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Greek Life in American Campuses Essay

What makes it that the assertion, no man is a great island, is very astoundingly true given even the benefit of the doubt? What makes it that men and women alike have this outstanding need to be in a company of men and women? Theoretically, all this boils down to human nature. But for some reason, it seems that we all want to have people around all of us.

The claims that Ancient greek Life in American colleges and universities merely includes drinking lessons and functions and a factor that brings down the degrees of students are nothing but the unfounded affirmation. And although there are countless preconceived misconceptions about the Ancient greek language Life in American universities and colleges, the unmatched reality is that fraternities and sororities have been fostering the expansion and development of each with their members not only as a student but more importantly, as a person. There are a lot of adverse assumption people have with regard to fraternities and sororities.

These misguided beliefs have compelled some fraternity and sorority members all over the country to go up in arms against what they consider to be a case of elegance being hurled against these people. The most common supposition is that the Ancient greek life is simply an excuse to party and drink. In addition, there is also the assertion the fact that fraternities and sororities are the reasons for the declining GPA’s of pupils.

In addition , actually parents are scared of the thought of their children joining any fraternity or sorority because they may have the notion the particular groups are bad affects to their children. All of these will be somehow valid concerns. Yet , these statements make any person in a fraternity or sorority laugh than be angry. This is given that they are in some way irrational. Students of Rutgers College, Donna Cortland (2005) has identified in her article entitled, Paying to get friends that can be published in February on the lookout for, 2005 issue of the Daily Targrum that Greeks in her university indeed drink and party.

However , she has pointed out that non-Greek students also enjoy the same activities, explaining that drinking and partying are routine modes of relaxation among college students not merely at Rutgers but elsewhere in the country. She has even lamented the fact that folks tend to end up being biased against fraternity and sorority associates because of their better visibility, declaring that it’s easier to discover members of a group than isolated individuals (Cortland, 2005). Furthermore, there is absolutely no proof that joining a fraternity or a sorority will pull down a student’s GPA.

The degrees of students go up and down no matter whether or not they are people of a fraternity or a sorority. Lastly, the fear of many father and mother that fraternities and sororities are bad influences to students can be mere opinion. Kelly Jo Karnes, Relate Director in the Division of Student Affairs at the Old Mastery University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia, include written a letter resolved to the father and mother of new college students explaining the advantages of their children’s joining fraternities and sororities while at the university.

Relating to her, besides friendship, academics support, opportunities of engagement in nonacademic activities, the Greek community can provide youngsters a home away from home. As she gets urged father and mother to allow their children to join fraternities and sororities, she has described that the student leaders of the university, their leading players and scholars and the most successful alumni of ODU belong to Greek page organizations (Karnes, 2006) There are many ways in which the Greek existence may transform a person. The fraternities and sororities are viable means in which a person can in fact be motivated. It can also be delete word a student to talk to those in need.

Through this, individuals who have been helped are not the only ones who also benefit yet also the students as well. The reality of the matter is that whilst members of fraternities and sororities have got their fair share of having and movies, they also engage in even more noble pursuits like doing charitable work, executing community companies, and looking following the academic wellbeing of learners in their respective schools. So that you can plead the case of the Greeks at Rutgers, Cortland in her article has remarked that all fraternities and sororities recognized by the faculty are recharged to engage in community services and philanthropic work as a condition for capacity.

For instance, Sigma Chi fraternity has been bringing up funds for The Children’s Miracle Network by possessing an annual function dubbed the Derby Days and nights. For this project, Sigma Chihuahua has enrolled the help of 6 other sororities and in the year 2003 alone, managed to donate $30, 000 towards the network. One other collaborative project organized by simply Greek businesses at Rutgers is the annual Dance Marathon, considered to be the biggest philanthropic function run simply by students inside the state of recent Jersey, the beneficiaries that are needy families in the area (Cortland, 2005).

