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Topic: What is the point of a Fraternity?

Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-08-2004 06:35 PM

I erased my original content since I found out what I wrote was stupid and I feel like an idiot. Sorry Mike! I am such a hothead. [Frown]

[ 10-12-2004, 09:34 AM: Message edited by: Joshua Waaland ]

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 10-08-2004 07:01 PM

quote: Steve Guttag
Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu were always having "tutor" sessions for those that needed some one-on-one help.

Hi Steve!

Did you have to craft your own "Bent" for Tau Beta Pi?

I was on the Tau Beta Pi team (SUNY Buffalo, New York Nu) that "certified" the Rochester Institute of Technology (New York Pi) back in 1970.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-08-2004 09:57 PM

quote: John Pytlak
Did you have to craft your own "Bent" for Tau Beta Pi?

Alas, I pledged neither Honor society though I had close friends that were in both. I put my efforts more into IEEE (like the SMPTE but for Electrical and Electronic Engineers). In my Senior year, I generated quite a bit of revenue for the Society and helped out Tau Beta Pi (located in the room next to ours) with their efforts.

For those not in the know...in Engineering circles, Tau Beta Pi is a big deal...generally, only the best of the best are in that society and at Maryland, it is the only Honor society that is mentioned during the graduation cerimonies (from the School of Engineering).

Steve

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Brent Neal Jones
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 211
From: Ennis, T.X., USA
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 10-09-2004 01:46 AM

quote:
Like it or not, we are all Film-Tech brothers!!

No, just associates. [Wink]

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Dean Kollet
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 591
From: Florida State University
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-09-2004 02:30 AM

I'm in a fraternity here at Florida State University, and I seem to always come across this question. Instead of defending it (b/c there is no reason to), I'll try to just explain.

I joined my fraternity because we were allowed back on campus, and they were looking for new guys. I got in as a founding member, and we got to make it how we wanted (not the bullshit associated with most organizations).

3 years later I'm a Senior in college, and what a lot of people say here is pretty much what you typically hear from everyone. There is a lot of stupid shit that goes on, people drink too much, etc...but it's like EVERY organization. Not ONE person here can tell me they have always worked for a PERFECT organization. We have fun, we do a ton of community service, I get to meet a LOT of new people (esp business connections), and it looks great on a resume.

Joe, some questions answered...
I don't know about Colorado (although one of those incidents was actually a member of my fraternity) but it's not a big deal as far as status here. We don't hold ourselves higher than anyone, and people don't think that we are trying to be held higher. It's not Revenge of the Nerds or Animal House. Most fraternities here required at LEAST a 3.0 GPA, so it eliminated SOME morons...but there will always be morons. I think some people see that there are a lot of morons in fraternities because they associate themselves with a set of Greek Letters...Kinda like the moron that drives past you in the hooked-up Honda Civic, but we don't associated him with anything. As far as the Letters, yes they do have meaning. Togas were worn in Rome and Greece...I guess someone put two and two.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-09-2004 06:01 AM

British universities don't have formally organised 'fraternities', but have a number of informal equivalents which bring all the problems that Joe, Bobby and others talk about. Most students usually live in 'halls of residence' - large houses containing 10 or so rooms to blocks with several hundred. Most student rooms are en suite (like less comfortable hotel rooms, basically) with a shared kitchen and living room between 5-10 of them. In years 2 and 3 (and, if applicable, 4) students usually rent private sector housing, and tend to stick in the groups formed 'in halls' during year 1. Some such groupings mark themeselves out as troublemakers from day 1, be it drinking themselves almost to death or whatever.

The other student social grouping which always spells trouble is the sports teams. At the institution I took my first degree, the rugby (a sort of hybrid between soccer and American Football, I'd guess) team was the worst. They had an initiation ritual which involved sitting in a circle, inserting a carrot where the sun doesn't shine, and passing it to the next one along. He was then required to eat the (inserted) end of it before repeating the procedure. After accidentally witnessing this spectacle in the bar I couldn't touch what had once been my favourite vegetable for weeks!

What's scary is that when I recently looked on the Friends Reunited site, I discovered that the guy who dreamt up the carrot ritual is now the deputy headmaster of a primary school!

I think what I'm trying to say is that like-minded students anywhere will always find ways of organising themselves into groups in order to behave stupidly (and in many ways the Christian Union was just as destructive as the 'rugger buggers', only in more subtle ways). With any luck, they'll grow out of it eventually.

Personally I just ran the film society for three years. Along with the people who did it with me I was happy to accept (mainly liquid) bribes from these people in exchange for programming the odd softcore porn flick, which of course for them represented the height of sophistication.

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-11-2004 02:21 AM

quote: Joshua Waaland
I think that is stretching by trying to say that just because we don't agree with the greek organizations that we are somehow "badmouthing America".

It's a quote from "Animal House".
It's also where you learn specialized parliamentary coughing techniques.

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 10-11-2004 02:35 AM

Fraternities and sororities are for the kids who lack self-confidence and a personal identity. They doubt their self-worth and, as a result of all these character deficiencies, they seek out the endorsement/approval of others and are willing to conform to a group identity, placing the needs/desires/code of the group above their own.

