Fraternity Danger at UMD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's high time that we allow under-21 college students to enter bars/clubs and purchase alcohol on their own.

The only reason college men join frats is for a drinking and access to women. The only reason college women attend fraternity parties is for drinking and partying.

Let adults enter bars/clubs like the adults that they are, and enjoy their youth without signing up for hazing and date rape. Not to forget binge drinking.

I actually actree with you that 18 should be the drinking age. But, I don’t think it’s the solution you imagine it to be. I’m only enough to remember when the drinking age was 18, and frats were still all about booze and babes. See also, the movie Animal House.

Great movie. People were happier, had more fun and great memories. Got wiser quicker and more mentally resilient.

The mentally ill liberals need to be stuffed back into the locker and man up.

The nerds in “revenge of the nerds” were 50 times the men I see today. The lack of resilience is shortening lifespans rapidly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Greek life teaches you how to associate with successful people. I didn’t say the smartest people, but successful people. To be successful you need to work well with others and be someone other people like to hang out with. It might be golfing with clients or inviting them to watch the Ravens in your firm’s luxury suite. But I can guarantee you the geed who studies all the time and is no fun, well, that geed ain’t gonna make it.

Sure - you can pick up some social skills but you don't need to be in a frat to do that. There are a ton of ways to be successful and your assertion that a "geed ain't gonna make it" is pretty dumb.

[Anonymous]

For those that support Greek life, can you say that this kind of behavior "it involved laxatives and locking pledges in a room with one toilet." is ok? There are many options on a college campus to build a community. But one in which there is intentional harm to others in the name of "belonging" is not one that I think deserves to exist.

[Anonymous]

Certain campuses and certain chapters do bad things.

National offices do not support hazing and it should be abolished. Hazing doesn’t serve any purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those that support Greek life, can you say that this kind of behavior "it involved laxatives and locking pledges in a room with one toilet." is ok? There are many options on a college campus to build a community. But one in which there is intentional harm to others in the name of "belonging" is not one that I think deserves to exist.

Of course not! My kid is in a fraternity and the worst thing he had to do was memorize information (Greek alphabet and various songs) and clean the house before and after parties. His chapter does not haze with anything to drink, eat or drugs. They also required pledges to be sober at parties and events as they had to be designated drivers.

Yes I know that there are chapters that do bad things, even on the same campus as my DS, but he specifically chose one that stated up front that they do not haze and he felt that the brothers were true to their word - which they were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those that support Greek life, can you say that this kind of behavior "it involved laxatives and locking pledges in a room with one toilet." is ok? There are many options on a college campus to build a community. But one in which there is intentional harm to others in the name of "belonging" is not one that I think deserves to exist.

+1.

[Anonymous]

What I don’t understand is that everything is so hush hush. What happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I don’t understand is that everything is so hush hush. What happened?

I assume lawsuits are happening

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's high time that we allow under-21 college students to enter bars/clubs and purchase alcohol on their own.

The only reason college men join frats is for a drinking and access to women. The only reason college women attend fraternity parties is for drinking and partying.

Let adults enter bars/clubs like the adults that they are, and enjoy their youth without signing up for hazing and date rape. Not to forget binge drinking.

I actually actree with you that 18 should be the drinking age. But, I don’t think it’s the solution you imagine it to be. I’m only enough to remember when the drinking age was 18, and frats were still all about booze and babes. See also, the movie Animal House.

Great movie. People were happier, had more fun and great memories. Got wiser quicker and more mentally resilient.

The mentally ill liberals need to be stuffed back into the locker and man up.

The nerds in “revenge of the nerds” were 50 times the men I see today. The lack of resilience is shortening lifespans rapidly

And 16 candles where date rape was a rom com.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek life teaches you how to associate with successful people. I didn’t say the smartest people, but successful people. To be successful you need to work well with others and be someone other people like to hang out with. It might be golfing with clients or inviting them to watch the Ravens in your firm’s luxury suite. But I can guarantee you the geed who studies all the time and is no fun, well, that geed ain’t gonna make it.

Sure - you can pick up some social skills but you don't need to be in a frat to do that. There are a ton of ways to be successful and your assertion that a "geed ain't gonna make it" is pretty dumb.

Exactly, my DC explored several alternatives at UVA - she went to the UVA activities fair where some 900 clubs are presented. He tried student newspaper, crew, a political club (which he stayed in) and decided to go out for the big debate club on campus. .That changed his life. Most of his friends to this day (four years later) come from that experience. Nice young men and women. He gained confidence and can speak on anything at the drop of a dime. There's something for everyone on our nation's campuses.

[Anonymous]

I did marching band, pep band, one greek social org (sorority) and one service greek org.

Could I have gotten through college without the sorority? Probably. I won't go into all the details, but many of my friends were made through my involvement in band.

My daughter is a dancer and might even major depending on which school she chooses. I would assume most of her social circle will be part of the performing arts on campus. And maybe she'll join a couple other clubs or groups on campus - who knows.

I don't have an issue with anyone joining a greek organization, if it works for them. There are campuses where I think it can be toxic and chapters that haze and need to be terminated. I didn't experience these things - I made friends and we mostly enjoyed our time.

Anyway, I do think whatever occurred at UMD was very serious and systemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the frats makes them more dangerous than dorm life or non frat off campus housing? Lack of RAs and neighbors who call the landlord or the police?

Maybe frats should buy a social hall and not live together.

The peer pressure aspect is amplified: If you don't drink as much as they tell you to, you are OUT. At most parties you drink a lot but you are not forced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the frats makes them more dangerous than dorm life or non frat off campus housing? Lack of RAs and neighbors who call the landlord or the police?

Maybe frats should buy a social hall and not live together.

The peer pressure aspect is amplified: If you don't drink as much as they tell you to, you are OUT. At most parties you drink a lot but you are not forced.

You won't be getting into many parties as a geed male at a lot of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I told you stories about my time on Rugby Road in the early 90s, I can absolutely promise you would never send your kid to UVA.

I believe you. It might have been worse in the 70s and 80s, not sure. I read somewhere that DEA raided one UVa fraternity for dealing -- back in the 86-87 school year.

I saw a PILE of coke (like, literally, 2 kilos) on a coffee table in the attic of a fraternity house there. I also saw numerous trains getting pulled pretty much every month, though it all looked consensual. I also took bong hits with Dave Matthews multiple times in fraternity houses there and at HSC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the frats makes them more dangerous than dorm life or non frat off campus housing? Lack of RAs and neighbors who call the landlord or the police?

Maybe frats should buy a social hall and not live together.

The peer pressure aspect is amplified: If you don't drink as much as they tell you to, you are OUT. At most parties you drink a lot but you are not forced.

You won't be getting into many parties as a geed male at a lot of schools.

May shock you but many males don’t believe that drinking/ partying is fun.