Greek Life

Okay, so I was catching up with some of my friends at home friday night, and the topic of being in a fraternity sparked my friends into "50 questions" mode about being a "frat guy". I'm going to attempt to clear up some of the misconceptions regarding the greek life here at West Chester University, why, because i feel, no i know most people think they know about what being in a fraternity/sorority is all about. But if they only knew what really went on, at least with my fraternity here, their feelings may be swayed a little, but it's better than nothing. Some may find this, I guess you could say "rant" (but not in a bad way) pointless and boring. Others may be involved in the greek system here and hopefully they feel the same way. The rest may find it very interesting and learn a little. If anyone has any questions regarding this topic or hey, maybe even be thinking about joining a fraternity/sorority, I wouldn't mind answering their questions and give more insight about what it's like to be greek.

1. "I'm not . to have friends at school"

Oh I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard this. Yes, you do have to pay "dues" to be in a fraternity. My only answer to this is that all the experiences you go through, the friends you do make in the process (not just the brothers), the benefits of being in a fraternity when your out of school looking for a job, simply outweigh not being in one. No one forces you to be friends with anyone in your fraternity, in fact there are some of my brothers I don't prefer to hang around. I don't have to like everyone of them, and the ones I don't like I'm still cool with when they're around.

2. Greek Life is a fast paced, binge drinking, drug using life.

I defiantly believed this as I watched movies like Animal House and American Pie: Beta House, but reality is it's nothing like those movies. Of course we like to party when the time's right, but in no way are we mixing beer with our cereal in the morning, or partying every night of the week. In our fraternity, there are people who don't drink and they are never pressured to. No one is going to lock you in a closet and not let you out until you finish a bottle of vodka, or force you to smoke (and if they do, walking away would be the best thing you can do, no one needs to be around people like that). The bottom line is school comes first, when it's time to be serious we are, and when it's time to relax we do that as well, just like any one else does on campus.

3. Joining a greek organization inhibits academic performance.

For some, it may, but for most it certainly does not. Last year at West Chester University, students involved in the greek system had a higher average cum. gpa than the rest of the student body. Like I said before, school comes first.

4. Greek organizations don't help improve any skills like leadership or communication.

When i first decided i wanted to pledge a fraternity, I was not aware of how much politics was involved. Leadership, communication, organization skills, as well as time managing skills are all gained from being in a fraternity. There are many positions to be held, ranging from president, vice president, social chair, treasurer, community service, and many more. Each person has their own set of tasks and responsibilities. There are programs brothers attend, and many community service/philanthropy events held to help raise money for our philanthropy. There's so much more I could write about but I'll just leave it at that...

I could go on in greater detail about he rumors of greek life for probably another hour or so, but for the most part I think these are the most common beliefs. Any questions? Want me to clarify anything? Just let me know.