The Fraternity Experience

Look, I'm not going to feed you a load of crap about fraternities not being places that the brothers party. They are, but that shouldn't be their main reason for existence. I partied as an undergraduate, but I did not party any more being in a fraternity than I did before I joined. In fact, when I joined Phi Gamma Delta, I started partying less, and my grades rose.

See, a fraternity is not about partying. It's about building lasting friendships and joining together with other young men for social interaction. It's about getting together with other gentlemen of similar moral standing. It's about scholarship and community service.

My greatest experiences at Phi Gamma Delta were not the parties. They were things like getting together with the seven other brothers living in the house, forming a food co-op, and eating dinner as a group every night. Or playing bridge until four o'clock in the morning. Or having a heated religious discussion (read that argument) with one of the other brothers. Or getting together with the entire chapter to help run the Crop Walk community service event. Or getting our butts kicked in Delta Gamma's Anchor Splash.

If you go looking for a fraternity as a place to get plastered every Friday and Saturday night, you will not get the experience you deserve, and you will be doing yourself and your brothers a disservice. Instead, look for friendship, cameraderie, scholarship. These are the things which persist long after graduation.

Of course, I urge you to consider Phi Gamma Delta when you are considering fraternity membership. However, no matter how great I consider Phi Gamma Delta to be, it may not be for you. So look around. Just don't dismiss the fraternity system without giving it proper consideration.

<The author now steps down off of his soapbox>