For the Promotion of Brotherly Love

It is eleven o’clock on a Thursday night in September. Joe has just begun his first semester at a large state university. He has had difficulty adjusting to this new lifestyle. For the first time in his life, he is away from home. Also for the first time in his life, he has to share his room with another person. Joe never imagined what it would be like starting over in a difficult school of higher learning, and having to make all new friends. It has been a very stressful and difficult time for this male college freshman. On this brisk night, he has joined a small group of new friends on a trip to “frat row,” the collection of streets containing the community of fraternities belonging to the university. Joe has heard many things in his life about fraternities, mostly in the way that they have been portrayed in the media. The young man has yet to go to a fraternity house and experience it however. They finally come to a large mansion at the beginning of one of the streets. Staring up at the door, he sees a group of Greek letters above the frame. They are welcomed into the house by a kind fraternity brother. Inside Joe can see dozens of fraternity brothers conversing and dancing with attractive young women. He is instantly greeted by many brothers. They are very interesting and enthusiastic people who all seem very happy to meet him. Joe is told that this is a time period known as “rush” and he is welcome in the house at any time. They ask him to consider joining their brotherhood and begin to give him information about the organization. Joe now has a major decision to make, for he has heard many controversial things about fraternities, but it seems to be such a good organization with many benefits. This is a truly difficult decision indeed. Fraternities are very controversial and traditional organizations in society. They have very unique characteristics, a great history of development, and many controversies surrounding them. In order for one to understand a fraternity, one must first know what a fraternity is and the traditions and characteristics that identify it.

The word fraternity is derived from the Latin word frater, which means brother. This word can be used to describe any type of social and charitable organization, though it is most common as organizations in colleges and other institutions of higher learning. There are four major types of fraternities including general (or social), professional, honorary, and service. Social fraternities are the most common and well known types in colleges. Many of these fraternities are national organizations with chapters at different individual schools. In this case, these national organizations will serve as governing bodies with constitutions and strict bylaws for the individual chapters to follow. They may set standards and policies for housing, rituals, and behavior. When belonging to a national fraternity, a member may go to another chapter and also enjoy privileges there. There are also local fraternities that do not belong to a national organization and create their own bylaws and policies. These organizations will benefit from more freedom, however are not able to refer to a larger organization for loans and privileges.

A unique trait common amongst fraternities as opposed to other university organizations are that members will often live together in a large house. There are several reasons for this. The first is that living together strengthens the bonds between members and emphasizes the idea of brotherhood. The second reason is that the house can serve as a headquarters and base of administration and operations for the organization. It is common for large Greek letters representing the name of the fraternity to be displayed on the outside of the house. It is also common for the walls of the fraternity house to be decorated with historical items such as trophies, past fraternity composites, pictures of past brothers, and awards. There can be any number of bedrooms in the house, along with a lounge and meeting or dining room. Many fraternity houses are large Victorian style mansions on or off college campuses. These houses are usually overseen and regulated by alumni groups or the national organizations for liability purposes and costs.

Fraternities are well known for their contributions to society. Many do tremendous amounts of philanthropy for the communities and schools that they are associated with and belong to. It is common for the members of fraternities to dedicate enormous amounts of time, energy, and money to community service. Fundraising is often performed by fraternity members to gain money to donate to charitable organizations and other good causes. One major example is the famous “Penn State Dance Marathon” where social organizations largely comprised of fraternities have members dance for forty-eight hours and raise money for children with cancer. In recent years millions of dollars have been raised with a record being set in 2006 of over 4.1 million dollars. While fraternities may be well known as secret societies, they are better known as beneficial organizations.

One of the main characteristics of a fraternity is a system of rituals that is kept as a well guarded secret and very symbolic. It is believed that many of these rituals are derived from Masonic order rituals. The Free Masons are one of the oldest secret societies in the world with its own set of symbols and rituals. Meetings of the members of a fraternity are also kept secret and cannot be shared with the outside unless it has the approval of the entire chapter. Some fraternity secrets may include secret handshakes, journals, passwords, and songs. The Greek letters of a fraternity can also have a hidden meaning, representing another name or standing for the true name. This meaning is only known to members of that particular fraternity however. Some fraternities are not known as secret fraternities and have no rituals, but it is common for most to have their share of secrets. Another major type of secret in a fraternity can include the initiation rites involved in new members joining.

The process of joining a fraternity begins with a period known as “rush,” which got its name from the time when students would have to rush to find housing by joining a fraternity. This period consists of students being invited to attend events at a fraternity house where they can meet members of the fraternity. These “rush” periods can be either formal or informal. Formal periods are usually very structured with designated times for potential new members to meet with fraternity members and get to know them. They will also briefly enjoy the privileges of the organization during this time in order to give them an idea of the benefits and lifestyle of a fraternity brother. A student might have to meet certain requirements such as holding a particular academic standing in order to rush a fraternity. Once this rush period is over, the members will invite “rushees” of their choice to pledge the fraternity. If a student accepts this invitation, or “bid,” they will agree to only pledge the one fraternity at that time. During the pledge process, the pledges will not enjoy many privileges until they are initiated as new members. Pledge processes vary from fraternity to fraternity however there are some practices common between them. Pledges will often have to wear a pledge pin, defer to full members, learn about the history of the fraternity, and perform types of service. Many houses also have an old tradition where pledges have to go through a “hell week” where they must pass through many trials of endurance. There is also an old traditional practice known as “paddling” that still occurs in some chapters where pledges are submitted to being struck with a wooden paddle. The pledge process serves to create a bond of brotherhood and allow both the pledges and full members to determine if they have made the right choice. At the end of the pledge process, the pledges will be invited to become initiated into the fraternity. Once becoming a full member they will then take on all the responsibilities of a brother, and have to live up to every standard of their chapter. They will usually become a lifetime member of an organization and then be required to be involved in certain rituals and ceremonies. These traditions and rituals all evolved over the course of the long history of the fraternities in the United States.