In short, they are victims willing-and-waiting to be victimized. At least, that's how they start out; by senior year they are experienced, trained bullies...and "Rush Week" brings the new crop of fresh meat for them to victimize.

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Jason Miller
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 241
From: Little Rock, AR,
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 10-11-2004 11:48 PM

I haven't been an activemember of Beta Theta Pi since I left from Colorado School of Mines. I haven't been in contact with my house much to know what the current status of the house is.. so my perspective may be skewed by the fact that I only know what I experienced.

It wasnt a matter of "renting" friends. I knew several guys that were in the house that didnt socialize as much as others. it wasnt any different than the dorms. no one was made to like anyone. if you were an asshole, you were kicked out. we didnt haze the pledges anymore than a senior would haze a freshman in the dorms or on campus. of course we treated them different. but the point of it was to be in good spirits. did you ever tell your little brother he had to do your chores for you? that is the kind of stuff we did.

as for the drinking part. oh yeah. there were underage drinkers. just like the dorms. there were older guys that could get beer for younger guys. just like the dorms. if you were an asshole when you started drinking, you were banned from the parties. not like the dorms.

a previous message talked about having people around inyour samemajor that you could ask for help. it was real convenient to know the major of everyone in the house so you could stop by their room and ask questions. most dorm people knew about the people on the same floor.. but didnt really expand out fromthere (this was probably because we were a bunch of nerds who spent countless hours playing online games and watching star trek.. Joe could verify my school was nerdville).

I joined because I didnt like my roomate from the day I met him. so I went for a walk around campus and started visiting the houses. I saw a Sig Ep getting car help from a Beta (they were wearing shirts with letters on them). I always thought that fraternities were rivals with each other, but these guys acted like friends. it was one of those "I'll be damned" moments. I toured the houses and saw that they had a lot more fun than the dorms did. they would have food fights.. they would invite sororities over for lunch/dinner. they had study sessions. they penalized you if you had bad grades by not letting you participate in events.

they also didnt "sell" me on anything. they didnt put on a show. they told me if I wanted to join to fill out a form, but that was it.

they also had a rich history behind them and I was big on history. they were one of the oldest founded (1839) and had houses all over the country (which came inhandy when i had car trouble in kansas and the chapter at KSU gave me dinner and let me stay the night).

I can call upon any alumni for a favor and the same can be asked of me. I have gotten job prospects from alums and have helped some of the underclassmen get part time jobs at theatres if they asked me.

I realize that there are countless more arguments against the fraternities because of the dickheads that stuff pledges in trunks and leave them in the woods.. or drinking deaths.. or rape cases (which are not exclusive to fraternities... take CU football team for example). but condemning every person that ever joined a fraternity seems just a bit discriminatory itself.

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Dean Kollet
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 591
From: Florida State University
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-12-2004 12:27 AM

thanks Jason, at least someone knows what I'm talking about...

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 10-12-2004 03:53 AM

Oh yeah, a former colleague is a USC EE grad and is a member of the engineering frat there. One very nice continuing perk for alums--free parking! On a first-come-first-served basis, but still very handy during football season--it's only about a 10 minute walk from the frat house over to the LA Coliseum.

I've never pledged myself--was always an older, working, part-time student and as such felt a little out of place. But I think the benefits outweigh any disadvantages. Maybe I'll try it when I do my grad program at UCLA. Someday...

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 10-12-2004 06:07 PM

Just filled out a form, eh?

Of course, I would never expect anybody to admit that they wore another guys used underwear for a week just to get into a fraternity. I totally expect to hear about how decent and above-board everything was.

I recall a group of kids who got their asses whacked with those ridiculous paddles to the point where their asses bled. The younger brother of a college buddy was one of those kids.

And the case where the frat boys sprayed the back trunk of a car with bug spray and caused the death of some pledges who had to spend some stupid amount of time locked in there. This made the news in Florida some years ago; it's an old story but it's typical shit that I get tired of hearing about.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 10-12-2004 08:32 PM

quote: Manny Knowles
...I would never expect anybody to admit that they wore another guys used underwear...

So Manny... what's yur point? I think that is really HOT!

quote: Manny Knowles
...frat boys sprayed the back trunk of a car with bug spray and caused the death of some pledges who had to spend some stupid amount of time locked in there.

Yeah? So? If they are STUPIT enuff to go there, more power to weeding out the gene pool!

(BTW: I would comment about the "whackings", BUT! I'm NOT into spanking videos!)

Yours in Christ...

>>> Phil

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Rachel Craven
Madam Moderator

Posts: 2190
From: Pensacola, FL
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 10-12-2004 08:55 PM

quote:
Like it or not, we are all Film-Tech brothers!!

If you say so... [Roll Eyes]

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Dean Kollet
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 591
From: Florida State University
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-12-2004 09:00 PM

stupid shit happens all the time, no matter what kinda of person or what "club" they are in. I'm not going to point out stupid shit that goes on with people who aren't in a fraternity. I like how almost every person hasn't actually had any experience with a fraternity, yet they seem to know what they are about.

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