Fraternities (1 Viewer)

[Major]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

Definitely a lot of racism in fraternities back then (at least down South). I went to that college in Highland Park and saw it first hand. Many of the houses just flat out wouldn't allow black members. Pathetic.

You're a Mustang? Nice. Spent many summer nights at the Green Elephant, Ice House and Milos. Good times.

Yep. You gave me a laugh bringing up The Green Elephant. So many nights spent on that block.

I'll never forget being at the Barley House in the summer of '93 watching the NBA Finals when the TVs cut away to the OJ Chase. The entire bar stopped whatever we were doing to watch. Surreal.

Imagine being a Rockets fan wanting to actually watch the game

 

[Zegras11]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was at Long Beach St. Spring 1979 pledge. My pledge class of 22 doubled the size of the frat. Two years later, we were a little over 100. We had a great time. Great parties.
I was pledge trainer in 1981. Found out a few years later one of my pledges was gay. No one cared. We had a few blacks. No one cared. We had hazing, but it was just the mental stuff like you only have one life preserver and being forced to drink Mickey Big Mouths.

 

[jb1020]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was at Long Beach St. Spring 1979 pledge. My pledge class of 22 doubled the size of the frat. Two years later, we were a little over 100. We had a great time. Great parties.
I was pledge trainer in 1981. Found out a few years later one of my pledges was gay. No one cared. We had a few blacks. No one cared. We had hazing, but it was just the mental stuff like you only have one life preserver and being forced to drink Mickey Big Mouths.

I was an SAE for about 2 weeks in the early 2000s. That song was done one time. I stayed in the room, but voiced some displeasure with some guys I thought were friends. I was on the fence about the whole frat thing to begin with and this sort of pushed me over the edge of it not being for me. I went in to tell them I was dropping out the next Monday, but my name was on a big chalk board saying I had a Judiciary Meeting that night. They kicked me out for smoking pot with the frat presidents little sister.

Fun introduction to college life. I had so many of their members reach out and tell me it was BS and that they just wanted to make an example out of me. I made good friends with one guy and we still hang out a lot. He doesn't have anyone he keeps in touch with from the frat either.

 

[Zegras11]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was at Long Beach St. Spring 1979 pledge. My pledge class of 22 doubled the size of the frat. Two years later, we were a little over 100. We had a great time. Great parties.
I was pledge trainer in 1981. Found out a few years later one of my pledges was gay. No one cared. We had a few blacks. No one cared. We had hazing, but it was just the mental stuff like you only have one life preserver and being forced to drink Mickey Big Mouths.

I was an SAE for about 2 weeks in the early 2000s. That song was done one time. I stayed in the room, but voiced some displeasure with some guys I thought were friends. I was on the fence about the whole frat thing to begin with and this sort of pushed me over the edge of it not being for me. I went in to tell them I was dropping out the next Monday, but my name was on a big chalk board saying I had a Judiciary Meeting that night. They kicked me out for smoking pot with the frat presidents little sister.

Fun introduction to college life. I had so many of their members reach out and tell me it was BS and that they just wanted to make an example out of me. I made good friends with one guy and we still hang out a lot. He doesn't have anyone he keeps in touch with from the frat either.

I would have done exactly the same thing and left had I ever heard that.

 

[simey]

Definitely a lot of racism in fraternities back then (at least down South). I went to that college in Highland Park and saw it first hand. Many of the houses just flat out wouldn't allow black members. Pathetic.

Did you have black fraternities and sororities at your college? The university I went to did. I remember a black fraternity carrying canes.

 

[wazoo11]

If he's pre-med, I'd do a lot of due diligence on the fraternities that have reputations for hazing vs. those that don't. Some of the more intense fraternities will demand a lot of time from their freshmen that can distract them from study time. If the kid was a business major or history, fine. But pre-med? Don't f around with that too much. Every grade will matter.

I had a great experience, but joined a fraternity with a zero-hazing policy (Lambda Chi). No regerts.

History grad here. History requires a lot of reading, research and writing. That being said, if you’re hell bent on not getting a masters or phd in history (become a hs teacher or professor) Cs do get degrees

* Am a moron and still got into grad school to become a librarian

 

[General Malaise]

If he's pre-med, I'd do a lot of due diligence on the fraternities that have reputations for hazing vs. those that don't. Some of the more intense fraternities will demand a lot of time from their freshmen that can distract them from study time. If the kid was a business major or history, fine. But pre-med? Don't f around with that too much. Every grade will matter.