According to legend, the first Greek letter fraternity, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, was founded by a group of individuals who were denied membership into the organization known as the Flat Hat Club. This fraternity was founded at the College of William and Mary in Virginia on December 5, 1776. The Flat Hat Club is widely known as the precursor to Greek letter organizations. Most of the students who formed Phi Beta Kappa were educated and well versed in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, and chose the letters as they stood for the words in an old Greek motto known to all the founders. The Phi Beta Kappa society became known as a literary fraternity because it was used as a stage and forum to hold discussion and cover topics avoided in classical education at the universities of the day and age. This set the basis for what has become known as “Greek Life.” This organization also had secrets and rituals, membership badges, and a strict code of behavior and ideals which influenced fraternities for years to come. In 1824, Chi Phi was founded at Princeton University and became the first social fraternity. It soon disbanded and Kappa Alpha was founded on November 26, 1825 at Union College in New York. This is known as the first true general fraternity since its focus was on friendship and fellowship rather than literary purposes. The literary fraternities began to die out by this time, and two more social fraternities formed at Union College, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi. Sigma Phi became the first national fraternity once it opened a second chapter at another nearby school. Three fraternities were later founded at Miami University in Ohio. Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, and Sigma Chi formed this triumvirate of fraternities at Miami University and began expanding their fraternities nationally, making expansion a key principle. Around this time, fraternities were growing and rivalries between them were also arising. Zeta Psi became the first bicoastal fraternity with chapters in New York and California in 1870. Nine years later it became the first fraternity in Canada when it established a chapter at the University of Toronto. The American Civil War halted much of the growth that had taken place since the founding of the first frat however there was a tremendous spurt of growth in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Delta Kappa Epsilon which was founded at Yale is renowned for having six alumni who became President of the United States, along with many prominent business and political figures. In the late 1960’s during the Vietnam War there was great unrest among students on college campuses across the nation. There was a great lack of pledges during this time do to increased criticism of fraternities for the unrest, and growth of the Greek organizations was once again halted. In recent times however, fraternities have once again become popular due to rising in University costs, and the benefit of living in a fraternity house where room and board costs rest at a minimum. This great history has been tainted with the marks of controversy however.

It has been common for fraternities to hold parties where such controversial activities such as alcohol consumption and drug use take place. Many fraternities have gotten into trouble and been given bad reputations for charges of underage drinking, use of illegal substances, and neighborhood disturbances. This has led to a common misconception of fraternities being simple party organizations that do more harm than good in society. In response to this controversy, many national organizations and individual chapters are creating “dry fraternities” where such acts are forbidden. The most controversial aspect of fraternities however involves the hazing of pledges. Hazing involves inflicting abuse, persecution, or harassment on pledges as initiation rites to get into the fraternity. This is done either mentally or physically usually by forcing pledges to complete tasks that are difficult, humiliating or meaningless. Hazing is derived from military practices and came into effect when soldiers returned from the Civil War, and it increased even more when soldiers returned from World War I. The idea behind hazing is break down the individual pledges and make them fail, but make them unify and succeed as a team. It began as a legitimate technique to build teams, loyalty, and feelings of value. Hazing can include anything from forcing the consumption of alcohol, to “paddling” or other physical abuse, to the forcing of calisthenics. Since the 1870’s, fraternities have been being banned for hazing, and most others have created strict “no hazing” policies. Out of tradition it is common for hazing to continue in many chapters across the nation, even if performed illegally. Proponents of hazing believe that in order to see the worth of a pledge, they must see their ability to deal with the challenges laid before them. They argue that pledging is completely voluntary and a pledge can quit the process at any time. Opponents of hazing see it as an unnecessary and outdated method of initiation that is more harsh than beneficial. While the most brutal forms of hazing have all but been eliminated from national fraternities, many traditions still defined as hazing exist.

Fraternities are extremely traditional organizations in society. They have a history dating back to over two hundred years. They can be identified with many unique and strong characteristics such as fraternity houses, secret rituals, and traditional initiation rites. Fraternities are beneficial groups known for their philanthropy and service. They have also unfortunately been surrounded by controversies involving excessive partying and hazing. Joe has enjoyed the “rush” period immensely and has been intensely considering whether he would like to join the fraternity. As he is handed the “bid” with the invitation to join the brotherhood he has become familiar with, he decides to pledge and embarks on the lifelong journey as a member of a fraternity.

Works Cited

"Fraternities and Sororities," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006

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“Fraternity and Sorority.” Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 edition.