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Fraternities and sororitiesWhile the terms "fraternity" and "sorority" may be used to describe any number of social and charitable organizations, including the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, International, and the Shriners, in the United Statesand Canadafraternities and sororities are most commonly known as social organizations of higher educationstudents- organizations like fraternities outside the US and Canada are rare, however one example would be the German Student Corps. Fraternitiesare all-male or mixed-sex; the female-only equivalent is called a sorority, a word coined for Gamma Phi Betain 1874. Consequently, there exist some all-female fraternities which were named before this, such as Kappa Alpha Theta, founded in 1870, Kappa Kappa Gamma, founded in 1870, and Alpha Phi, founded in 1872. Fraternities and sororities are also referred to as student corporations or academic corporations, or simply corporations. With few exceptions (notably "Acacia, "Pan Sophic", "FarmHouse," and "Triangle"), the names of fraternities and sororities consist of two or three Greekletters. For this reason, fraternities and sororities are known collectively as the Greek System, and its members are known as Greeks. The use of Greek letters started with the first such organization, Phi Beta Kappa, which used Greek letters to hide their secret name.
The purposes and types of fraternitiesThere are various types of fraternities: general (sometimes called social), service, professional, and honorary fraternities. The most recognizable form of fraternity is the college general or social fraternity. Most of these fraternities were originally founded on dedication to principles such as community service, sound learning, and leadership qualities, though some have become purely "social". In response to the developing stereotype of excessive alcohol use in fraternity life, some fraternities today are alcohol-free (referred to as "dry"). Structure and organizationRitual and secrecyMost fraternities maintain a ritual system that is highly symbolic in nature and kept a closely guarded secret. Some signs point to common ancestry in both sorority and fraternity ritual, but most are likely derived from Masonic order ritual. Other "fraternity secrets" may include passwords, songs, handshakes (often known as grips), journals and initiation rites. Interestingly, there are two national fraternities which were founded as "non-secret" societies, Alpha Kappa Lambdafounded in 1914 and Delta Upsilonfounded in 1834. Meetings of the active members are generally secret, and not to be discussed without the formal approval of the chapter as a whole. Most fraternities also keep a data book with all meetings, times and members Fraternity and sorority houses
Unique among most campus organizations, members of social fraternities and sororities often live together in a large house or apartment complex. This serves two purposes. First, it emphasizes the bonds the members share as "brothers" or "sisters". Second, the house serves as a central location for the events and administration of the fraternity. Because of the unique nature of this setup, the individual organizations themselves at their respective schools are known as "houses". Professional, academic or honorary societies rarely maintain a permanent housing location, and some may be barred from doing so by their national organization. Chi Psi Fraternity was the first fraternity to have a house, or Lodge as it is referred to their brothers, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Such a house can usually be identified by large Greek letters on the front of the house, advertising the name of the group. Depending on the size of the house, there may be anywhere from three to twenty bedrooms or more. The larger houses generally have a large meeting room and/or dining room, commercial kitchen and study room. There is usually a lounge of some sort, access to which is often restricted to fully initiated members. Fraternities and sororities will also often maintain a chapter room, to which only initiates may ever be admitted and even whose existence may be kept secret. The walls of the house may be decorated with pictures of past chapter events, awards and trophies, decorative (or historic) paddles, or composite photos of members from past years. It should be noted, at many large universities, it is traditional for many Greek organizations to enjoy the use of large, Victorian style mansions on campus. In more modern times, some university administrations have sought to seize or buy out these houses and convert them into academic use or demolish them and convert them into additional parking. This ends the use of the house for social purposes, and is often justified as a measure to curb drinking on campus. For reasons of cost, liability and stability, housing is usually overseen by an alumni corporation or its respective national fraternity/sorority organization. As a result, some houses prohibit members of the opposite sex from going "upstairs" or into the individual bedrooms. Other houses may impose a curfew or "open door" policy. Furthermore, some national organizations restrict or prohibit alcohol in the house at any time. Joining a fraternity or sororityIn order to join a sorority or fraternity, at most schools you must maintain a minimum grade point average and be taking a minimum number of units. Minimum grade point averages are required to stay in the sorority or fraternity. During a period known as "Rush" or "Rush Week", fraternities and sororities invite fellow students to attend events at the house (or on-campus) and meet the current members of the organization. At the end of this period, the house invites the visitors of their choice to "pledge" the fraternity. If the invitation, or "bid", is