Do college, Greek life still mix?

Fraternities, sororities done right can teach ABCs of life

The expectations parents, students, employers and community members have for universities continue to grow exponentially. In addition to the traditional classroom education, universities now must also provide skill development for students, including professional readiness, personal development, networking, social justice and diversity. This type of growth is the new standard for learning in college. Learning is best achieved by integrating practical experience with conceptual knowledge.

When done properly, the fraternity and sorority experience provides an exceptional avenue for young men and women to develop the competencies and high expectations required of today’s college student.

The phrase “when done properly” is essential to understanding the value of the fraternity and sorority experience. Fraternities proudly flaunt their service hours, philanthropy dollars, academics, social-action projects and prominent alumni. No other common experience across college campuses consistently demonstrates these universal values of good citizenship better than fraternities, which is one of the reasons many institutions view fraternities as a cornerstone for their admissions, school spirit and leadership opportunities.

At The University of Tampa, for example, the fraternity/sorority community is rallying around the “It’s On Us” campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault prevention with posters, trainings, sustained dialogue and action. High-achieving students are coming together, finding common ground and learning about life by experiencing it beyond the classroom through their fraternity experience. This is the epitome of holistic learning, a pillar of the modern campus.

Colleges may view fraternities as the organizations or collective bodies where their “problem-detector alarm” goes off louder than almost anywhere else. The University of Virginia Rolling Stone article, Penn State’s Facebook scandal, the chant at the University of Oklahoma and the banners at Old Dominion University are most certainly abhorrent — but should not reflect on fraternal organizations as a whole. These isolated incidents do not demonstrate a detrimental fraternity culture undermining a developmental campus culture, but rather individuals who fail to truly understand how to see fraternity “done properly.”

In March, alone, upward of 30 individual chapters were closed across the nation due to these types of policy violations. Detractors may say “It’s time for sweeping changes” or “Close all those frats.”

Thousands of other chapters nationwide, however, remained open, thriving and preparing hundreds of thousands of students for the “real world.” Valuable lessons were learned as fraternity students saw firsthand how the actions of a few can affect everyone, sometimes resulting in collective punishment. More importantly, national fraternal organizations have strengthened their educational programs on topics such as diversity and sexual assault. Being a member of a fraternity affords members rights, privileges, and responsibilities as they promise to uphold the values of the organization and fraternity life overall. Personal values are not casually discussed on campus as often or as deeply as they are in fraternities/sororities. By having these conversations, by becoming more aware of individual values, a student is more developed and better prepared to be a positive contributor to society.

Fraternities are not perfect, nor will you likely find someone who says they are without fault. Fraternities offer a global learning environment with students connected through values exploration, critical thinking, and communal responsibility — all clear expectations of today’s college campus. When done properly, the fraternity experience provides the platform, tools, and opportunities for students to develop as the strong, intelligent and socially-conscious leaders of tomorrow. This is why fraternity matters.

When done properly, fraternities provide the platform for students to develop into leaders of tomorrow. Brian Hoffman is coordinator of fraternity and sorority life at The University of Tampa.