Why we join fraternities
I CAME TO FRESNO State in the fall of 2003 as a wide-eyed freshman not even thinking about joining a fraternity. The only thing I knew was that my major was going to be criminology. Then came rush week and a few guys approached me and asked if I had ever thought about checking out a fraternity, and the first thing I thought of was the movie “Animal House,” you know, the one with John Belushi, that depicted fraternity life in the ‘70s.
I said “why not?” and checked out a couple of “houses” and ultimately made my choice.
Little did I know that being in a fraternity was not all about animal house antics and partying.
Fraternities raise thousands of dollars every year for charities and other organizations designed to help those who aren’t as fortunate as we are. I say “we” because we have the opportunity to go to school and advanced ourselves through higher education, a privilege not all have (I also understand that some may have it easier while going to school than others do).
Kappa Sigma raised hundreds for the Fresno Rescue Mission, Sigma Phi Epsilon raised $1000 for YouthAIDS, and Delta Sigma Phi donated a generous sum to the March of Dimes Foundation.
These are just some of the wonderful things fraternities do, not because we have to but because we want to. For those of you reading this, ask yourselves, “Why doesn’t anyone ever know about this?”
I’ll tell you why, it’s because the good things that fraternities do doesn’t sell newspapers, it doesn’t bring in the ratings for the news stations.
Instead, what you see is the tragic death of a former student on the front page. You see late breaking, live news at 11 o’clock telling you how much partying these “malicious kids do.” It’s a sad thing to see but that is how our society works.
Every fraternity has a set of standards and values it has carried on since their founding fathers. Each fraternity is different in some aspects but they are all the same with one, and that is becoming a better person.
Knowing this doesn’t always come clear for every new member, some may grasp the idea better than others, and of course there will always be those who will never get the true meaning of being in a fraternity.
I joined a fraternity to make new friends, enjoy my college years and ultimately to make myself a better man or at least try to. We, as a whole, join to be apart of something bigger and better than just ourselves, we join to be a part of something no one else will understand except the brothers you share it with.
Gustavo Rios, Jr. is the Vice President of the Inter-Fraternity Counsel and a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
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