The Value of Fraternity
Issue date: 9/26/06 Section: Editorial
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Each fall, as reliably as the trees begin to change colors and the air cools, comes a familiar and often-amusing sight: pledges to the school's various Greek organizations.
As amusing it is to see Psi U pledges sent over to try to intercept women on their way to a Pike party, or to see a group of women in pretty dresses and heels walk calmly towards Vernon Street on a Sunday morning then hightail it in the opposite direction just a few minutes later, it would be naive to pretend that most Greek organizations' pledging practices are all good, clean fun.
The Greek system has been criticized, particularly by the Trinity faculty, for being exclusive and destructive to Trinity's academic climate. At their best, however, Greek organizations can enhance their members' academic, athletic, artistic, and community service efforts through a supportive social network. Real siblings find themselves in relationships that vary from loving to hateful. A chosen siblinghood should reflect only the best qualities of this relationship: compassion, friendship, empathy, and the overwhelming desire to care for each other. That's what fraternities and sororities are about: finding a comfortable, caring, and supportive place with like-minded individuals to fall back on while pursuing other goals during and after one's undergraduate career.
There is something to be said for the boot camp method for building loyalty to an organization: the U.S. armed forces' basic training psychologically breaks down new recruits, then builds them up as servicemen and women who are ready to faithfully and unquestioningly serve side by side in situations that carry an unfathomable degree of stress.
Greek organizations seek to create a similar unwavering sense of community, but their goals are social, not military. There is simply no need to degrade young men and women through ridiculous rituals. If teambuilding is the goal, why is it necessary for existing members to put those who would join their numbers in a subordinate, degrading position before embracing them as full brothers or sisters?
Scavenger hunts. Impromptu performances. Creative pursuits. Sports events. Community service activities. Memorization of an organization's history. There are many activities fraternal organizations can use to promote a sense of belonging and dedication without the type of degrading treatment that has long been associated with pledging.
Not all of this campus' Greek organizations rely on humiliation and excess for their pledging and initiation rituals, and the secretive nature of many of the organizations' practices limit available examples. Some prominent incidents received publicity in the past few years, however, including such unacceptable behavior as property destruction at another college and setting a pledge on fire.It can only be hoped that, this year, abuse and destruction will be superceded by activities of bonding, friendship, and service.
As amusing it is to see Psi U pledges sent over to try to intercept women on their way to a Pike party, or to see a group of women in pretty dresses and heels walk calmly towards Vernon Street on a Sunday morning then hightail it in the opposite direction just a few minutes later, it would be naive to pretend that most Greek organizations' pledging practices are all good, clean fun.
The Greek system has been criticized, particularly by the Trinity faculty, for being exclusive and destructive to Trinity's academic climate. At their best, however, Greek organizations can enhance their members' academic, athletic, artistic, and community service efforts through a supportive social network. Real siblings find themselves in relationships that vary from loving to hateful. A chosen siblinghood should reflect only the best qualities of this relationship: compassion, friendship, empathy, and the overwhelming desire to care for each other. That's what fraternities and sororities are about: finding a comfortable, caring, and supportive place with like-minded individuals to fall back on while pursuing other goals during and after one's undergraduate career.
There is something to be said for the boot camp method for building loyalty to an organization: the U.S. armed forces' basic training psychologically breaks down new recruits, then builds them up as servicemen and women who are ready to faithfully and unquestioningly serve side by side in situations that carry an unfathomable degree of stress.
Greek organizations seek to create a similar unwavering sense of community, but their goals are social, not military. There is simply no need to degrade young men and women through ridiculous rituals. If teambuilding is the goal, why is it necessary for existing members to put those who would join their numbers in a subordinate, degrading position before embracing them as full brothers or sisters?
Scavenger hunts. Impromptu performances. Creative pursuits. Sports events. Community service activities. Memorization of an organization's history. There are many activities fraternal organizations can use to promote a sense of belonging and dedication without the type of degrading treatment that has long been associated with pledging.
Not all of this campus' Greek organizations rely on humiliation and excess for their pledging and initiation rituals, and the secretive nature of many of the organizations' practices limit available examples. Some prominent incidents received publicity in the past few years, however, including such unacceptable behavior as property destruction at another college and setting a pledge on fire.It can only be hoped that, this year, abuse and destruction will be superceded by activities of bonding, friendship, and service.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Robert Alexander Boyle '85
posted 9/27/06 @ 12:37 AM EST
The more Bolshevik minded faculty has been trying since 1983 to abolish fraternities. I was one of the group that in 1984 voted to make St. A's co-ed. (Continued…)
Amanda Pledgenburn
posted 9/28/06 @ 12:46 PM EST
Is there an outstanding beef between the Tripod and AD? Seriously why not just name them in that last paragraph? I heard the destruction at the other college was caused by the flames coming off of the burning pledge. (Continued…)
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