When one thinks of someone in a fraternity they think of something out of the movies Animal House or Neighbors. One would think that being in a fraternity means that you’re only in it to party and be a typical “Frat Boy”. Yes, of course, there are fraternities out there getting shut down and put on social probation from hazing allegations or a party that got a little out of hand. However, thanks to the mainstream media and news stations, we only hear about the bad things that happen in fraternities.

Unfortunately for those in a fraternity, like myself, this gives us difficulty sometimes who are against Greek Life. Being involved with Greek Life means so much more to those involved then to those who are not. Fraternity comes from the Latin word “frater” which means “brother” or “brotherhood”. Fraternities were then created through separate secular aims whether that be some belief commonly held within the group or opinions on a particular idea. However, being a brother of a fraternity means so much more than this.

When you become a newly initiated brother, you become a better, more knowledgeable version of yourself. It is truly incredible the amount of pride you feel after initiation and you make your first bounding steps as a brother. To be able to call the initiated brothers of the fraternity, YOUR brothers, means something more than just the word. Now, you have one more thing in common with these individuals and easy step to introducing yourself to other brothers from different chapters.

The reason we have these poor opinions of fraternities and Greek life in general is because we have these corrupted houses that form bad morals through the recruitment. When a house has a deviation from the morals and values bestowed upon the fraternity there becomes tension and disturbances with the house that cause more corruption. Think of it as a change in the culture of a particular town or city. When you drive through or see stories from the media of these cities lavished with poverty, just think. This city was not always lavished with poverty and rundown buildings. The city was in fact once a prosperous community with everything going for it. This is like the founding of a fraternity.

Something happened to the community from the founding to the eventual demise of the community. Unfortunately, this happens in every aspect of the world. Yes, even fraternities. Fraternities are not founded for the sole purpose of partying and causing mayhem. Each fraternity has morals and values bestowed upon the founding and it is only when a house deviates from these values that it becomes a potentially dangerous situation.