Male Fraternal Organizations in Today's Genderless Part 2 Society.

• Dean Wormer: Greg, what is the worst fraternity on this campus?
• Greg: That would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.
• Dean Wormer: Cut the horseshit, son. I've got their disciplinary files right here. Who dropped a whole truckload of fizzies into the swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode.
• Greg: You're talking about Delta, sir.
• Dean Wormer: Of course I'm talking about Delta, you TWERP!!! This year is going to be different. This year we are going to grab the bull by the balls and kick those punks off campus.
• Greg: What do you intend to do sir? Delta's already on probation.
• Dean Wormer: They are?
• Greg: Yes, sir.
• Dean Wormer: Oh. Then as of this moment, they're on double secret probation!
• Greg: Double secret probation, sir?
• Dean Wormer: There is a little-known codicil in the Faber College constitution which gives the dean unlimited power to preserve order in time of campus emergency. Find me a way to revoke Delta's charter. You live next door. Put Neidermeyer on it. He's a sneaky little shit, just like you, right? [Greg nods] The time has come for someone to put their foot down. And that foot is me

• Dean Wormer: Well, well, well. Looks like somebody forgot there's a rule against alcoholic beverages in fraternities on probation!
• Otter: What a tool.
• Dean Wormer: I didn't get that, son, what was that?
• Otter: Uh, I said, "What a shame that a few bad apples have to spoil a good time for everyone by breaking the rules."
• Dean Wormer: Put a sock in it, boy, or else you'll be outta here like shit through a goose.

In 1978 National Lampoon released the movie "Animal House" and it has since become a cult classic.  According to Wikipedia:

The film, along with 1977's The Kentucky Fried Movie, also directed by Landis, was largely responsible for defining and launching the gross out film genre, which became one of Hollywood's staples.^[4] As of 2017, it was considered by many fans and critics as one of the greatest comedy films ever made. In 2001, the United States Library of Congress deemed Animal House "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was No. 1 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". It was No. 36 on AFI's "100 Years... 100 Laughs" list of the 100 best American comedies. In 2008, Empire magazine selected it as one of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time."

I first saw the movie in its' first run in Florida with my Faithful and Obedient Companion, and a Fraternity Brother from my college days along with his wife.  We could not believe how the movie resonated with our own Fraternity experiences right down to the Term "Animal House" which many on our campus labeled our own happy group of "Brothers".

To cite one of my favorite  examples:

In our Sophomore year several of us went deer hunting in upstate Pennsylvania, and after successfully bagging several deer we brought them back to our Fraternity House, which was located at one of the best spots on Campus, centally wedged between the Geology Building and the Library, in one of the highest trafficked walkways off the "Quad",  We joyfully hung them to cure above our House's Balcony along with a plastic Santa. Needless to say it was not a hit amongst the new "co-eds" (it was the first year we went Co-Ed) nor with our own "Dean Wormer", Dean Kessiah.   A few weeks later we consumed the Venison at a "deer and beer" bash put on by our own full time cook, Ed Klaus,  who both butchered and prepared the meal. As an added bonus we even recruited several off our brothers girlfriends and a couple of brave and adventurous new "Co-Eds" to act as  "serving wenches" (a couple of them actually dressed up for the occasion in appropriate "wench costumes) even these "young maidens" thought the whole thing was a great "success".

While our Fraternity had a reputation for its' fun loving edgeness, and great parties it also built lasting values and enduring friendships. Three of our fellow bloggers are my Fraternity Brothers (who may have some conflicting comments on my interpretation of events), and  I have remained in contact with many others.  Many of us married the women who knew or dated us during those days and perhaps because they had seen us at our best and worst moments, have pretty solid marriages.  My own sense is that on average the "long term" marriage rate amongst us is much higher than the norm.   With few exceptions most went on to meaningful careers in many fields.  Some became university professors, others were successful in business, law and medicine,  Several went into the Military.  Through it all I think most would agree  that when we think of Lafayette we really think of Phi Delta Theta.

Now for some very random thoughts about what Fraternity life meant:

When I went to Lafayette it was an all male college, and Fraternities supplied much of the housing , meals, and of course social life on campus.  If I recall out of about 1700 students (all male at the time of our matriculation) over 70% were members of some 19 Fraternities.

