What is the point of the greek life at college?

Question

I don't understand the point of it. It seems like you buy your friends and i have heard the stories of how they initiate you and haze. I am an army rotc cadet and have made life long friends in our battalion and we don't even get hazed. They also pay for everything. I don't understand the point of hazing. How does hitting people make them more acceptable and how does degrading them make you feel?

Answer 1

I'm not a Greek, but I can understand the point of it, especially at large schools. To begin with, you are basing your opinions on hazing, which you probably saw in some movie. Most schools monitor this pretty closely these days, and the nasty stuff is very much the exception. I don't think hitting was ever a big part of it (it sounds more like being jumped into a gang than a fraternity!). Going through a tough experience is supposed to build a feeling of belonging and loyalty. What do you think the purpose of boot camp is? As to "buying your friends", ROTC is subsidized by the government, because they want you in the military, but all activities cost something, and most are paid by students themselves. Professional organizations and club sports cost money too.

I started college at a large school and dropped out, in large part due to the inability to get close to people there. Some people I knew who joined Greek organizations had a very different experience. They were linked to other people tightly enough that real friendships were built from what was initially enforced closeness. There was a lifetime network they could always be a part of. They were reminded to keep a balanced life - they had to spend a certain amount of time studying, a certain amount of time on philanthropy, a certain amount of time being social. They learned to value others of their own gender. They had others to live with who, because they thought of them as "sisters", cared a little more about them than did the average roommate.

I'm not saying that it is a choice everyone should make, but I can see why some would make it. A few years ago, I was teaching a class in which the students started talking, and they said that one of their biggest regrets was that they never really had time to get to know people unlike them at school. The jocks were too busy with practice to spend time making other friends. The Greeks were too busy with their activiites. The artsy-types were rehearsing. They started talking (I don't even remember why this happened in my class!), and decided they needed to break down these barriers, which tended to cause a lot of stereotyping. I'm not sure they learned what I wanted them to learn in that class session, but I think they did learn something important about themselves and others.