Before I start this article I want to start by saying a few things, I am in no way trying to attack the writer of the article “8 Reasons I’ll Never Date A Frat Boy;" it is a very well written article and she is entitled to her own opinion. I also want to disclose that I am a member of a sorority, and I currently date a guy in a fraternity. I also have in the past dated guys that have not been in fraternities.
1. “Breeding ground for sexual assault”
College is a breeding ground for sexual assault. There are some people out there who think it is okay to commit these crimes, and they would exist even if fraternities where around or not. You could get rid of Greek life all together and sexual assault would still happen. Yes, there are some fraternity men that do commit this crime, but that is not representative of the whole population. Research shows that 1 of every 3 sexual assault that happens on a college campus are committed by athletes. So does that mean we should not support the athletes because they are also committing this crime?
I have plenty of friends in fraternities, and my current boyfriend is also in on. And everyone I know is the type to make sure a girl is safe, and take care of her. One fraternity I know always has a designated driver for the night, and is always more then willing to make sure girls get home safe. My boyfriend is the exactly same way, no matter who it is.
2. “Those stupid socials.”
This is a trust issue, not a fraternity issue. This would be like telling a guy that they can’t go out without you, and they can not talk to anyone of the opposite sex. Socials are not meant for people to “hook up” at. They are meant for you to spend time with your brothers and sisters and to make some new friends.
I 100% trust my boyfriend to go to socials with other sororities. I know he will not cheat on me because he cares for me. I also have plenty of sisters with boyfriends in fraternities, and they do not have issues trusting their boyfriends.
3. “It’s a white-centric culture. Do you really want to be a part of that?”
I know my boyfriend’s fraternity has members from other races, and I know plenty of other fraternities on my campus that do. Its not fair to judge a whole group based on six chapters when there are thousands across the country.
The article the author sites is also two years old and things for Greek organizations have changed a lot in the past two years. Every school is locking down on themes and will not let them have social events with inappropriate themes.
4. “They’re obnoxious.”
Just about anyone in college can be considered obnoxious. In a fraternity or not, people can view us poorly as a whole. This is because we like to have fun, and this is really the only time in our lives we can act like this, and its okay. As long as they are not hurting anyone I do not understand why it’s a big issue if they are having fun.
5. “Hazing.”
Hazing is a terrible thing and is not taken lightly by any university. If anyone hazes and the school finds out, they can be kicked off campus and it is a huge deal. Yet again hazing is portrayed as something that happens in every Greek organization because of the movies.
6. “Alcohol? Stay very far away!”
So are you telling me if you walk outside of a Greek house you will never see alcohol anywhere else? That’s not true. Drinking happens in college; it’s something you can choose to partake in or not. It is a very personal choice and fraternity members are not required to drink. Its their personal choice. There is no need to bash someone because they are making a choice to drink.
My boyfriend is not a huge partier, but he is still in a fraternity. He spends most Saturday nights in cuddling with me. Yes, he does go out to the bar, but everyone in college does.
7. “Party, Party, Party.”
As I have said before in the past I have dated guys who have not been in fraternities, and I can say my current boyfriend treats me better then any of them have. He treats me like a princess, and is clearly dating me for more reasons then to just “parade me around in front of his brothers." His and his brothers have treated me with nothing but the utmost respect.
8. “They’re not really here to study.”
Every fraternity has a GPA that the members must keep in order to stay in a fraternity. And just like people who are not in fraternities, not everyone is a 4.0 student.
My boyfriend personally is considering law school, and they do not let people in who are not serious about school. My boyfriend and I also have plenty of study dates throughout the week, and he spends time studying with his brothers as well. I also know many fraternity men that are also considering law school or medical school.