accepted, the student will enter a period of pledgeship. A student may pledge only one fraternity at a time, and most often agree to never pledge a second fraternity if they have already been initiated into another one, though this does not preclude such events from happening. In general, this restriction only applies to social fraternities/sororities, and does not bar a member from being a member or later joining professional, service, or honorary fraternities/sororities. Pledge requirements for each house vary, and some houses have eliminated pledgeship entirely. However, common requirements usually include wearing a pledge or new member pin, learning about the history and structure of the fraternity and the local chapter, performing a service of some kind, and maintaining a deferential attitude toward current members (known as Seniors, Ancients, etc.). Though it has become rarer, some still practice something like hell week, when pledges are submitted to compounded endurances, which may still include paddling, which may also be applied during so-called paddle games. Upon completion of the pledgeship and all its requirements, the active members will invite the pledges to be initiated and become active members. The pledgeship serves as a probationary period in the fraternity membership process where both the fraternity and the pledge make sure that they have made the right choice. Almost always, after a pledge has been initiated they have a membership in the organization for life. Those pledges who demonstrate their commitment to the organization and its members are initiated, while those who demonstrate little-to-no effort and/or cause divisions and conflict are dismissed. Occasionally, however, houses will invite anyone who completes the program to become active members, in order to maintain their numbers (and survival). Starting in the mid to late 1990s, the terms "Rush" and "Pledge" were generally replaced with "Recruitment" and "Potential New Member" respectively. Change is slow in the Greek world, and the use of older terms is still fairly common among the chapters. Some schools and National Offices use the newer terms. Hazing issuesHazingis typically defined as the harassment or persecution of prospective "new members" or "pledges" of a group. In such practices, pledges are required to complete often (physically and/or psychologically) meaningless, difficult, or humiliating tasks. Because of the association of fraternities with hazing, many schools such as Bates Collegestarted banning fraternities in the mid-1800s. Historically, hazing as it is known as in 2006, did not come into widespread existence until after World War I. Soldiers returning from the war re-entered colleges, and brought with them the discipline and techniques learned in boot camp. However, roughness toward young recruits has a long history. One fraternity, Sigma Nu, was founded in opposition to the hazing taking place at Virginia Military Instituteafter the Civil War. The activities which devolved into modern hazing originated as legitimate team-building techniques; some are still used today in the US military. In their essence, they are meant to make the individual fail as an individual, but succeed as part of a team. Thus the individual learns to become a valuable asset to the team and be loyal to its success. This philosophy of team development continued to be used in fraternal organizations as each subsequent war refreshed the pool of ex-military students. During the 1960s-1980s, however, most organizations (especially those governed by alumni at the National level) implemented clear no-hazing policies. The North-American Interfraternity Conference(formerly National Interfraternity Conference) also requires anti-hazing education for members, as do most universities. Since at least the 1990s, if hazing was conducted at a local chapter, it was without the knowledge or consent of the national organization and outside the guidelines for their initiation rituals. If discovered, it usually results in the revocation of the local chapter's charter and probably expulsion of members from the organization. Many chapters today still struggle with the legacy of hazing. It is seen as tradition, and many find that the best indicator of a pledge's worth to the group is their willingness to endure the challenges set out before them. In addition, many argue that participation in hazing is voluntary, and pledges are always given the option to de-pledge (i.e. withdraw from joining the organization). Still, most chapters believe that meaningless and excessive hazing devalue their respective organizations and are more cruel than effective. Thus, while hazing rarely exists in its most brutal forms, many chapters still incorporate some behavior that is deemed by their universities and national headquarters to be hazing. History and developmentThe Phi Beta Kappa Society, founded on December 5, 1776at the College of William and Mary(Williamsburg, Virginia), is generally recognized to be the first Greek-letter student secret societyin North America. By legend, it was founded by individuals rejected for membership from an older student society known as the Flat Hat Club, which counted Thomas Jeffersonamong its alumni. The Flat Hat Club, or FHC, for short was founded on November 11, 1750, by six students at the College of William and Mary. FHC was the precursor to Phi Beta Kappa and thus has the distinction of being the first in line of the thousands of greek-letter fraternities and sororities found on college campuses today. The society formed as a forum to discuss topics not covered in the regimented classical educationof universitiesof the era—lending the name literary fraternity to its type. Ironically, that education was responsible for the name—most students were well-versed in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew; Phi, Beta, and