Abuses at Missouri and Kansas fraternities prove the Greek system is out of control

In college, I was president of my fraternity’s pledge class, then president of our fraternity house and eventually president of my university’s intra-fraternity council. Obviously, I was totally into fraternity life then, and for many years thereafter as an alumnus. However, 50 years later and hopefully having acquired a degree of wisdom over my 72 years on this earth, my thoughts regarding social fraternities have shifted diametrically.

University social fraternities can become petri dishes for a lifetime of alcohol or drug abuse. Let me assure you, I know from personal experiences. Sexual predation of women (and sometimes men) during undergraduate years is more prevalent than published, and fraternities are highly discriminatory by nature. Most operate autonomously with very little oversight from the college or university — that is until someone is seriously injured, killed or raped. Then, school administrators usually cry innocence or ignorance of what they clearly know about what goes on in many fraternity houses.

First, let’s address alcohol abuse. Excessive drinking or “bingeing” has become a rite of passage in some fraternal organizations, even to the point where they sometimes force pledges to consume poisonous amounts of alcohol. Drinking games are as commonplace as intramural sports. Any of us who have drunk to excess understand that good judgment leaves the brain quickly. We can think that we can safely jump in our cars and drive home, or worse, to the next party. Alcohol often results in stupid and aggressive behavior such as unnecessary risk-taking, harassment, fighting or sexual aggression. Young women who choose to “join the party” can become vulnerable to unwanted sexual activity, seeming to submit to something they would normally not do if sober.

I have a good friend and fraternity brother who says, “Most of us left college with three things: a degree, a girlfriend many of us eventually married and then divorced, and a serious drinking problem.” He is mostly correct.

Regarding the issue of hazing: That is simply another word for bullying and dehumanizing other people. It has no place in the positive development of young men and women. Add alcohol into the hazing mix, and the level of danger increases exponentially. When I pledged my fraternity many moons ago, there was mild hazing — but certainly nothing life-threatening, and never involving alcohol.

In my day, discrimination was also a natural part of fraternity member selection. I have no memory of any Black or Latino men going through rush or being invited to join any of the fraternities on campus. Also, many young men were rejected because they did not meet the phony elitist standards or “values” we invented. To this day, I am ashamed of the young people we rejected or did not even consider for membership.

I could cite many examples of the above stated abuses, but students, parents and administrative staff need only search the internet for the latest wrongdoing beget by social fraternities.

To be fair, social fraternities can offer some favorable contributions to college life: the best parties, friendships that can last a lifetime, charitable activities, leadership development and career networking opportunities upon graduation.

We parents must ask ourselves why we send our children to undergraduate institutions of higher learning where the first organization they may join can present real barriers to their ultimate success. College educations are expensive — even more so if parents are paying fraternity dues and high-end house fees. The purpose of an undergraduate education is to prepare our children to achieve career, professional, family and community success. Social fraternities are an unnecessary distraction.

From my experiences and what I frequently read, the negatives of social fraternity life outweigh the positives. Unless schools strictly regulate fraternity activities and forbid alcohol and drug use on campus and in fraternity houses — and find a way to police those policies — they should shut them down.