I have to say the drinking was something my Faithful and Obedient companion was most perplexed by.  Virtually all Fraternities on campus sponsored "parties" 4 or 5 times per semester, and Alcohol was an integral part of most.  Pot smoking was always confined to individual rooms but frankly we were not known as a "pot house"  (but some fraternities were).  Ours along with 3 or 4 others were well known for our ability to throw a party.  During those days Pennsylvania's minimum age for alcohol purchase and consumption was 21 while New Jersey right across the river was 18. All members and others on campus who happened to stop in during one of our cocktail parties or during our Saturday Band Party were freely served alcohol ( we did discriminate but not on race  only "townies" were not welcome-well maybe a few "townie females" slipped by).   During our after football cocktail parties alumni and parents would join us (coats and ties were mandatory), along with Professors and maybe a Dean or 2 (never Dean Kissiah).  My own Parents would come up on parent's weekends. In the spring we sponsored a huge "mother's day" brunch which my parents as well as my  grandmother "Me Ma" enjoyed every year I was at Lafayette.  These events could well be viewed as misplaced priorities.  I now see them as a way of learning social skills that helped me for the rest of my life.

Now while it may seem like my Fraternity experience was focused on  alcohol and "debauchery" it was not.  Lafayette when I first attended was hardly "diverse" by today's standards (overwhelmingly "white" and all male) but my Fraternity "felt" very different from the world I grew up in.  My own neighborhood was virtually all Irish Catholic, working or lower middle class.  My high School was in some ways much more diverse ethnically (30% black) and of course it was Co-Ed.

But it was diverse in its' socio-economic and even religious diversity   Several members were from wealthy families (by my standards heck one unusual one had a Jaguar on campus several weekends).   Many of our members parents were doctors, lawyers, and even college professors, but we  also had our share of men from families like my own. We had a few Jewish men as well as Catholics and Protestants.  We were generally  brought together by some matching interests (sports, drinking, freshmen friendships that led several to negotiate "package deals" when we decided to "join together", partying together, and even  playing "bridge" attracted a few ) When I "rushed" I learned how to meet and converse with people whose background and experiences were much different than mine.  Conversely when I was "rushing" incoming freshmen I learned to judge them in ways beyond academics and sports. In essence we bonded with people we often differed from (despite the usual Frat Boy stereotypes society often held) but liked, and wanted to be around.  A few who joined quit but frankly this "matching" process insured we all generally got along and worked well together, despite diverse academic backgrounds.

I think the aptly named "Delta House" in "Animal House' actually accurately portrayed the types of "diverse" characters Phi Delta Theta attracted.

In our day to day affairs we like most fraternities at Lafayette self governed in terms of running our organization (with some Alumni guidance).  We managed our own finances, budgets, room and board, house cleaning and social life. We owned our building.  Infractions to house rules were not enforced by the college but during Chapter Meetings where the accused faced his accusers and was judged by his "peers".

 Pledging and"Hazing" (once again very much like the "Delta House" of the movie) never involved paddling or physical violence it frankly consisted mostly of some funny stupid rituals and some good-natured razzing of initiates. Screw-ups usually  meant being told to "get out you asshole and never come back"  never serious about the "don't come back" part.  Of course as "low men' on the totem pole during our first year (as 2nd semester pledges and 1st semester sophomores) cleaning the "House" after a party was part of "the deal". It helped instill a sense of ownership and pride in our building.  In all other way,s even as pledges we were pretty much all equal in each others eyes.  It is this experience i believe, that built lasting bonds among us that exist to this day.


This leads me into a different conversation on Fraternity Life as I knew it.  Compared to the negative National Press  that Fraternities have gotten in recent years (and some deservedly so).   Obviously I am biased in my views but since I can only speak to my own experiences I cannot help but draw conclusions based on these "Observations".



As to the Alcohol and party issue as now viewed by society.

 Lafayette like virtually every college had to face the music on open defiance  of societal and legal pressure on under age alcohol consumption.  My own feeling is that has made the problem worse by driving it "underground".  Fraternity "Parties" no longer included "Dressing Up" and having a drink with alumni,  professors and parents. Furthermore by making violations a "death sentence" for a Fraternities existence, it has encouraged members to hide the effects of poor judgement when a brother encounters a problem.  Let me cite a personal example.

