Fraternities are a good way to meet people.  Its something you have to be a part of in order to fully know its benefits.  However, I will not ever tell you that you wont encounter assholes.  And DO NOT EVER become a treasurer.  You will suddenly find out how many people are real deadbeats.


Theta Tau, Upsilon Chapter @ the University of Arkansas

you wont go to hell. BUT see fraternitys are of this world. see im just in the world not of it

I am a Sigma Pi (Alpha Pi chapter).  Joining a fraternity was one of the best things that I did in college, I made friends...no not friends, brothers....there that I value dearly.  We had tons of fun, learned from each other, helped each other both personally and in school.

Go to several different rush events, you will know when you find the right one.  I knew that I was "home" when I met the 200 credit hour hippie with Coke bottle glasses, the Malaysian kid, the ROTC nazi, the redneck, the preppie, the pot smoking philosopher, the future investment banker, and the surfer dude all at the same party.  All getting along, having fun together.

Join, participate, bond.  You'll be glad you did.

Approximately 90% of congress and the senate were in fraternities.  Reagan and Bush were in as well. So was Billy bob Clinton!

Quoted: I am a Sigma Pi (Alpha Pi chapter).  Joining a fraternity was one of the best things that I did in college, I made friends...no not friends, brothers....there that I value dearly.  We had tons of fun, learned from each other, helped each other both personally and in school. Go to several different rush events, you will know when you find the right one.  I knew that I was "home" when I met the 200 credit hour hippie with Coke bottle glasses, the Malaysian kid, the ROTC nazi, the redneck, the preppie, the pot smoking philosopher, the future investment banker, and the surfer dude all at the same party.  All getting along, having fun together. Join, participate, bond.  You'll be glad you did.

Hye bro, whats up! Never talked to a fellow sigma pi from any other state but CA.

i might just get a friend and go around and tap guys on the back and say "skull and bones accept or reject" without letting him look back. figure it could be fun

Good fraternities are great, bad fraternities are horrible cesspools of drugs, drinking, and homosexuality.  If you find a good one, go for it.  Find one where the members can balance schoolwork and partying, not one that is only about boozing or nerds.

The Neutral Observer was in a nerdy tennis sweater type fraternity.  How much of a nerdy, tennis-sweater type?  Brothers were supposedly only allowed to date girls that were students at Vassar.  The Neutral Observer did not go to Vassar, by the way; this was some B.S. rule that someone thought up many years before The Neutral Observer was born, and the connection between that fraternity and Vassar has been obscured by time.  For nerdy tennis-sweater types, though, they could get "tore up" on the weekends.  Overall, it was a decent experience.

I had fun, but remember to not lose sight of why you are going to college - to get that fancy piece of paper with the calligraphy and all.  I partied a bit too hard and spent an extra semester in school when I should have been graduating.  But damn, those parties and those sorority girls...

Phi Gamma Delta, Cal State Long Beach

TOGA!  TOGA!  TOGA!  TOGA!  ...

Quoted: Sigma Phi Epsilon The paying for friends comments are something you'll just have to deal with.  Kindof like hanging out in the "Team Clubhouse" here... melbo

Intersesting point

Quoted: you wont go to hell. BUT see fraternitys are of this world. see im just in the world not of it

For whatever it's worth, I believe you made a wise choice..

Be prepared to put up with bullshit just for the sake of getting along.
I met some of the snobbiest people ever rushing for a frat. I finally decided that I wouldn't put up with their shit just to get along and I quit.

teaks huh? well lemme just say that I don't think that "I'm thinking" and "joining a fraternity" are phrases that should fairly appear in the same sentence.

edited because I can't maintain a train of thought today

Quoted: teaks huh? well lemme just say that I don't think that "I'm thinking" and "joining a fraternity" are phrases that should fairly appear in the same sentence. edited because I can't maintain a train of thought today

There is certainly some irony in that post.

Outside of the endless quantities of outstanding beer and poontane, you can have quite the experience.  You pay dues for civil insurance coverage, member benefits, and social functions.  Member benefits include resources from the national office like scholarship opportunities, leadership conferences, career networking, etc.  Fraternities are great because if you can get yourself past the stereotypes you have a blank canvas as to how you want to define the experience.

I worked for the national HQ of my fraternity, and I visited every chapter we had in the country.  Some were socially retarded, some were cool as hell, others were academic based, others yet catered to a specific social interest.  You find all types of characters in fraternities.  I found that the majority of the chapters had some very basic fundamental concepts in common.

They all wanted to be part of something greater than themselves.  They all wanted to have fun.  They all enjoyed a common place to hang out.  They all wanted to benefit from a regimented weekly program consisting of functions to study halls to parties.  They all enjoyed the bonds they made with like-minded friends.  They all enjoyed having something in common, even if the only thing was the pledge program.  They all enjoyed being a part of a team.  The biggest thing they had in common is that they knew they were in college and the fraternity supplemented the experience quite well.

When I joined my fraternity I was bestowed the following information from an older brother:

"Hokie, I will now bestow upon you the 4 pursuits of becoming a well-rounded college man:

The first is the pursuit of knowledge as it is the key to power.

The second is the pursuit of music as it drives your imagination.

The third is the pursuit of  fine alcohol as it the universal potion for good times.

The fourth is the pursuit of fine women as those mysterious creatures drive us wild.

Now, the first pursuit, Knowledge, is obtained by attending your classes and living life to the fullest.  The other three, well THOSE are conveniently found in this house!!!"


I used that speech for years after!  Join and have a good time and don't be one of those social inept people.  Social fraternities have worked successfully for over 150+ years.  Some of the nation's greatest leaders stem from greek life.

Pull what you will from the fraternal experience.  You can be a lump on a log or you could really run with the program and do amazing things with it.  My 2 cents.

Having been in the greek system at LSU, I would have to say that fraternity life is what YOU make of it. Party all day and night and flunk out? Easy. Make lasting friendships, learn about helping to run an organization and become a contributing member of society? You can do that too, and have a lot of fun at the same time. It's what YOU make of your time there, and admittedly some people don't have the maturity to handle it. I know - I was scholarship chairman for a couple of years, and it was enough to make me pull my hair out.

We (Sigma Pi, no longer at LSU) got into a little row with the TKE's at some point in time. The TKE house had brown letters T-K-E on white background (or vice-versa, can't remember). Some pledges painted the top left corner of the "T" to be the same color as the background, spelling G-K-E - Geek. It caused quite the stir on the busride to class the next morning when people noticed it.

Quoted: Be prepared to put up with bulls*** just for the sake of getting along. I met some of the snobbiest people ever rushing for a frat. I finally decided that I wouldn't put up with their s*** just to get along and I quit.

Blackballed, eh?  


[j/k]  

"For the establishment of friendship on a firmer and more lasting basis;
for the promotion of brotherly love and kind feeling;
for the mutual benefit and advancement of the interests of those
with whom we sympathize and deem worthy of our regard;
We have resolved to form a fraternity,
believing that,
thus we can most successfully accomplish our object."

- Robertson Howard
- Julian Edward Wood
- James Benjamin Sclater, Jr.
- Frederick Southgate Taylor
- Littleton Waller Tazewell (Bradford)
- William Alexander