I had a great experience, but joined a fraternity with a zero-hazing policy (Lambda Chi). No regerts.

History grad here. History requires a lot of reading, research and writing. That being said, if you’re hell bent on not getting a masters or phd in history (become a hs teacher or professor) Cs do get degrees

* Am a moron and still got into grad school to become a librarian

History major here too but it came pretty easy to me. I don't have much of an analytical mind, but I can read and write my way through just about any subject if it doesn't require solving equations or math of any sort.

Also helped me self-teach myself into a 20+ year career in hedge funds.

 

[massraider]

They kicked me out for smoking pot with the frat presidents little sister.

This is the correct way to leave a frat.

 

[wazoo11]

If he's pre-med, I'd do a lot of due diligence on the fraternities that have reputations for hazing vs. those that don't. Some of the more intense fraternities will demand a lot of time from their freshmen that can distract them from study time. If the kid was a business major or history, fine. But pre-med? Don't f around with that too much. Every grade will matter.

I had a great experience, but joined a fraternity with a zero-hazing policy (Lambda Chi). No regerts.

History grad here. History requires a lot of reading, research and writing. That being said, if you’re hell bent on not getting a masters or phd in history (become a hs teacher or professor) Cs do get degrees

* Am a moron and still got into grad school to become a librarian

History major here too but it came pretty easy to me. I don't have much of an analytical mind, but I can read and write my way through just about any subject if it doesn't require solving equations or math of any sort.

Also helped me self-teach myself into a 20+ year career in hedge funds.

Well now my vote is sold on who should win the eat off.

 

[Nemesis]

I transferred to FSU as a Junior & was an SAE there. Never did I ever hear that song so take that for what it's worth.
To the OP, i would say this:
1-Pledge semester will be the most fun you will ever have..........but you woudn't volunteer to do it again. You will have to endure some schenanigans, but it teaches you patience and unity.

2-As others have mentioned, it will give you confidence and bring you out of your shell.

3-If your son is athletic, I have found that there are more opportunities to play intramural sports while in a fraternity.

4-Anytime you get 100 guys in a group.......be it a fraternity or not: you are bound to get along GREAT with a dozen or so, get along GOOD with a majority of them, CO-EXIST with some of them, and NOT GET ALONG WITH / RESPECT a handful or so. Tell you son to know who is that LAST group and to restrict / avoid too much exposure to them. They are the ones that pull you in and try to get you in trouble.

5-I still have a handful of pledge brothers who I am great friends with & we all live in the same city. In fact, during Labor Day wkend, the 4 of us and our wives are all headed to New Orleans for the FSU-LSU football game. (and note, all 4 of us have been married 25 yrs+ to our wives)

 

[General Malaise]

That's great stuff @Nemesis - very well said.

Point 4 is really important to learn. I liked that that we had a very diverse membership - the other houses on our small campus were stereotypes: football players, rich country club preps, stoners/funksters etc. Loved having a little bit of everything in our house. But it does force you to coexist with brothers who are way different than you and that's good. Prepares your for life.

My 2nd son is considering spring rush at Oregon. He's an athlete and so I have told him how great fraternities are for intramural sports. Some of my favorite memories stem from beating the other fraternities in flag football, volley ball, etc. So much fun.

 

[SFBayDuck]

That's great stuff @Nemesis - very well said.

Point 4 is really important to learn. I liked that that we had a very diverse membership - the other houses on our small campus were stereotypes: football players, rich country club preps, stoners/funksters etc. Loved having a little bit of everything in our house. But it does force you to coexist with brothers who are way different than you and that's good. Prepares your for life.

My 2nd son is considering spring rush at Oregon. He's an athlete and so I have told him how great fraternities are for intramural sports. Some of my favorite memories stem from beating the other fraternities in flag football, volley ball, etc. So much fun.

Same, we had a diverse house which I really appreciated. We were definitely a party house, but we had a small group that didn't party and held bible studies in the chapter room, nobody gave them a hard time. There were hardly any black people at U of O back then (the state isn't very diverse, as you know) but we had two black members, and for some guys from small town Oregon they were the first black people they had ever known. We had rich kids from the Bay Area and LA, and kids that were the first in their families to go to college that were working their way through school. In a lot of cases there are guys that are totally different but are still good friends today, 30 years later, that probably never would have even interacted with each other without the house.

