Hudson Honeybone, '26
Before passing judgment on fraternities, it's important to understand where they came and why they were created. Fraternal organizations have existed within the United States since its inception, the oldest of which is the Freemasons. Founding fathers like Goerge Washington and Ben Franklin operated their own chapters; at that time, the Freemasons didn’t have the air of mystery the organization has today and acted more as a men's club. These organizations then bled into the American higher education system. The first of these College Fraternities was Phi Beta Kappa, founded at William and Mary in Virginia in 1776. Although it may not look like it, fraternities serve a purpose for the administration, otherwise they wouldn’t have tolerated them to begin with. Fraternities add structure to the disciplinary system on college campuses. It's difficult for a Dean to supervise an entire student body, and fraternities create a definitive chain of command. The dean orders the frat leaders, the leaders order the upperclassmen, and the upperclassmen have authority over the lower classmen. Over time, they have evolved beyond a disciplinary structure into sprawling social organizations, commonly associated with nightlife and partying. Throughout their evolution, have frats lost their original purpose? Are they worth anything centuries later?
Let’s explore the frat lives of our staff to find out.
Interviews:
Mr. Miller:
Our very own Mr. Miller enrolled in The University of Kentucky, and he was instantly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the school. He participated in Rush week, a mixer event where potential candidates compete for a bid, “in order to shrink [his] university life and make it a bit more bearable.” There was one more thing attracting Jim to the frat life: the prospect of building something from the ground up. A new chapter on campus, called a colony, extended a bid to Mr. Miller, and he accepted. He looks back fondly on his time with the fraternity, and is especially proud of his role in building Delta Sigma Phi, which is now one of the most prominent at UK. When asked about his experience, Mr Miller replied, “I really enjoyed frat life. Because it was a solid group of people who wanted to build something, we were very diverse, in both background and major. And coming from a small prep school world, it opened my eyes.” In closing, Mr. Miller left me with some advice: “A lot of people make the mistake of seeking out people that seem the most like them. What they should be looking for is the group that will bring out the best in them.” And a frat can provide just that.
Señor Herring:
Mr. Herring enrolled at Hamilton College in upstate New York, in 1996, but transferred to the University of Virginia the following year, a far more lively campus. Being a transfer student, Senor found his new college experience overbearing and a bit daunting, as Mr. Miller did. To cope with the sheer size of UVA’s social life, Senor joined Sigma Phi. Although Senor appreciated how convenient and “easy it was to plug into the social circle,” he had his fair share of complaints, namely the seemingly pointless meetings. When asked if he would still join Greek life if he could relive his university experience, Senor hesitated and reflected on the type of fraternity. His group was very unconventional: it consisted of foreign students and even appointed a black gay man as president, quite uncommon for the time. Ultimately though, Senor admitted he would relive his Greek life, because it equipped him with lasting friends and future job connections. Upon moving to Nashville, Senor received job help from the dean of Vanderbilt, who happened to be the father of one of Senor’s brothers from UVA.
My Take:
Upon starting my exploration, I conjectured that fraternities had devolved into havens for booze and uncontrollable partying, which at times can be true. I believed they had utterly deviated from their original purpose. But upon hearing the stories of our staff and their personal experience with Greek life, I developed a new appreciation for what fraternities can be when executed correctly. Frats are more than the party buses popular culture has propped them up to be; they often aren’t that simple or that shallow. Frats can surround you with unconventional people and fresh perspectives that can expand your horizons. And these brothers might turn into your lifelong friends or groomsmen. Ultimately, a fraternity is a group of young adults striving to make it in an adult world they are unfamiliar with and are sworn to help each other to that end.
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