than any class. I know everyone automatically thinks of "Animal House" when the word fraternity is brought up in conversion. Obviously the movie was a comedy and not the gods honest truth, but you can imagine the negative stereotypes that come with that image.

I'm not going to lie to you and say that we don't party, drink, etc, but at the same time you have to weight that against the literally thousands of dollars and thousands of hours devoted to philanthropy and service in the community. Realize too, that as several others have mentioned, you join a fraternity because you like the people in it and you like what the organization does. You party with your friends, and your friends happen to be part of the fraternity you joined.

Whether or not it's good for you resume can really depend on who you're applying for. I've put it on there before, but mostly because I was the president. I seldom use it anyway. I also happen to be a Freemason, though I typically don't include that on a resume either. There are more important things I can put in that valuable amount of space.

It's true that there's a great deal of networking that comes with being in fraternity. I've met brothers all over the country and beyond,and each one is always willing to lend me a hand. It's a good feeling knowing that I can travel virtually anywhere in the country and I will know someone there. I travel a lot and I've made a habit of visiting brothers and chapter houses if there happens to be one near where I'm visiting. It's a rewarding experience and I've met some amazing people along the way.

I don't mean to stand on a soapbox and preach to everybody. Since the OP mentioned talking about experiences and memories, I felt it appropriate to chime in.

Well said. Thanks for posting this.

While social fraternities are not for everyone, not all houses are like the one in Animal House, nor are they all full of jock c***s like the Alpha Betas in "Revenge Of The Nerds". My fraternity was quite diverse, running the gammut of every social group you could think of. Yet we all worked together, somehow. There's a lesson there.

Regarding hazing, I initially joined a house that did it pretty heavily. Three weeks of that and I got out. Complete useless BS if you asked me. The house where I was initiated was incredibly tame in comparison. When I graduated, there were over 120 active members. Was I close friends with all of them? No. But I knew them, and knew I could count on any of them if I needed anything.

As others have stated, I made lifelong friends there and from other fraternities as well. It was a great experience for me.

[Oklahoma State Pi Kappa Alpha alum]

 

[aikakone]

Just a comment on the hazing aspect, but at least for SAI (and I suspect Phi Mu Alpha as our brother organization), there is none of that involved. It is strictly forbidden. For my personal experience in "Greek", the only kinds of organizatiosn allowed at my university were the professional ones, not the social ones, and none of ours had houses. It wasn't even part of it, though I know for many that is one perk.

 

[Jared Lash]

I never was part of the Greek culture, but I had a dorm roommate who was in the process of joining one. Every so often, the pledgemasters would come around looking for him for hazing. Sometimes in the middle of the night even. yeesh. He would hide in the bathroom and get me to answer the door and just tell them he was out.

He ended up quitting eventually. Good thing as he was way too hard-headed and opinionated to be in a frat or get past the hazing/rushing thing.

One of my suitemates freshman year joined a fraternity and was hazed like crazy. He'd come back talking about getting paddled, having to sit in an ice bath and one night we came home to find him chained to the fence, completely hammered. I remember hearing he and some other guys from his pledge class complaining about it and then talking about how bad they were going to haze the next class.

My fraternity didn't haze. Well, technically some of the things we did were considered hazing (playing broomball with actives against associate members is technically hazing) but certainly nothing degrading. That sort of thing might bond you with the guys that you're enduring it with, but certainly not to the guys doing it to you.

Also, if they are so involved with the community, they sure don't make it widely known. Perhaps you have to live in a college town to see this involvement. Still, I am glad to hear this is a facet of Greek culture as I was not aware of it earlier.

My fraternity put on the Daffodil festival (a very long running tradition at Cal) where we sold fresh Dafodils all week long (with the help of sorority girls) with all the proceeds going to charity. When I was there it went to Cal Camp which gave underprivileged kids a chance to experience the outdoors. Great program.

And +1 to life experiences. Being the secretary, risk manager, treasurer, rush chairman and academic chairman all gave me a chance to learn useful skills.

And I will say that though we were pretty much always above the university average, for the two semesters that I was academic chair we had the highest GPA of all the fraternities and sororities, even the academic ones.

 

[Jared Lash]

How much money does it cost to join one of these things?

I can only speak for my own, which was at Berkeley in the late 90's (I graduated in winter of 2000). Living out of the house the dues were $100 a month. Living in the house it was part of your rent which was still lower than the cost of living in the dorms (around $600 a month).

 

[bassist 4 life]

Im in the process of being a Phi Kappa Tau.

