Why is there so much stigma around fraternity members in today’s day and age? From my personal experience joining a frat was the best decision I have ever made, and has opened countless doors for myself and my peers. So where may this stigma come from? To figure this out, we have to go back to the start. Fraternities were established in North America in the mid seventeen hundreds. Initially, they started as secret societies focused on scholarship, debates, and discussion matters that could not be talked about publicly at their apparent universities. The first Greek letter fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was established in the late eighteenth century at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg Pennsylvania. Originally, it was established as a secret society, and later became an honorary scholarship society in the early 19th century. As fraternities became more public and known they established reputations around their campuses.

Eventually, as these secret societies grew and became more common they became more known as social groups. There are countless fraternities and sororities across the nation all focused on philanthropy and scholarship, categorized by major focuses and student interests. So how did they get their current reputation of heavy partiers that cause havoc around campuses, viewing them from the outside as members that seem to all look alike and come from similar backgrounds, often being white middle to upper class men. As the mid twentieth century rolled around fraternities gained a lot of popularity across the country. As freshmen roll into campus they are given the opportunity to rush a fraternity or sorority some more socially focused then others, for the first time in your young adult life you now have full freedom, and as a dumb eighteen year old the first thing on your mind should be to get drunk! At least that’s what it was for me.

So where does this stigma come from? I reached out to one of my friends Mason Beyer about this topic to hear his point of view. After asking him, he immediately responded jokingly, “Bro, we’re all douchebags!” A funny response, but I wanted to get to the root of this topic. Obviously, from the outside they can seem kind of weird, some see fraternities as primarily white clubs that fail to promote diversity. But the main cause of distrust and hate for them comes from the hazing practices that many frats in the past participated in. From the outside, it seems cruel and in some instances tragic, the main goal of hazing is to bring you closer with your pledge brothers often having to participate in tasks and events. Recently, with the introduction of social media we can see how frats and the idea of them has been twisted and turned into these torture clubs, but I see it as new members having to prove their worth and show why they want to be a member. The benefits and connections you gain once you are initiated are endless, having a common calling card with thousands of men across the globe.

Joining a fraternity changed my life for the better. Coming from Seattle to the University of Minnesota seems like a crazy transition for most but rushing a frat, allowed me to meet new people who had common interests, goals and mindsets of my own and has allowed me to grow as a person and a friend. From the outside we seem like washed up athletes struggling to get a degree, but living in a fraternity is the complete opposite, you’re constantly surrounded by some of the smartest and dumbest people in the world, and I would not have it any other way. College can be a stressful time full of ups and promoting the work hard play hard mindset, has made me more motivated when it comes to school, and finding jobs.