Brotherhood/Sisterhood

It was recommended that we comment on some of the blogs but to be honest, I am not much of a commenter. However, I did concentrate on reading one of the blogs. Because we are concentrating on the fraternal community as a whole, I believe we need to first understnad the strength and weaknesses of each chapter and develop from there. Other than that I am also interested in how other fraternities different in ours. While the range of strengths and weaknesses in our chapters differed in many cases, there was one strength that was similar between most if not all of our chapters. This strength was brotherhood/sisterhood. I was very impressed by this because to me, this is the most important reason someone should join a fraternity or sorority: to develop those lifelong bonds that will be there no matter what, for good or for bad. To me, this common strength in our chapters signifies to me that at least most of the mebers in each chapter joined for the right reasons, and that will make it much easier to change the image of the fraternal community.

Perfect World and the Role of Fraternities/Sororities in it

To tell you the truth, I am a person who lives and acts for mainly for the future. I do the things I do now, so I can live a happy and successful life when I am old, not that I don't have fun now. I'm talking about the big things like school, etc. And I would consider the future that I strive for to be my perfect world. I don't think my perfect world is too unrealistic. I am not a very picky person, nor am I greedy and want to be the richest person in the world. In fact, my perfect world just consists of my family and I living comfortably in an average 2 story, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home, a little bigger than the one my parents live in right now. I would like to have two of these houses though, one in the U.S. and one in China because those are the two places I would want to visit regularly. My family would own three cars: a Mercedes for luxury, and two Hondas/Toyotas to use in everyday affairs. I'd work from 8 to 5 everyday, get an hour in at the gym playing basketball or working out, and then go home and spend time with my family. On the weekends, I'd hang out with friends, go play golf, etc, go to the bars every once in awhile, etc.

Unfortunately, my life in my perfect world doesn't include much in terms of fraternal organizations. Honestly, it's not that I don't love my fraternity. It's just that I don't see myself doing a lot to help out with Pi Delta Psi except for maybe giving alumni donations. However, there are some things I would like to see happen. One part is of my fraternity that I do hope to keep in the future is the brotherhood, the life-lasting friendships I have developed with all the brothers in my chapter while I was at OSU. Even if we are living far away, in different cities, states or countries, I would still hope to be able to call them when I am around the area to hang out and catch up, or help me if I need help in anyway. I know that I would do this for them without hesitating.

Pi Delta Psi is a relatively new fraternity, and we have only been around OSU for 10 years. Our entire fraternity was only established in 1994. 15-20 years after I graduate from OSU, when I have settled down with a good job and a family, I would like to be able to come back to OSU someday, and see how Pi Delta Psi has grown. As of right now, we are expanding rapidly. In the two years that I have been in Pi Delta Psi, five new chapters and 3 new colonies have already been formed. We have about 25 chapters or so right now. In 15-20 years, I hope to see this number multiply by five. We have 10 active members in the OSU chapter right now, and within the next 15-20 years, I would like to see that number double or triple to 25 members or so. I think 25-30 members is a good number because every brother can still be close to each other. Lastly, no one in the Greek community really knows us other than some of the chapters in MCGC. I would really like to see Pi Delta Psi become a force in the fraternal community 15 to 20 years down the line to be on par with fraternities like Phi Kappa Psi or Sigma Phi Epsilon.

This is a far-fetched idea, and for me, it is only a dream of what I wanted to accomplish for Pi Delta Psi in my time at OSU. I am trying to pushing for these dreams right now by taking an active leadership role in MCGC, and promoting Pi Delta Psi at the same time. However, no matter how hard you try sometimes, the fact of the matter is, some things just take more time than others. Even though my perfect world in the future doesn't include much of the way in terms of fraternities and sororities, I have faith that what the groundwork I have laid in my time here at OSU for Pi Delta Psi and the fraternal community as a whole will be built upon by others that come after me.

Dilemnas/Opportunities facing the fraternal movement

Fraternal organizations are one of the oldest and most unique organizations on college campuses today. Most fraternities were founded about 200 years ago, and some were founded even before that. Fraternal organizations are one of the few organizations that require an oath to join. Since the founding of fraternities, not much has changed. The oaths are still the same, the Rituals are still the same, etc. Coming into the new millenium, year 2010, it is time to make a change in the way fraternal organizations act and are perceived. Fraternal organizations should be the centerpiece of the student organizations on a college campus, and should contribute to the students' academic and social careers in a positive way. Fraternal organizations on campus should also work together to promote this positive image. However, many fraternal organizations are seen as a bad influence in the eyes of students. Students stereotype members of the fraternal organizations as partying and drinking all the time, hooking up all the time, and not doing well in their academics. Well, the time has come for the fraternal community to change. While there are many opportunities for positive change in the fraternal movement, there are also some dilemnas as well.

DILEMNAS:

The dilemna facing a positive change in the fraternity is clear. Not everyone who joins a community joins for the right reasons. Even in our 10 week class, through surveying various fraternity members and going to AFLV, we see that rather than joining a fraternity for the brotherhood and academics, some members join just to party more, drink more, or hook up more. These types of members need to be punished or prevented from joining because they give a bad reputation to their fraternal organizations and the Greek fraternity in general.

Another dilemna facing a positive change in fraternity is a hesitance to work together between fraternal organizations that are in different councils. Collaboration among fraternal organizations is key if we are to promote a positive image of the fraternal community overall. My fraternity, Pi Delta Psi, is a good example of this. We usually do not interact with fraternities and sororities outside of MCGC, and I hope this changes in the future.

OPPORTUNITIES:

While there are some dilemnas facing the fraternal movement, I also see any opportunities out there. In order to create a more positive image, fraternal organizations could cut back on the partying and drinking. Dry houses are a good way to discourage drinking, and many fraternal organizations have already implemented this idea on their campuses. Another way for fraternal organizations to create a more positive image is to be selective in their recruitment. Organizations could spend more time getting to know their potential members rather than just having two weeks of rush at the beginning of every quarter. Punishments could also be made more severe for members who do not represent their organizations well. This will discourage members from performing stupid acts if they know that they will be severely punished. Fraternal organizations could also participate in more community service and philanthropy events to show how they are positively affecting their communities.

Like I said before, one dilemna facing fraternal organizations today is a lack of collaboration. There are many opportunities for organizations to collaborate. Organizations can do fundraisers, social, or community service events together. Organizations can also attend events thrown by other organizations to support them. These are all ways in which the fraternal community can become closer to each other. By becoming close, the potential for growth of the fraternal community is infinite.

The opportunities and dilemnas for a positive fraternal movement are out there. It is the job of the members of the fraternal organizations to seize the wheel and act on these opportunities and overcome the dilemnas.