Over their dedication to philanthropic activities, the fraternities and sororities are also involved in improving the academic performance of students. For example , it is often their practice in Rutgers College to conduct examine hours because of their incoming people every putting down period a tradition which has been observed to result to bigger grades for their pledges. Aside from offering scholarships and academic performance prizes to qualified students, many Greeks possess, as a matter of fact, premium Point Averages (GPAs). The misconception about Ancient greek language life like a cause for low GPAs can be therefore repudiated by these types of evidences (Cortland, 2005).

Aside from their philanthropic work, their have a strong involvement in community services, and a passionate commitment and interest in the educational well-being of students. In Rutgers, Ancient greek language letter agencies also serve as training environment for long term leaders with the country. Options for management positions can be found to associates of fraternities and sororities within their neighborhood chapters, the Interfraternity Council [at Rutgers] or the Nationwide Panhellenic Council. In addition , the prospect of attending conventions on the countrywide level is actually present for interested Greeks, thereby improving their leadership qualities and also their public relations skills (Cortland, 2005).

To increase prove her point, Cortland (2005) has turned it essential to mention the very fact that out of your 47 justices who made it to the Best between 1910 and june 2006, 40 had been fraternity men. She has as well declared that since Ancient greek language letter fraternities made all their first overall look in American campuses, just two elected American Presidents and two Vice-Presidents have not been fraternity men; and this famous personalities such as the Add some opuch. Dr . Matn Luther Ruler, Jr., Generals George C. Marshall and George S. Patton, Nelson Mandela, and Toni Morrison, to mention just one or two, are all Greeks. All these are in fact only a few of the benefits of becoming Greek.

In accordance to her, the most rewarding feature of Ancient greek life is the brotherhood or sisterhood accorded to the members which they cherish as long as they will live. Following having said all these, Andrea had taken exception for the claim of some people for Rutgers that to be a Greek is to pay for friends. She pointed out that people of student fraternities and sororities spend only about 2% of their personal budgets for monthly fees. If ever they earn voluntary advantages, these are when it comes to improving their organizations and enhance their capacities to engage in community assistance and provide for academic scholarships (Cortland, 2005). There are a lot of very good that fraternities and sororities can do to a pupil.

At the College or university of Western Ontario (UWO) in Canada, Lindsay Satterthwaite, writing for the UWO Gazette, listed down the following advantages of joining fraternities and sororities: In reality, the fraternities and sororities include continued to grow and evolve defining the very definition of what a fraternity or sorority is. This kind of change offers consciously and unconsciously inspired the lives of learners, the image of faculties and educational institutions and the world as a whole. Taking a look at the issue on the broader perspective, the says which have been manufactured by Cortland appears to be corroborated simply by events consist of colleges and universities somewhere else in the country.

Over in Iowa, the Greek community of New jersey State University or college (ISU) have also been emphasizing on academic overall performance. Some fraternity houses even have educational programs which are aimed at assisting new students as they go through their very own period of changeover into university life. For instance, the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity has been conducting The Collegiate Achievement Program which is aimed at instructing students to consider smart examine habits. Greek students are also striving their best to take care of study hours and attain good grade point averages. Philanthropic operate likewise uses up much of their time.

Through the fall of 1998 for example, fraternities and sororities in ISU have contributed 19, 080 hours to philanthropic events and still have donated $15, 790 to charity. The Pi Kappa Phi fraternity as well takes time to make its people aware of the evils of alcohol through a program with the Prevention Research Institute referred to as PRIME (Pike, n. m. ). In Adrian, Michigan, fraternities and sororities are experiencing good regular membership at Adrian College in which approximately 25 % of college students belong to Ancient greek language letter companies. Membership in these organizations is definitely widely regarded as enhancing the college experience of learners at the university.

The Ancient greek chapters in the college, which can be all affiliated with national organizations, are giving priority to philanthropic actions and community service, besides the emphasis that they give to grant. The fraternities and sororities at Adrian College require their people and home owners members to satisfy certain grade point average (Adrian College or university, 2005).

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