I find myself examining the Greek system. Why do fraternities exist? What is the purpose of a sorority? Do these organizations contribute to the flourishing of both the individual and larger community? I’m searching for answers not necessarily offered by overzealous and overwhelming rush week recruiters.
Everyone knows the popularized fraternity apologetic, promising a brotherhood united in the pursuit of virtue. Guarantees of social status and business connections are veiled by a vocabulary espousing “responsibility” and “leadership.” The Greek system offers a way for students to find themselves and give themselves to others in a community unified under a common purpose. I don’t disagree.
A fraternity, particularly at Hillsdale, significantly contributes to the well-being of society. It assists in the individual’s pursuit of real human goods and values. Through this pursuit, pledges and members find happiness and meaning. The organization facilitates friendship and offers its members a structure of solidarity. It provides the institutionalized grounds for play and leisure in which our community can partake. We experience this through a variety of events, from costume parties to formals. Participation in a fraternity’s customs and traditions gives members a structure of significance and meaning. Guided by their organization’s institutional hierarchy and common goals, fraternity members occupy established social roles. Through role-playing, individuals develop habits and learn morals. This process makes fraternities an integral feature of a student’s education.
Fraternities’ societal benefits extend far beyond the walls of the frat house. At Hillsdale, they often participate in charitable activities, volunteering and raising money to assist the lives of the needy. Sigma Chi annually supports Derby Days, a fundraiser for cancer research, and Alpha Tau Omega recently instigated Dobby Days, “a week long clothing philanthropy event.” For this both groups should be applauded.
Despite the promotion of goods and values provided by our fraternal organizations, I nevertheless find flaws within the system. In the spirit of constructive criticism, I will name a few. The institutions are fragile, possessing the potential for self-destruction in a single, momentary incident. An accumulation of collegiate adolescents, ordered under an institutionalized group, periodically fosters inordinate human impulses to sexual deviancy and alcohol abuse. This behavior leads to dire consequences. There exists historic precedent for this at Hillsdale. We can’t forget that, in the last 20 years, more than one fraternity has tragically lost their chapter or house and with multiple members censured for misbehavior. As much as particular organizations attempt to purge themselves of imperfections, they often draw characters capable of and interested in self-destructive behavior. Instead of reforming these individuals with goodwill, they often tacitly permit subcultures, which, albeit not technically affiliated with the institution, foster events which end up imploding organizations. These events cause distrust and tension between the administration and the organization at hand. With good behavior, however, fraternities can renew their chapters and repossess their houses. And they should, because it leads the institution towards reformation.
In addition to these tendencies toward institutional annihilation, the Greek system is prone to cause unhealthy social pressures on individuals and the student body at large, particularly during rush season. The organizations relentlessly recruit and market to freshmen boys and girls who are at their most vulnerable, when they haven’t yet explored their potential within the greater college community. Unconscious of their place and unaware of the extensive collegiate prospects from which they can potentially find meaning and purpose, multiple individuals each year drop their bids and deactivate their memberships. These are failures in recruitment and marketing. But they can be improved.
In our search for a better world, let us not malign the existence of our Greek system per se, but work to eliminate the various abuses therein.