One thing that being involved in the chapter now as a local alum has opened my eyes to is the struggle fraternities have to attract members with all of the incredible housing choices the kids have now. Buildings with gyms and pools and social areas, all brand new with every amenity you can think of, places like this and this. And there are 2-3 more new ones opening up in the next year or two. In a lot of cases guys want to join houses but don't want to live in, and while I think those couple of years of living together is what really makes the experience, I get it. Especially from the parents' perspective, as they show up and see this 100 year old house that the live-ins struggle to keep clean and compare it to the alternative a block away with security and a doorman. Our options back then were crappy apartments or rooming with 3-4 other dudes at a house a couple miles from campus.

 

[Zegras11]

Some of my favorite memories stem from beating Kappa Sigma

---

in flag football

 

[sho nuff]

That's great stuff @Nemesis - very well said.

Point 4 is really important to learn. I liked that that we had a very diverse membership - the other houses on our small campus were stereotypes: football players, rich country club preps, stoners/funksters etc. Loved having a little bit of everything in our house. But it does force you to coexist with brothers who are way different than you and that's good. Prepares your for life.

My 2nd son is considering spring rush at Oregon. He's an athlete and so I have told him how great fraternities are for intramural sports. Some of my favorite memories stem from beating the other fraternities in flag football, volley ball, etc. So much fun.

Yeah...intramurals were fun for us non-college athletes who were pretty good at a few sports. Volleyball was big on our campus. Every house had a sand court at their house and it was one of the more competitive intramural seasons.

One of my better memories is playing intramural basketball my sophomore year...I wasn't a great player and played one our "second team" that really just liked to have a bit of fun. We were matched against a group of guys who played on the school's football team. They toyed around with us...all much bigger and stronger. On one free throw, we are there just barely "boxing out" and I look up and there is a guy flying over everyone to grab the ball off the boards and dunk. It was Michael Penix (who played RB for the school...his son Jr. played QB for Indiana...think I read he just transferred to Washington after injuries)

 

[Zegras11]

That story reminds me of intramural hoops at long Beach state and the pick up games afterwards with Hodges, who wound up with the Bucks. Also remember a FT contest where I made 49 of 50 and lost.

 

[Brownsfan]

I had a great experience, but joined a fraternity with a zero-hazing policy (Lambda Chi). No regerts.

Note that the presence or absence of hazing is very much dependent on the particular local chapter in question, and not on the national fraternity generally, as pretty much all national fraternities have a zero-hazing policy. Talking to upper class men about their experience with and the reputation of various fraternity chapters at the school in question is of paramount importance.

This is very true. The fraternity I was in didn't just have a national no hazing policy, but was founded in direct opposition to hazing in 1869. Even with that history they still had chapters that hazed. I was fortunate to not be one of those chapters but it's something anyone joining a fraternity needs to be cautious about. That being said, being in a fraternity can be a great experience and helpful beyond the college years.

We must be fraternity brothers, I was in Sigma Nu at WVU in the early 80's. Enjoyed the social aspect as I never lived in the dorms. No lifelong friendships though.

 

[Drunken knight]

We were not allowed to have houses. One of our brother's father was in real estate and was able to secure an apartment complex on Mission Beach in San Diego. This became our unofficial house. While it would have been fun to live there, I chose not to as I wanted to keep my grades up (was aiming for grad school), and did not want to make anyone do a walk of shame. I hung out there a bit. Always a keg, volleyball net steps away (I played a lot...even entered those cuervo pro-ams), great parties. I wouldn't mind reliving those four years.

 

[zamboni]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was also an SAE back in the late '80s/early '90s in the Northeast. My chapter was very diverse (way ahead of its time) and nothing like many of the SAE chapters at other colleges where the fraternity system was much more entrenched. We were so diverse that the founding fathers (KKK members at the time) were probably turning in their graves when our chapter was admitted.

All that said, the whole fraternity existence has taken a big hit reputation wise (often for good reason) and in many cases, is somewhat of a relic. My son just graduated from college and was in a fraternity (also in the Northeast) but it doesn't seem to be like it used to be where kids had a lot of pride in their letters. But again, every school is different.

