It’s an unfortunate truth that fraternities and sororities don’t usually receive a ton of positive coverage from the media. Isolated incidents, like the racist chant sung by members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Oklahoma University, make the entire Greek system look bad.
However, I believe joining a fraternity is one of the best decisions I have ever made. When I was in high school, all I knew about fraternity men came from a combination of what I could glean from ABC's "GREEK" and what my older sister had told me. That being said, I thought the Greek system was all play and very little work.
Being in a fraternity is a ton of fun. There are parties, dances, competitions, you name it. The Greek system gives fraternity and sorority members tons of opportunities to hang out, make connections, and bond with each other.
After going through rush and joining Theta Chi, it didn't take long to learn that being part of a fraternity wasn't all fun and games. All of my actions became direct representations of the actions of my chapter. Suddenly, all of my triumphs became Theta Chi's triumphs and all of my failures became Theta Chi's failures.
Being a good fraternity brother means balancing work and fun. If I mess up it means that I not only let myself down, but I also let down my brothers. Despite the irresponsible way the Greek system is often portrayed, my fraternity is one of the few reasons I aspire to be responsible in college. If my actions only affected me, I doubt I’d try half as hard to succeed.
It’s not easy all the time. Living in a house with 50 other people means you’re going to disagree with someone every now and then. Not everyone is going to agree with every decision -- it’s just how it is. If two brothers disagree about something, at the end of the day, they’re still brothers. Fraternity bonds are greater than regular friendship; accepting someone as a brother means that you accept them the way they are, even if you don’t agree with everything they do.
Joining a fraternity isn't for the faint of heart, and it's also not for those who are too stubborn to compromise. Making the decision to join a fraternity is like choosing to join a family. It's scary, but it's also continuously rewarding.
