Two years ago my boyfriend decided to join a fraternity on his campus. Being that we didn’t have Greek life on my campus at the time I was kind of nervous about this new addition to his life. After 2 years of living in the house, taking on a lead role in his fraternity and gaining 40 brothers, I have seen him grow into an amazing man due to his experiences. Here are some things I have learned from dating my fraternity man and his brothers.
It is nothing like Animal House.
The first time I entered the fraternity house I was expecting toilet paper stringed over the house with a puddle of beer all over the floor. To my surprise, the house was pretty clean, and it was more dorm-like then a house. The lounge was filled with people doing homework and overall pretty quiet. Don’t get me wrong; their parties are still pretty awesome! It’s just not every night like it is in the movies.
Most of the guys have girlfriends
One of the things any girl worries about when attending a different college than their boyfriend is the chance of cheating, and when mine joined a fraternity my worries increased. My nerves calmed when I found out that most of his brothers have long-term girlfriends. Not saying that other guys cheat on their girlfriends because they join a fraternity but the stereotype must have some bit of truth. The other girlfriends are all pretty cool and not afraid of being as sassy to their men so it makes for fun nights.
It is not a “frat”
I cannot tell you the amount of times I have been corrected to not call my boyfriend a “frat boy.” That phrase has gained so much negative attention over the years based on small groups of men that only cared about drinking and getting laid. A fraternity though is different. Fraternities are a group of brothers who unite to make a difference in their community. I have seen this on many different occasions while spending time on their campus. Although they like to have fun they do create events each year that will benefit their community. They will even go as far to sleep in a box in the middle of the winter to raise money for the homeless.
Overall I have learned that these guys are not how the movies portray them at all. They have helped my boyfriend turn into a man. They pushed him to try new things, get involved and most of all to remember why they are there -- education.