 

[General Malaise]

Some of my favorite memories stem from beating Kappa Sigma

---

in flag football

Ha! Yes, that was the house with most of the football players. We beat them on the final play of the game using a variation of Beverly Hills 90201 KEGger play. It was glorious. My buddy that just passed away threw the winning TD. Happy days, man.

 

[Major]

Definitely a lot of racism in fraternities back then (at least down South). I went to that college in Highland Park and saw it first hand. Many of the houses just flat out wouldn't allow black members. Pathetic.

Did you have black fraternities and sororities at your college? The university I went to did. I remember a black fraternity carrying canes.

IIRC, they did have one or two but their imprint was so small they were hard to notice. They weren't part of rush week, etc. Should be noted my university was very white.

 

[bigbottom]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was also an SAE back in the late '80s/early '90s in the Northeast. My chapter was very diverse (way ahead of its time) and nothing like many of the SAE chapters at other colleges where the fraternity system was much more entrenched. We were so diverse that the founding fathers (KKK members at the time) were probably turning in their graves when our chapter was admitted.

All that said, the whole fraternity existence has taken a big hit reputation wise (often for good reason) and in many cases, is somewhat of a relic. My son just graduated from college and was in a fraternity (also in the Northeast) but it doesn't seem to be like it used to be where kids had a lot of pride in their letters. But again, every school is different.

Phi Alpha! Man are there a lot of SAEs up in this place. What you say here is sort of what I was trying to get at upthread. The OP’s son is headed off to college in 2022. And most of the responses in the thread are from guys relating their fraternity experiences from 30+ years ago. While my son, who is in a fraternity currently, enjoys many of the aspects of being in a fraternity and the brotherhood that goes with it, the fraternity experience has also changed quite a bit in the past 30 years. Probably the simplest way to put it is that fraternity life in 2022 is more “complicated” than it was in 1992. The risks (reputational and criminal as much as physical) are both more serious and more prevalent. On many campuses, relationships with the university and non-Greek student body are incredibly strained. All of these things should be taken into account by anyone who is thinking of rushing, and he should do plenty of research about the Greek system at his particular university and each specific house that he is contemplating joining. I got a bit of blowback upthread for suggesting a cautious approach, but I am 100% serious when I say that the decision to rush and join a frat today should be an informed and intentional one.

I’m happy to get into more detail on the above points. But suffice it to say that I’m not so sure how intentional my son was about the rush process, and I am glad he ended up in the house he did which may have been luck as much as anything. As someone mentioned upthread, most of the fraternities at my son’s school disaffiliated from the university last week. My son’s chapter was one of the few who didn’t. I think fraternity chapters that are 100% free from university oversight and rules is a complete nightmare scenario and I fear for what is to come at those houses. This is a phenomenon that is happening more and more at universities across the country. The SAE’s in here may have heard about Texas Rho at University of Texas. They were the SAE chapter that got into a legal battle with the national organization for continuing to use the letters after they were kicked off campus and expelled from the national organization. They now exist as an unaffiliated Greek organization and the results (based on what I have heard from students who currently are in Greek life there) are exactly as you would suspect.

 

[Zegras11]

While hazing has certainly been de-emphasized at many chapters, it definitely still exists, and probably at a proportionally higher rate at southern schools like OU. Make sure your son talks to folks attending OU if that is a concern. Also, OU had a pretty significant racial incident with one of their chapters a number of years ago that made national news, so if a reputation for diversity (or lack thereof) is an important concern, he should keep his eyes open during rush. Again, I’m not poo-pooing fraternity membership as I had an incredible experience and my son is currently in a fraternity at a school with a crazy fun Greek life.

Ah yes, the SAE's and their infamous "Oh there will never be a ****** SAE....". I heard that from a buddy of mine who was an SAE at Tulane in the early 90s and that basically ended our friendship. Years later, I saw the video of the kid from OU singing it on a bus. And to bring it full circle, my buddy and this kid from OU hail from Highland Park HS, which isn't surprising considering HP is 99.9999999999% causation.

I'm an SAE and I never heard this song until that video came out. Not buying this is an SAE thing. Totally buying this is a southern thing and likely similar things at most all white southern frats. It really pisses me off as that is not what I experienced.

