When you hear the terms “frat,” and “sorority,” multiple images may come to mind. You might think of the Bama Rush videos on Instagram of rich girls with Southern accents. Perhaps you’ll think of the old ‘90s movies where the frat boy falls in love with the reluctant sorority girl. In reality, however, frats and sororities are less of a fairytale and more a breeding ground of toxicity for both the people who take part and the people outside the environment.
It’s all too often that we hear stories about college Greek life which include physical assault (like that of the incident at Salisbury University in October), sexual assault, encouraged alcoholism, pure humiliation, and even death. Ethics Policy reports that, “Fraternity men are three times more likely to commit rape than their non-Greek peers. On average, one in five women will experience sexual assault in their four years at college, and at UNC this number is even higher.” As Ibram X. Kendi stated, “if sexual violence is a violent crime, then the fraternity of today may be committing as many violent crimes as the gang of the 1990s that spooked fearful Americans into tough-on-crime policies.”
Sex crimes, though, are just one part of the problem. The Berkeley Beacon lists that in 2017, a Beta Theta Pi pledge at Penn State was forced to drink a fatal amount of alcohol in a hazing ritual known as “the gauntlet.” He suffered traumatic injuries to his brain and spleen, that would eventually kill him. Similarly, “Tucker Hipps died in 2014 after falling from a bridge during a predawn run with Clemson University’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.”
Sororities, in their glittery glory, are not safe from criticism, either. Journalist Ann Marie Elpa, a sorority pledge of Filipino descent, wrote to Vox that “the system was not built for individuals like [her],” emphasizing the epidemic of racism and prejudice that plagues the innocent-looking campuses. Beyond that, they are infamous for establishing “low self-esteem among members. The recruitment process often places a strong emphasis on physical appearance and social compatibility. These systems feel built to breed insecurity,” writes former sorority member Melody Mulugeta in the Los Angeles Loyolan.
That doesn’t even begin to cover the financial aspects which begin the process of exclusivity. Greek life, though marketed as an inclusive experience to build lasting bonds, is only meant for those who can afford it and the expensive lifestyle. If it’s out of your price range, you can kiss your sisterhood experience goodbye.
Finally, it would be appropriate to address the failure to meet the main goal of Greek life: establishing brother/sisterhood with fellow students. Thomas Jefferson University student Will Gatling wrote that after an incident of racism in his fraternity, he decided to get the school involved. His frat brothers did nothing to help him. “After I decided to leave my frat, they basically disowned me. I was friends with these people even outside the frat house, and we’re supposed to be brothers, right? But I haven’t heard from them in, like, six months.” Gatling continued that, “I realized the hypocrisy in this system because there are these values that we’re supposed to learn before we join the frat — what a man is and how he’s supposed to behave — and no one ends up meeting those standards. None of them follow that.”
It’s appalling that so many people desire to become a part of Greek life after graduating when for the most part, it only seems to cause misery for the people involved. Sure, friendships are great, but are they worth the humiliation, prejudice, and downright depressing realities? Participate in frats and sororities if you want, but if the icky parties and toxicity are okay with you, it’s safe to say that you should re-examine your taste.
There’s no telling when or how this system will change – honestly, negativity is so ingrained into the Greek life culture that change will probably never occur. We can only hope that the right people step up and encourage positive change within these institutions. If they don’t, then perhaps Greek life isn’t the best bet for aspiring college students.