Greek Society

Fraternities and sororities, or Greek letter organizations (GLOs) (collectively referred to as “Greek life”) are social organizations at colleges and universities. A form of the social fraternity, they are prominent in the United States, with small numbers of mostly non-residential fraternities existing in France, Canada, and the Philippines. Similar organizations exist in other countries as well, including the Studentenverbindungen of German-speaking countries.

Similar, but much less common, organizations also exist for secondary school students, as do fraternal orders for other adults. In modern usage, “Greek letter organization” is often synonymous with the terms “fraternity” and “sorority”. Two additional types of fraternities, professional fraternities and honor societies, incorporate some limited elements of traditional fraternity organization, but are generally considered a different type of association. Traditional fraternities of the type described in this article are often called “social fraternities”.

Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues, thereafter, for life. Some of these organizations can accept graduate students as well as undergraduates, per constitutional provisions.

Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most share five common elements:

1. Secrecy

2. Single-sex membership

3. Selection of new members on the basis of a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging

4. Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live

5. A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors

Fraternities and sororities engage in philanthropic activities; host parties; provide “finishing” training for new members, such as instruction on etiquette, dress, and manners; and create networking opportunities for their newly graduated members.

I personally was never a member of a fraternity. No, let me take that back. I was in the Boy Scouts.

The ‘clubbing’ experience and the pressure to join and participate was constant through life, but I avoided as much as I could. To wear a patch or a badge or a ring or a tie clip did not indicate who I was. Guess I’m not a team member?

I think it got serious in junior high. There was a conscious effort to divide kids into groups. Perhaps a bonding experience of like talents, skills or just position in the society?

Become a cheerleader? Become a football player? Become a member of the orchestra? Join the Science Club or the German Club or be labeled as part of the school academic political structure. Still not sure what the Key Club did?

We were kids and wanted to be popular and to be popular had to find that slot to fit in.

If you didn’t decide to join (or be drafted) into the armed services after high school, university was posed to present the Greek Society.

Full pledged off campus houses with rowdy parties and legendary misbehavior were available if you qualified. Of course you had to pass the hazing test (much like the military) and be belittled and demeaned into servitude until you got you position to pass along the same punishment to the next class.

The camaraderie formed bonds that lasted until death with people who were strangers but experienced behavior unbecoming to intelligence. If you wear the same color sweater or hat as me, you are accepted.

Of course it was all about the boys! The girls put down their pom-poms and gathered into Greek (feminine style) Societies like typing and cooking class.

Following sport teams, fast drivers, bulky brutes, singers, writers, etc. form their own societies. There is a monetary economy dealing in merchandise to feed the need to show the fraternity.

So my question is why not have a fraternity for Boys & Girls? Like everything else in our culture we are jelling into no-gender identity. It certainly would make ‘frat’ houses (or submarines) more interesting.

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