I was also an SAE back in the late '80s/early '90s in the Northeast. My chapter was very diverse (way ahead of its time) and nothing like many of the SAE chapters at other colleges where the fraternity system was much more entrenched. We were so diverse that the founding fathers (KKK members at the time) were probably turning in their graves when our chapter was admitted.

All that said, the whole fraternity existence has taken a big hit reputation wise (often for good reason) and in many cases, is somewhat of a relic. My son just graduated from college and was in a fraternity (also in the Northeast) but it doesn't seem to be like it used to be where kids had a lot of pride in their letters. But again, every school is different.

Phi Alpha! Man are there a lot of SAEs up in this place. What you say here is sort of what I was trying to get at upthread. The OP’s son is headed off to college in 2022. And most of the responses in the thread are from guys relating their fraternity experiences from 30+ years ago. While my son, who is in a fraternity currently, enjoys many of the aspects of being in a fraternity and the brotherhood that goes with it, the fraternity experience has also changed quite a bit in the past 30 years. Probably the simplest way to put it is that fraternity life in 2022 is more “complicated” than it was in 1992. The risks (reputational and criminal as much as physical) are both more serious and more prevalent. On many campuses, relationships with the university and non-Greek student body are incredibly strained. All of these things should be taken into account by anyone who is thinking of rushing, and he should do plenty of research about the Greek system at his particular university and each specific house that he is contemplating joining. I got a bit of blowback upthread for suggesting a cautious approach, but I am 100% serious when I say that the decision to rush and join a frat today should be an informed and intentional one.

I’m happy to get into more detail on the above points. But suffice it to say that I’m not so sure how intentional my son was about the rush process, and I am glad he ended up in the house he did which may have been luck as much as anything. As someone mentioned upthread, most of the fraternities at my son’s school disaffiliated from the university last week. My son’s chapter was one of the few who didn’t. I think fraternity chapters that are 100% free from university oversight and rules is a complete nightmare scenario and I fear for what is to come at those houses. This is a phenomenon that is happening more and more at universities across the country. The SAE’s in here may have heard about Texas Rho at University of Texas. They were the SAE chapter that got into a legal battle with the national organization for continuing to use the letters after they were kicked off campus and expelled from the national organization. They now exist as an unaffiliated Greek organization and the results (based on what I have heard from students who currently are in Greek life there) are exactly as you would suspect.

I agree with all of this.
Long Beach St chapter just got reinstated by national after getting removed for four years.

 

[nirad3]

Some of my favorite memories stem from beating Kappa Sigma

---

in flag football

Ha! Yes, that was the house with most of the football players. We beat them on the final play of the game using a variation of Beverly Hills 90201 KEGger play. It was glorious. My buddy that just passed away threw the winning TD. Happy days, man.

One of my fondest college life memories was finding that the Pikes posted flyers all over campus the day of our flag football championship inviting all students to their "Victory Party". I ripped one down and posted it on our kiosk at our house.

We ended up trouncing them 48-6 and after the game we walked to their house and helped ourselves to their kegs. It was glorious.

 

[BobbyLayne]

I had an incredible experience being in a fraternity in the early 90s. Friendships, parties, philanthropy, athletics, leadership, managing a budget, etc., with none of the downsides (hazing, alcohol poisoning, drugs, sexual assault, etc.). My closest friends to this day are guys who were my fraternity brothers.

But I think being in a fraternity today is generally more complicated than my experience from 30+ years ago. The downsides mentioned above are more prevalent (maybe not the hazing, but the other stuff) and on many campuses, Greek life is despised by much of the student body. I would advise your son to keep an open mind, but to proceed with caution.

I was in a great fraternity, lived at the house my senior year, and my son pledged 25 years later. Very similar experiences to what you describe. But it’s significantly different now than 3-4 decades ago. Some good, some regrettable.

I think anyone going into rush week who is well informed, and makes good choices, will likely have super positive encounters. It will help throughout your life and forge enduring relationships. But it’s not a one size fits all deal. It’s not the right choice for everyone.

 

[BobbyLayne]

This thread is reminding me I haven’t been to Homecoming in 25 years. Our house hosts a pig roast + unlimited kegs, draws about 400 chapter alumni. Gotta get back there sometime.