Once again, this week's column from TNH all linked up. Anything in parentheses was not in the newspaper version.
When students first arrive at UNH in the fall of their freshman year they are faced with the decision of going Greek. Many times students associate Greek life, especially fraternities, with the Delta Tau Chi fraternity from Animal House. (Which was actually based on a real fraternity from Dartmouth.) Students expect that Greek life revolves around throwing huge parties every weekend and skipping classes. I feel like these stereotypes and presumptions are only hurting the Greek society here at UNH. These problems seem to be connected more with fraternities rather than sororities. Students are not the only people who buy into these stereotypes, but also many parents. A few weeks ago a parent left this comment on The New Hampshire website: “I will openly admit I have discouraged my son from joining a fraternity. I have yet to see how the Greek community does anything consistently positive.”
What annoys me most about that quote is the second part about the Greek community not doing “anything consistently positive.” I want to let it be known that I am not involved in Greek life in any way, I just wish to show those organizations support. I have noticed how fraternities often make the news when there is an arrest on their property, but when they host a charity event it often goes unnoticed.
Let us examine a couple key stats that can be found on the Morehead State University website. According to this website former Greek students are the head of 43 out of the 50 largest corporations in America. Greek alumni also make up 85% of the Fortune 500 executives and 76% of U.S. Congressmen and Senators. Every U.S. President and Vice President, except two in each office, born since 1825 have been members of a fraternity. Greek students also have a higher graduation rate than non-Greeks and they raise over $7 million annually.
Those statistics do not lie. It appears as though fraternities consistently help students get secure jobs in future, which may be worth spending a few extra dollars during your college career. The most amazing part is that just a small fraction of college students decide to go Greek, yet these organizations still turn out alumni who basically run our country. Even if fraternities are known to host parties on weekends, these statistics show that they still prepare young men for their future. The social aspects of mutual respect and brotherhood obviously impact Greek students more then non-Greeks would expect. I strongly believe that what students learn outside of the classroom is equally important as course materials. It is the same as the old “book smart” verse “street smart” debate.
I also understand that certain stereotypes exist for a reason. Of course there are fraternity brothers who fit the mold of muscle heads who cannot think on their own (aka douchebags), but there are still non-Greeks who can be described the same way. There are also students who live in houses or apartments who throw more parties than fraternity houses, and without checking ID’s. Yes, the checking ID’s thing really doesn’t make a difference, but at least it is a small effort.
During my time at UNH I have been to parties at several different fraternities. I have had a lot of great experiences at these parties, but I have also been soon annoyed that I’ve left after just a few minutes. I have friends who range from current pledges to upperclassmen who are big brothers. They all love their respected fraternities, but they still become frustrated when they are categorized as “frat kids.” These stereotypes exist because of ignorant people who do not understand the deeper values that Greek life provides. For over a century fraternities have been preparing young men for the future and it is unfortunate that despite what they do, fraternities still receive a bad reputation.
The bottom line is that no matter how much community service or fundraisers fraternities accomplish, having a Greek membership on an application is a very positive attribute. Many students decide to go Greek simply for their future applications. This is why it is not fair to group every Greek student together as one collective body. We are all 18 for the most part, meaning that we are adults, isn’t it time for us to stop allowing misguided judgments rule our lives? I am not telling you to go out and join a fraternity or sorority, or even to make friends with Greek students, but give these students some respect because in the end they are just other students at UNH.
Stay classy, not UMassy.