Kappa were the initials of an esoteric Greek motto. In addition to its secrecy and selection of a Greek name, it also introduced a code of high ideals, secret rituals and handclasps, membership badges, and oaths that characterized later Greek letter societies. The first non-academic fraternity was the Chi Phi Fraternity, founded at Princeton Universityin 1824; however, this original group went defunct the following year and the modern organization did not form until the 1850s. The first general fraternity therefore is usually reckoned to be the Kappa Alpha Society, established at Union Collegein Schenectady, New Yorkon November 26, 1825. By this time, the literary fraternities had themselves become stodgy. KA's founders took many of Phi Beta Kappa's practices, but formed their organization around fellowship, making the development of friendship their primary purpose. The Sigma Phi Societyformed in competition in March 1827, followed by Delta Phiin November. These three constitute the Union Triad. Sigma Phi became the first "national" fraternity when it opened the first satellite chapter, at Hamilton College, in 1831. This spawned Samuel Eells' founding of Alpha Delta Phiin 1832. Chapters soon opened on more campuses, spawning more rivals. Beta Theta Piwas founded at Miami Universityin Oxford, Ohioin August 1839. Unlike its predecessors, however, it made expansion one of its key principles. Phi Delta Theta(1848) and Sigma Chi(1855), founded at Miami University like Beta Theta Pi, emulated its focus on establishing new chapters. These three constitute the Miami Triad. Beta Theta Pi's focus on expansion led to it establishing the first fraternity chapter west of the Mississippi River, at the University of Iowa, in 1866. Zeta Psi, founded in 1847 at New York University, similarly pursued expansion. It was the first bicoastal fraternity with its chapter at the University of California, Berkeleyin 1870. It also became the first fraternity organized in Canada, with the chartering of its University of Torontochapter in 1879. Fraternities have long been associated with the American educational system and many of their members have gone on to be successful in the various realms of American society. Notably, Delta Kappa Epsilon, founded at Yale Universityin 1844counts six members who went on to become President of the United Statesas well as numerous other prominent political and business figures amongst its members. Likewise, other prominent fraternities include Zeta Psi, Alpha Delta Phi, and Psi Upsilon. Although growth was stunted by the American Civil War, the system underwent phenomenal growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All societies founded after the Civil War follow the Miami Triad structure. Women's organizations also formed contemporaneously: the Adelphian Society was established in 1851at Wesleyan Collegein Macon, Georgiamaking it the first secret society for collegete women. The Philomathean Society was also founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 1852, and I.C. Sorosis was founded in 1867at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. However, they did not take their Greek names (Alpha Delta Pi, Phi Muand Pi Beta Phi) until much later, so Kappa Alpha Theta(January 1870) and Kappa Kappa Gamma(October 1870) are the first women's Greek letter societies. The term "sorority" was not popularized until later in the 19th century, so most were founded as "women's fraternities" or "fraternities for women." The first national to adopt the word "sorority" was Gamma Phi Beta, established in 1874at Syracuse Universityin Syracuse, New York. Portrayal of fraternities and sororities in popular cultureFraternities and sororities have been portrayed both positively and negatively in popular culture. Often their widespread use in comedyas protagonists eventually propagates negative stereotypes. The most famous portrayal of a fraternity in a comedy is National Lampoon's Animal House starring John Belushiand co-written by Chris Miller, an Alpha Delta alumnus from the Dartmouth Chapter and Harold Ramis, a Zeta Beta Tau alumnus from the Washington University in St. Louis Chapter. Though the Delta fraternity protagonists were meant to be portrayed positively in the film, it is often used by those skeptical of fraternities to describe the dangers of the binge drinkingculture seen in fraternities. Due to their single-sex nature, Greek organizations (particularly fraternities) and their members are sometimes portrayed in comedies as being homosexual, with one example being an episode of the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Forcetitled "Frat Aliens." This stereotype may be due to cliched pledging rituals such as paddling, which is considered an erotic ritual for a small subset of the population. In truth the opposite is generally true; homosexuals in fraternities and sororities have traditionally experienced discriminationdue to their orientation. [1]However, this is changing as homosexuality is becoming more accepted in the broader society, many are wary of it due to the association in popular culture. In the TV sitcom Friends, when asked what sorority she was in, Phoebe replies "Alpha Mega Tampon". Categories of fraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities may be categorized in numerous ways, and any organization may fall into multiple categories. These types of divisions include the following:
For lists of major organizations, see
Also see the list of Fictional fraternities and sororities, which are almost entirely of the social/general type. Interfraternal and professional organizations
Fraternities and sororities outside North AmericaEurope
The Philippines
See also
Categories: Fraternal and service organizations| Sociology| Human behavior| Gender| Student societies
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