Frat Essay

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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Imagine a 100 yard dash. Everyone is at the starting line ready to race, but you get a 50 yard head start. Is there any way you can not win. That 50 yard head start is just like a fraternity. It gives you that extra something that not everyone else is getting. Fraternities are perceived by many to be negative. A common fallacy that is passed around is that fraternities cause students to have lower grades. Another fallacy about fraternities is that they are only about partying and getting drunk. In this speech I am going to dismiss these two fallacies, and also talk to you about the brotherhood side of a fraternity.

Many people believe that a fraternity will cause a student to receive lower grades than someone who is not in a fraternity. This is common hear say. In the fraternity I am pledging, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, we are required to spend 6 hours of time in the library studying.

Now I can almost guarantee that I would not have put that time in if I was not rushing the house. Also, this week is finals and that means higher standards. Beginning this weekend on Saturday, we were required to spend five hours per night in library studying for our finals. This continues all the way through Wednesday night. With these requirements, it is almost impossible to not study. Another positive point is that the house has a set level where everyone has to be. Everyone in the house must earn a 2.25 GPA to go to any social events. If they do not earn the required GPA, they are then put on social probation, which is a huge incentive. Many successful people have been involved in the Greek life. Some successful people that have been in the Greek system have been ¾ of US congress members, 85% of Supreme Court Justices, and President of our school Victor Boschini. Another interesting fact about Greek life, is that only 3 U.S. presidents since 1825 have not been in a house. Now all those people seem pretty established to me so I do not think that grades are a problem in the Fraternity system. I would like to now dismiss the fallacy about fraternities only being established for the sole purpose of partying.

Do not get me wrong, almost all fraternities' party almost every weekend but not many people know about the philanthropies that the houses take part in. Philanthropy is a fund raiser that house sets up. All the profits from this fund raiser go to a charity that the house picks. The charity that my house supports is "The Children's Miracle Network". Several fraternities take part in other events in the community which not even part of their philanthropy. Last week, the pledges from my house went to every fraternity and every sorority and collected canned food for the Waterson food drive. It is things like that, that make us better people. Giving back to the community is a huge goal that each house strives for every year.

The final positive point of joining a house is the brotherhood aspect. This is what most houses pride themselves on. Brotherhood means exactly what it says, you become brothers with every guy in the house. Now the word brother can mean several different things. It can mean a friend to go out with you on the weekends. It can mean someone that will help you study for a final at 3 in the morning. Or it can mean friend that you can always talk too about anything. This is a bond that would normally take someone a couple of years to form, but in a fraternity, you're handed this relationship right off the bat. There is nothing more you could ask for.

So here is how I think about it. Would I have gone to those study hours at the library if I was not in the house? No, I wouldn't have. Would I have taken the initiative to go out into the community and do something positive for it? No I would have been worried about partying and having a good time. Would I have met a group of guys that would be there for me when ever I needed them? Yes, but it would have taken a lot longer and I probably would not have the quantity of friends though. So when you think of fraternities, don't think about all the parties. Think about everything I have talked about.