After reading the disucssion called "Should Colleges Ban Fraternities?" on the opinion pages of The New York Times, I was a little offended. I am a member of a sorority and the majority of my guy friends are in fraternities on the SMU campus. Although they are somewhat looked down upon by outsiders, I think fraternities are necessary.
Within the first month of school, I already had established a very close-knit group of friends, four of which were boys. Even though I loved them all like brothers, they were so immature. Taking them out to restaurants for group dinners was embarassing. They were constantly asking for help to put their laundry away or how to work the washing machines. They couldnt even put sheets on their beds.
However, after they joined a fraternity all of that changed. I think having a group of older guys who are very similar to themselves giving them guidance on everything from how to live in a dorm, how to study and how to act like men really helped them to mature. It was a noticable difference. They went from acting like destructive toddlers to southern gentelman.
I understand the arguments against Greek Life but if college campuses were to rid themselves of it, I think they would be doing more damage than help.
I also read the discussion in the NY Times and was similarly offended. I think it is a mistake to generalize the entire fraternity system based on the deplorable actions of a select few, as many fraternities do a lot of work in the community and produce men who are upstanding members of society. In a group of people as large as the greek system, there are bound to be those who do not truly embody what the system is all about. However, that is no reason to pass judgement on the system as a whole.
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