College Fraternities
College Fraternities
College fraternities have always struck me as being an organization of guys who spend their time drinking beer and having their "social gatherings"
(parties). Just moving to Austin recently (which is by no doubt a "college city") has made me want to know more about the sole purpose of these fraternities. For these reasons I chose to select this culture for my essay.
The definition of a fraternity is defined as " chiefly social organization of male college students, usually designated by Greek letters".
(Morris 1982:523) This definition is not true to all where most fraternity members are seen as drunks who accomplish nothing scholastically or socially .
Unfortunately, the definition and portrayal of the people fails to mention the fact that membership in a fraternity is a life-long experience that helps its members develop social, organizational, and study skills , and also teaches true, everlasting friendship. As a matter of fact most of our presidents were members of a Greek organization.
"The first fraternity was founded for literary and social purposes at
The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg,
Virginia on December 5th 1776."
(Klepper 1937:24) Throughout the nineteenth century many new fraternities were founded, but none of these were permanent. By the end of the nineteenth century there were over thirty general fraternities in the country. Today's fraternities still have the characteristics of past fraternities.
These characteristics include "a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge , friendship and comradeship (Klepper
1937:56) . During membership one must learn leadership skills . For this reason fraternities embrace these offices held by members: President, Vice- president, Treasurer, Scribe, etc.
Since membership is seen as a great achievement
by