Fraternities

As a member of a fraternity I do feel that they have a lot to offer and believe that are worth more than those that aren’t Greek realize. They offer many opportunities for their members to grow as leaders and human beings and even though the public has put them under a microscope within the past few weeks they are still a worthy investment. Many of the points that Brady brought up in his are very interesting and although there are parts where I see his points there is also a perspective that I’ve gained that I wasn’t aware of until joining. The first point he brought up was pledging. First off I have no idea what his roommate went through and unless he told you what all he did I don’t think you truly understand what he went through either. Pledging at its core is designed to bring a group closer together, present them with an opportunity to learn the values of the organization, and give them time to decide if its really want to join the organization. Pledging isn’t supposed to be a miserable experience if someone thinks it is too awful they can drop. Hopefully no is forced into anything they are uncomfortable with and why would they join an organization if they were completely against the actions of the members of the fraternity. Also looking at the instances that have been placed in the news isn’t always the fairest assessment of what pledging is like everywhere. These may be extreme circumstances but in reality we have no idea.

            The argument that when people join a fraternity they are paying for friends is a little more difficult to argue. One way to argue it is it’s a two way street and you must have a relationship with the people in the fraternity to get a bid and you have the ability to try to join any fraternity. Friendship must exist before paying any some of money and I believe I’m paying for a lot more than just the ability to be friends with my brothers. Many people are considered friends of my fraternity and don’t pay a cent but still are friends with all the members. What they are missing out on is what I think we are truly paying for. Dues for a Greek organization go to paying nationals, covering costs for functions such as formal, as well as cover other expenses around the organization. As the case with travel soccer, friends are a byproduct and the main selling point of the fraternity but to me it isn’t what is being purchased with the money.