Fraternities, sororities, and FIRE

[tangomonster]

Yesterday, the lead article in the Atlanta newspaper was about sorority rushes at University of Georgia (it obviously was a very slow news day!). Reading about the money that these girls spend to get ready for rushing and how much maintenance it requires (grooming, clothes, cars, possessions) to keep up with their sisters (and I'm sure this applies to frats as well), I started to wish that I had a crystal ball to see into the future and see whether people who belong to sororities or fraternities will be interested in or able to FIRE. Right now they stroke me as being way too much into appearances, status, materialism, and consumerism for FIRE---and too much into group think and conformity. But people do change, so it may not be fair to base this on what someone is like from 17 to 22ish.

It got me to wondering whether people on this board (FIREd or wannabes) were less apt to have gone Greek since so many here seem to be more freethinkers and less materialistic. To satisfy my curiousity, please designate in the poll whether you belonged to one or not (or didn't have the opportunity to because your college didn't have it or you didn't go to college). As for me: no way in hell would I have have ever joined a sorority, even 30 years ago!

 

[Sandy]

I voted didn't have the opportunity - my undergraduate college didn't have frats/sororities, but I wouldn't have joined any way. That type of group think was never my style.

I did live in a frat one summer (I am female), with my BF, rented like a room in an apartment, but that is really not the same thing

 

[FinanceDude]

Joined a fraternity. Some of my current best friends today were my frat brothers.

Reunions are interesting, from the guy with the leased BMW, hair plugs, and the 25 year old girlfriend half his age to the guy who owns 30 apartment buildings (zero debt) that drives a 7 year old truck.........a little of everything........

 

[W2R]

I checked "no", since I never joined a sorority. But my two big brothers (ages 65 and 63) both retired in their early 50's. Both were Sigma Nu's.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

the most interest i've ever had in such things is to respond here that in college it didn't interest me in the slightest.

(earlier in life--before the days of gated communities--i was a member of a country club by virtue of my parents but i've never even considered joining one of those, on my own, either.)

 

[clifp]

I was a member, but primarily because I couldn't find anyplace to live on campus. Bezerkeley crazy rent control policy had caused a huge drop in student rentals as landlords restricted the number of people living in their apartments. I spent just under two years in the frat, and I liked but didn't love the experience.

 

[jIMOh]

you don't call your country a * * * *, don't call a fraternity a frat.

FIJI rocks
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[MODERATOR EDIT]
my apologies.

 

[laurence]

While recognizing the above post was written in humor and fun, we've had some complaints on expressed and implied language, let's please avoid especially incendiary phrases.

 

[bright eyed]

you don't call your country a * * * *, don't call a fraternity a frat.

FIJI rocks
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[MODERATOR EDIT]
my apologies.

ever wonder why frats have a bad rap?

 

[roadtoharvard]

I was curious about it but never pulled the trigger. I didn't need the camaraderie but the potential free initiation paddlings offset the costs of outsourcing them to other less savory sources. Another upside to the frat route was that the light wouldn't be so harsh in comparison. That red really does a job on the eyes. Oh well, what was the question again?

 

[tightasadrum]

I was not in a fraternity nor was my wife in a sorority. No real interest really, especially after ol' dad announced he would not be contributing to that lifestyle. But one odd irony, DD is in a sorority at UNC. We certainly never encouraged it, but tried not to poison the idea either. I know many who were in greek organizations, which worked out nicely on weekends for me . After thinking about their careers and their decisions with money, I don't believe there is really much correlation to their being financially independant or not. I think there is a better correlation of financial independence than this.

 

[bssc]

Georgetown, being a Catholic University, prohibits non-service fraternities and sororities. The student organization guide prohibits school recognition of organizations that "are conducted secretly or as a fraternity or sorority (e.g. groups with discriminatory, secret, or ritualized membership practices)". There was one unofficial fraternity off campus but I never had any desire to join.

 

[grumpy]

At the time I attended Lafayette College (Easton, Pa.) it was an all male school. The only social life was in the fraternities so I joined one. Transferred to a different school the next year and had no further interest in a fraternity.

Grumpy

 

[BigBob]

Ditto:

The only social life was in the fraternities so I joined one.
Grumpy

Also, since I was paying my way through college, it was cheaper to eat and live at the house than on-campus.

 

[kaudrey]

My school didn't have any, but I wouldn't have joined if it did.

 

[jIMOh]

My FIJI dues were around $1400 a semester. Included 8-10 meals per week prepared by a cook (saved significant time). Plus house provided breakfast foods if I chose to cook them (eggs, cereal...).

Dorms or off campus housing would range from $900-$1200 a semester, so the cost add on is not much (there are economies of scale).

Add to this that all fraternities at GMI had an extensive "crib" system of old tests, papers and such, that significantly saved time when carrying 23 credit hours... which is typical for an engineering student in sophomore II-senior I terms.

I have visited other schools and the GLO (Greek Letter Organizations) were not the same. 50% of GMI students joined... I hear enrollment at other schools is less than 10%.

If I did it all over again, I'd do it the same way. I remember the good times, the tough times, working hard and most importantly the people. Fraternities are not about the money, the discrimination or what have you others have mentioned. The friends I have met thru FIJI are some of the best friends I have to this very day.

 

[Medit8]

Yup. Sigma Chi. In Hoc Signo Vinces. Oh, those were the days.

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

I was in a fraternity during undergrad, but in all honesty, I didn't get much out of it. Yes, I gained an instant group of "friends", but I don't associate with ANY of them today. I could have kept in touch over the years, but I didn't see any advantage to doing so. My successes in life are the result of my efforts, and there's nothing stopping any of my former "brothers" from picking up the phone.

The foregoing does probably sound a little bitter, but my chapter never really lived up to its potential (but not because I didn't make an effort). When I joined, a large percentage of the guys were wealthy, good looking and successful with sorority girls, not to mention pretty smart in their majors. When I went inactive during my junior year, most of the guys were book-smart uber-dorks or pot-heads. The chapter was eventually kicked off campus for drugs, hazing and destruction of property. The house was sold and nobody cared.

 

[Peaceful_Warrior]

you don't call your country a * * * *, don't call a fraternity a frat.

FIJI rocks
x
y

[MODERATOR EDIT]
my apologies.

Damn proud to be a Fiji

 

[GatorBuzz]

Yeah, I was in a fraternity. Beta Theta Pi. I'm not particularly proud of the debauchery that was had, but I'm not ashamed either. I have probably five very close friends from the fraternity. I've actually gotten two jobs b/c of them.

We ended up getting kicked off campus, and never really played the traditional Greek system, although we did destroy everyone in flag football and basketball every year. It was fun. We actually had to scrounge constantly for money for kegs, so in that respect, it probably did teach me some lessons about shoe string budgets.

 

[tricky88]

I voted didn't have the opportunity - my undergraduate college didn't have frats/sororities, but I wouldn't have joined any way. That type of group think was never my style.

I did undergrad at Univ. of Illinois which at the time had the largest Greek system in the US. An emphatic "no," and I won't say anything beyond that.

 

[jIMOh]

Damn proud to be a Fiji

where?

alpha gamma myself (GMI/Kettering University).

Initiated 1993

 

[Peaceful_Warrior]

where?

alpha gamma myself (GMI/Kettering University).

Initiated 1993

Alpha Delta / San Jose State / 2000