One of the great joys of my Fraternity experience was my semester as "Social Chairmen' in my senior year ( I graduated before I was 21).  As mentioned above Fraternities were "self governing" (Blog Follower Whitey for example was elected commissar and managed our meal service and our cook "Ed" for several semesters he also "managed me" as I was a paid dishwasher for 3 years).  As social chairmen I managed our all important "social calendar" selecting and hiring bands, purchasing alcohol, planing cocktail parties etc.  During one of "my" parties while tapping a keg of beer at about midnight  (we often went through 20 1/2 kegs or more during a big party weekend-nobody drove since we were right on campus) I smashed my hand on a tipped over keg.  (Frankly I had a few to many between our pre game cocktail party, after game cocktail party, and many glasses of beer.). Fortunately my Faithful and Obedient companion attended this party and she recruited a sober (yes we had some) brother to drive us to the local emergency room.  To show how bad I was ...I could not even give the Doctor my name.  They proceeded to stitch my hand up, no novocaine administered since the Doctor said " he doesn't need it" (so I am told), and sent me on my way.  Today that would be reported and walla-no more Fraternity.   I often wonder what would be the outcome that night if drinking was an offense punishable by ending our Fraternity.

A while back I thought of this when I read to story about the Penn State Fraternity that had a brother die because they did not seek help from an alcohol induced blackout.  So for  my first social commentary I offer the following

Realistically I understand allowing privileged college students to drink in defiance of the law was not tenable.  I get that but for the life of me cannot understand how the baby boomers who successfully lobbied to enfranchise those 18 or older to vote, drink, marry etc.  Suddenly turned our focus to nullifying most of those changes for their offspring.  The reality is society has changed (maybe for the better in aggregate) and I have come to accept that.  However in places like Europe drinking at younger ages seems to demystify it's appeal and this helps to integrate young people into socially using alcohol.  At any rate ending the social aspects of Fraternity Life when 18-20 year olds will still find ways to party did not "end" the drinking but simply drove it "underground".  Having said that,  I do believe that there is simply no excuse for allowing a fellow human being to die due to a fear of being forced to hide your underground drinking.

Second, demographically many Fraternities had to fall by the wayside(ours at Lafayette ended its' existence in the 90's mainly due to "alcohol violations") .  Virtually all of the male Colleges, like Lafayette, have gone co-ed and as a result today there are now less men than women  at Lafayette (as is true at most colleges-see my post on Wayward Sons).  At last count Lafayette has about 1200 men  (a lot less then when I matriculated) of which only 25-30% join what is left of Fraternities.  Interestingly over 35% of women are in Sororities.  Women's gains in attaining college was inevitable and has been 'the right thing' for our society as a whole but as a result there was no alternative universe that would sustain the same experiences we had for those who followed us.

Finally Colleges have seen self governing Fraternities as an enigma in today's big brother society.  At Lafayette and at most colleges today "special interest groups" have blossomed but are "controlled" to make sure they are "diverse" or are an expression of "politically correct" special interests (i.e. LGBT, Black Collegians, etc.).  However,  these are not independent of college oversight, as our Fraternities were.  The college dean's take a tight rein monitoring their events, and in all aspects of there living arrangements. As a result except as "loners" there virtually no opportunities for groups of students to totally run their living arrangements as they see fit.  In this world there will be no Deer hanging from the Balconies at colleges anymore, and I am sure a  college sponsored"hunting club" would not gain traction or approval at Lafayette, or pretty much anywhere.

So with that I will end my commentary and perspectives of "Fraternities".  but with one small postscript.

A couple of years ago I went back to a Fraternity Reunion which was in part sponsored by the college.  Our old  "fraternity House" ,which now housed the Dean of Diversity (along with a few other deans-poetic justice I suppose and indicative of the increased costs of education), was the site of this Homecoming.  Several of my Brothers (who were members when I was there) had been working with the college in an effort to begin "re-colonizing".  One of the College's many Dean's helped make the pitch.  A pitch that  sounded to me as not a love of "Fraternal life" but more about "the money" and the socially correct way of managing student life.  You see for years as fraternities were obliterated alumni like me began to feel alienated, and  mine and many others stopped giving.  After listening for a while it was evident that any re-colonized Fraternity would be a shell of what we once were.  They needed to be "inclusive" and transparent. 

Several of us asked some questions.  Mine?  " So if someone wanted to "pledge" the new Phi Delt and were not offered admission what would the college's reaction be"?  For example if a women decided to "apply" what would be your position in the future?"

When the dean answered  (to paraphrase) "well it would depend on the circumstances" my response was "so we are talking about a college managed club" or something, not a "Fraternity".  He looked away and took the next question.

I would have been more receptive to a flat out pitch for money with an acknowledgement that for Lafayette the Fraternity system was no longer tenable then some bland attempt at simply offering a "club" run by the college.  It was to me a charade to try to make some of us "feel" like we were home again.

I lefts with a thought from Thomas Wolfe  as far as Fraternal Life at Lafayette:

"You can never go home again"

Until next time

Adieu