Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Fraternity and sororities are special group of people defined by their own rules. Benefits and challenges for college students involved in these social groups have raised a lot of issues and argumentations in the society in terms of its effect and importance. In the Philippines, fraternities and sororities are prohibited in many campuses and universities. Noting the sometimes raucous behavior of fraternity members and the danger of some of activities done in the organizations such as hazing, only some universities acknowledge these organizations. Fraternity representatives on the other hand will often lay claim that membership enhances overall student growth, learning, development and serves to bolster the essential quality of the campus life of a student.
Such contradictions raise the question if fraternities and sororities add or subtract development from the overall collegiate experience. Some of the questions commonly raised in the topic are the following:
Why does a college student join fraternity? Is it really beneficial? What are the benefits they will get after joining? Is it really that significant? Or is it just out of their curiosity? What are the common reasons of joining? Is membership good or bad? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a fraternity/sorority? To answer that question, one must look at the overall outcomes, or, what and who does the students become as a result of their fraternity experience as measured in changes in their behavior upon membership. Some limited studies have been conducted from which contrasting conclusions have been drawn, from espousing values contrary to academic achievement to promoting engagement which has been found to complement academic and leadership achievement. In the Philippines, hazing is one of the issues commonly raised. Many are