 

[ADbassman]

Regarding hazing, I initially joined a house that did it pretty heavily. Three weeks of that and I got out. Complete useless BS if you asked me. The house where I was initiated was incredibly tame in comparison. When I graduated, there were over 120 active members. Was I close friends with all of them? No. But I knew them, and knew I could count on any of them if I needed anything.

Hazing is something I never really understood about the Greek system. To put it simply, why would anybody join an organization that makes them feel like trash on a daily basis? Despite sitting through countless seminars on hazing offered by our college IFC and our International Fraternity office, the answer still eludes me.

Unfortunately, hazing remains a blight on the Greek system. I can personally attest that I have never experienced or witnessed hazing within my own chapter, but I know it happens in other chapters. It's an issue that we take very seriously. Hazing is a crime and people have died because of it. Being President of the fraternity, I made damn sure that nothing resembling hazing occurred in my chapter, since I was particular liable if something were to happen.

I saw the aftermath of what hazing did to one of our other chapters in another state, and it only served as a reminder to the rest of us how serious of an issue it is. When the dust settled, I believe 17 members of that house were expelled not only from their chapter, but also from the university. In the grand scheme of things, they got off easy. There is a whole sleuth of legal trouble they could have faced, that could have potentially led to jail time.

I can't understand why anybody would engage in hazing or tolerate being hazed in light of the consequences. I realize some of you who have posted here mentioned being hazed at one point or another and I'm not attempting to accuse you of anything. Really, I'd like to hear your story if you're willing to share, if for no other reason than to better understand why it happens.

 

[Pilgrim]

Hazing is on its way out across the country. Good thing, too - it benefits no one. Colleges are really cracking down on it, more so every year.

 

[NJL]

I am a Sigma Chi alum. Some of my lifelong friends came from my experiences with our fraternity.

will you tell us the bennie story now?

 

[kasanovakarl]

I think it's less funny and more common sense. I'd find it highly unusual if the members of the Greek community were the first to make disparaging remarks.

I'm not saying that the textbook arguments against hold any water. Far from it. But you seem to be writing off the opinions of those you don't agree with. I'm not saying anyone has, but a person can make an informed decision based on their exposure.

That aside, I agree with the "preparing you for life" aspect, if you want to get that out of the experience.

Mike

I agree with you. I'm not writing off those opinions that differ from mine, I'm more laughing at the every greek organization is Animal House comments made earlier in the thread.

Greek organizations definately are not for everyone, and society in general has an opinion one way or another. The OP needs to check out the chapter and see if it is something he wants to be a part of or not.

 

[MakiSupaStar]

will you tell us the bennie story now?

That's funny because it involves one of my fraternity brothers from my pledge class too.

 

[Jim Campbell]

I was actually under the impression that fraternities are not something that you want to include in a resume. Animal House did a lot of damage to the view of fraternities, and that image is not going to help you in the job application process.

if anything animal house helped their image....the guy with the social elitist/shunning the so called un cool kids comments is closer to the reality methinks....

 

[thefruitfarmer]

I can only speak for my own, which was at Berkeley in the late 90's (I graduated in winter of 2000). Living out of the house the dues were $100 a month. Living in the house it was part of your rent which was still lower than the cost of living in the dorms (around $600 a month).

Thanks for that Jared.

I guess that challenges my perception that they are clubs for rich kids.

I went to College in the early 80's, to a reasonable British College of Higher Education, where I achieved an Honours Degree in Social Science. We did n't have fraternities but the students were still in recognisable groups - there were the PE mains (sports majors, jocks), hippie stoners, nerds etc.

It was probably more like Animal House than Animal House at times. There was a minor food fight, an american exchange student shinned up the rugby posts and left a bucket there for the next day. One night I was walking back to the halls and I was confronted with the entire basketball team who were wearing nothing but a sock each. They were clapping out the rhythm to "Car Wash" and insisted I came with them to the womens' halls. One of them would knock on one of their female friends doors whilst the others remained quiet. When she opened the door they all shouted "Surprise!!"

Oh happy days!

 

[mike_v_s]

Greek organizations definately are not for everyone, and society in general has an opinion one way or another. The OP needs to check out the chapter and see if it is something he wants to be a part of or not.

I completely agree. My wife and sister are still active in their respective sororities and I work with a number of guys still active in their fraternities. All of of them had very positive experiences for the most part.

On the other hand, the chapters of the fraternities at the school I attended were (at the time) full of people who weren't likely to graduate. There WERE better ones, but they had a much smaller membership and therefor lower profile.

My sister dated the president of a particular fraternity at the school she was at. He was a great guy and strongly encouraged me to rush my local chapter that fall. I told him it wasn't my thing and he gave me the "you just don't know" speech. Then he had an opportunity to work with said chapter. He told me not to bother.

Mike