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  • Essay / Role of Sororities and Fraternities in College Life

    Fraternities and Sororities Should Not Be Banned on College CampusesFraternity and Sorority. These two words have such a significant meaning. There is a difference between friendship and brotherhood. They create a bond completely different from the others. If someone needs help, advice, someone to lean on, they will always know that their brother or sister will be there for them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Sororities and fraternities make up a large portion of college campuses across the entire country. If they were to be banned, the college experience simply wouldn't be the same. Greek life on college campuses brings students a whole new experience that few other organizations can offer. They bring young men and women together and create this bond that cannot be broken. Sororities and fraternities honestly create a brotherhood or sisterhood, in my opinion, in a way that nothing else can do as much. Once one gets involved in a fraternity or sorority, it truly opens their eyes to all the positive aspects a Greek organization can provide. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Most people's main concern about the presence of Greek organizations on college campuses is purely the poor reputation of these organizations among of the public. For a large majority of people, fraternities and sororities are nothing more than a social club. “Most fraternities and sororities, however, serve primarily as social clubs” (“Fraternity and Sorority”). They see it as a place for excessive drinking, drug abuse, and hazing of new members. Of course, if we just look at movies like "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "Old School" or news stories about fraternity hazing or deaths caused by hazing; fraternities can seem like all they have to offer are parties, drugs, and hazing. On the one hand, there are many laws against hazing today. The situation is completely different from twenty years ago: Greek organizations as a whole do not promote hazing at all. If something makes someone uncomfortable, that person not only can but is also encouraged to talk to their chapter advisor about it. You might also be interested in our article on College Prep, where we put together a list of tips. Now let's move on to the accusation of excessive alcohol consumption and drug abuse; it is true that there is alcohol consumption at fraternity and sorority houses and parties. That said, all members are required to complete several alcohol awareness and consumption classes where they learn how to consume alcohol wisely. Additionally, many Greek organizations have a zero-tolerance drug policy, whereby if an active member is caught in possession of any sort of illegal substance, their membership in said Greek organization will be immediately revoked. Many people believe that at fraternity parties, fraternity members are doing their thing. It is absolutely better to intoxicate women to get what they want, to have a "one-night stand." “I like girls who wear clothes that reveal part of their body, so I can, I don't know, see what she looks like” - “The idea is that they're cheap, I don't I never have to see them again unless I want to” (Sanday). Certainly, there are some membersselected from virtually every fraternity that only cares about partying, getting high, and trying to get as many women without having an intimate relationship with said person. That said, there are a lot more people like that who aren't even affiliated with a Greek organization, so honestly, it's not fair to create a complete stereotype of members of Greek organizations. Fraternities and sororities aren't all about partying, drugs, sexual activity, and hazing. The true purpose of fraternities and sororities is to stimulate scholarship, build character, and promote brotherhood and sorority. Greek organizations have really quality people as members for the most part. They look for the qualities mentioned above in each of their possible members. These qualities undoubtedly create an overall authentic, determined and caring person. The second argument when it comes to people wanting to ban fraternities and sororities on college campuses is the financial aspect of joining a Greek organization. It is true that certain dues will have to be paid to join a Greek organization. There are social contributions and new contributions. Some people may see this as people "buying their friendships" by paying their dues while joining a fraternity or sorority. Which may lead them to believe that the so-called fraternity that you just paid to be a part of shouldn't even be considered a fraternity or sisterhood at all. On the contrary, this is not true at all. Even if you pay dues to be part of a fraternity or sorority, you don't buy your friendships at all. These fees all go to the national board, which is then used to improve the specific organization as a whole. Not a single soul in the Greek organization pockets the money that one spends to join said organization and then goes to spend it for personal purposes. Whether it is repairing the house in which members are staying, building new houses, providing catering services to the residents of the house, the money spent by members only goes towards improving the chapter as a whole. Another reason why one is not buying their friends by joining a Greek organization is because the friendships that are formed are one hundred percent authentic and real. If one were to buy their friendships honestly, they would be completely superficial; no one would be friends with each other, but rather more like acquaintances. According to surveys by Abowitz, Deborah A. and David Knox of the College Student Journal, members of fraternities and sororities are actually extremely relationship-oriented; they voted for being happy, being in love, and having close friends as the most important things to them. From personal experience, I know that the relationships formed with other members of a fraternity are unlike anything else I have had before. I know they will always be there for me and I would do the same for them. It truly is a bond that cannot be broken, and I say that after only 7 weeks of commitment. I'm not even a member yet and I definitely feel like I'm already in their fraternity and a brother to all of them. Obviously, students come to university to study; that’s the real main goal. I completely understand this and strongly believe that every student should try to give their best in class. That said, I also believe that every student should get the most out of their college experience. It is true that joining a.