-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
!"#$!#%!$"& !"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
DOW JONES, A NEWS CORP COMPANY
DJIA
!
22751.39 -0.11%
Nasdaq
"
6585.95 0.01%
U.S. 10 Yr
!
-3/32 Yield 2.360%
Crude Oil
!
49.29 -2.95%
Euro
"
1.1726 0.14%
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com. http://www.wsj.com/articles/should-colleges-get-rid-of-fraternities-1442368892
BUSINESS | JOURNAL REPORTS: LEADERSHIP
Should Colleges Get Rid of Fraternities? Alexandra Robbins says they’re dangerous, but Georgianna L. Martin says they shape young male lives for the better
Fraternities have suffered much criticism in the wake of a few highly publicized negative incidents. PHOTO: W. STEVE SHEPARD JR./ISTOCK
Sept. 15, 2015 10:01 p.m. ET
Is it time for colleges and universities to move away from the fraternity system? Over the past few years, high-profile incidents have been piling up that put the campus societies in a negative light. Critics point to incidents showing fraternity brothers allegedly involved in racist displays, sexual assaults or even deaths from hazing. Some schools have taken steps like banning hard liquor or expelling individuals for misbehavior. misbehavior. But some critics argue that those moves don’t go far enough. Individual incidents of misbehavior, they say, aren’t outliers—they are signs of a harmful culture that needs to be removed from higher education. Fraternity Fraternity boosters insist that the societies remain a positive force on campus, molding young men in positive ways and doing other good work for the community. Some critics, meanwhile, argue that statistics about fraternity misbehavior are overblown and some F6G HHHI HHHIH6 IK/L IK/L >= >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 4546A54 A= A/ A => => 4=? 4=? 46A
>54
/
-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
JOURNAL REPORT
!"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
notorious incidents were misrepresented.
Insights from The Experts
Alexandra Robbins, the author of “Pledged: The Secret Life of MORE IN BIG ISSUES: EDUCATION Sororities,” makes the case for moving away What’s the Best Way to Make College More Affordable? from fraternities. Should Community Colleges Be Tuition-Free? Georgianna L. Martin, Should College Athletes Be Allowed to Unionize? an assistant professor for student affairs administration/higher education at the University of Southern Mississippi, argues for keeping the system. Read more at WSJ.com/LeadershipReport
YES: Fraternities Put Members and Nonmembers at Risk By Alexandra Robbins Fraternities simply don’t fit into the mission of 21st century higher education. They represent a dominant and dangerous social culture that needs to be removed from universities. We’re used to the headlines by now—stories of widespread abuse and bias that have no place on a modern campus. In leaked videos and emails, fraternity brothers across the country have been caught describing raping women or slinging racial slurs. Many researchers have found that fraternity members are more likely to commit rape than nonfraternity members. One study author has stated, “It is reasonable to conclude that fraternities turn men into guys more likely to rape.” These toxic attitudes and behaviors don’t belong at the center of campus social life. I should note, however, that I’m generally not referring to minority fraternities, which typically don’t have houses and focus more on cultural networks.
Widespread harm Fraternity misbehavior not only puts other students at risk, it also endangers the members themselves. For one thing, fraternities act as a major alcohol supplier to students. Little wonder that 86% of fraternity house residents binge drink, compared with 45% of nonGreek college men. There is also the matter of continued hazing practices, which have led to numerous deaths. Altogether, Bloomberg News has counted more than 60 fraternityrelated deaths between 2005 and 2014. How many students have to die before universities step in and protect the young adults whom parents entrust with their care?
F6G HHHIH6 IK/L >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 A= A/ A => 4=? 46A
>54
/
-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
!"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
What’s more, fraternity leadership teaches members to prioritize image control over doing the right thing. When I conducted undercover reporting for my book “Pledged,” a fraternity leader told students at a Greek national leadership conference, “One death takes 10,000 hours of community service to make up for the public-relations aspect.” The University of Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilons expelled this spring likely learned their racist chant on a national leadership cruise, according to a statement from the national headquarters of SAE. These are not the leaders we want men to become. Defenders of fraternities point to numerous beneficial activities and the bonding experience for members, in addition to the chance to become “leaders.” It is true that fraternities that quietly perform community-service activities don’t typically make headlines. It is also true that these gentlemen could do so outside of a system that increases their rates of binge drinking, serious injury, drug abuse and death. Thanks to increasing residential college and other smallercommunity systems and a proliferation of college clubs, fraternities don’t provide students with anything productive that they couldn’t find elsewhere on campus, with on-site college supervision and more diverse participants. Good men who would join a fraternity would still do good things without the fraternity umbrella.
Holding sororities back In addition to these familiar arguments, I’d like to contribute a new reason why fraternities should be disbanded: They’re bringing sororities down—and sororities still have a fighting chance to remain relevant. Sororities are inherently safer organizations that ban alcohol from their houses. With more formally structured opportunities to learn marketable skills and management savvy, sororities have the potential to be feminist juggernauts, marshaling their 3.5 million members toward vital causes promoting women’s equality and the formation of an old-girls’ network. But fraternities hold them back. As long as fraternities exist, sororities will revolve around them, focusing their considerable womanpower on demeaning activities like wooing Homecoming or Greek Week escorts rather than women’s activism and empowerment. Remove fraternities and sorority sisters would be less pressured to date only certain men—the very men who are more likely to rape them. Last year, a university study found that nearly one in two sorority members there—an astonishing number—were victims of nonconsensual sexual contact. Most universities are too cowardly to ban fraternities, although the move would rescue their students from a dominant and dangerous social culture. But if sororities are brave enough to lead the boycott, they just might save themselves.
F6G HHHIH6 IK/L >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 A= A/ A => 4=? 46A
>54
/
-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
!"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
Ms. Robbins is the author of “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities.” She can be reached at
[email protected] .
NO: Despite the Bad Headlines, Fraternities Are Beneficial to Both Students and Schools By Georgianna L. Martin The fraternity system is a vital part of university life that plays an important role in shaping young men for the better—despite the negative headlines that have surrounded individual fraternities. Joining these organizations gives students a sense of belonging and a support system that helps them thrive. On many college campuses, fraternity men have higher grade point averages, and research overwhelmingly shows that membership in a fraternity or sorority helps students stay in college until graduation. F6G HHHIH6 IK/L >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 A= A/ A => 4=? 46A
>54
/
-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
!"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
A positive impact Fraternities also strive to develop morals. Over the years, I have seen my share of fraternity men behaving badly, but for every instance of negative behavior, I have encountered at least a dozen fraternity men who are invested in their academic success and their career trajectory, who respect women and people who are different from them, and who contribute positively to their campus and their community. Yes, there are a multitude of opportunities for involvement on campus outside of the fraternity system. However, Greek organizations offer a unique experience—the close-knit community, opportunities for leadership, academic support and personal development, and the connection to something larger than yourself. The kind of brotherhood you get in a fraternity is hard to explain to outsiders— and often makes them roll their eyes—but ask any member and you’ll likely get a positive response about the bonding experience. To be sure, individual fraternity members are associated with detrimental behaviors such as hazing, binge drinking and sexual assault. Fraternity leaders don’t like this fact any more than fraternity critics do. As a college educator, I’ve had the experience of working with men who are leaders in their fraternity or leaders in the larger fraternal community on campus. These individuals bemoan the negative attributes of fraternity involvement, and work extremely hard to make their fraternity a positive experience for its members. What’s more, the idea of banning all fraternities because of a few bad players seems far too blunt. Fraternities differ across various types of colleges and universities; a dysfunctional chapter at one university may be an exemplary chapter at another institution. Further, organizations may share similar characteristics, but they are comprised of individual members, each with his own attitudes, world view and ambitions. When shameful or even tragic incidents occur— from displays of racial bigotry to sexual assault to deaths due to hazing or high-risk drinking—they happen because of the poor udgment of individual college students and the culture that individual chapters have allowed to continue. They are not a result of the Greek system itself or the influence of the fraternity’s national organization. It’s also worth pointing out that in most cases, misbehavior by individuals is swiftly condemned and punished by the school and national fraternity. Some critics raise the issue of fraternities harming sorority women in a systematic way, such as making them regular victims of assault or, more subtly, dominating their social life on campus. On the one hand, I think sorority women are capable of taking care of themselves—they know the consequences of risky behavior from the governing council on campus and the larger organization. On the other hand, I agree that
F6G HHHIH6 IK/L >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 A= A/ A => 4=? 46A
>54
/
-./012 3/114546 748 9:2 /; <=>84=?:8:46@ A B-C
!"#$!#%!$"& $%()* +,
many women do actively engage in high-risk behavior, such as drinking to excess at fraternity parties, just as some individual fraternity members behave poorly.
The way forward The solution to this problem and the broader problem of misbehavior is better communication and connection between organizations, college/university professionals and alumni advisers, and better accountability for members. Setting high standards for individuals and their fraternities, as well as h olding members who exhibit poor behavior accountable for their actions, is a positive step toward keeping fraternities relevant in the larger context of American college culture.
Dr. Martin is an assistant professor for Student Affairs dministration/Higher Education at the University of Southern Mississippi. She can be reached at
[email protected]. Clarification: The photo accompanying an earlier version of this article incorrectly showed a sorority rather than a fraternity.
Copyright ©2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com.
F6G HHHIH6 IK/L >= K 46 6 /0 AK/ 4546A54 A= A/ A => 4=? 46A
>54
/
