If you are pro college frats, what is the point of a banned frat?

[Anonymous]

Not looking to start a fight about Greek life. So for those of you that are okay with college fraternities. I'm not knowledgeable about the actual workings of Greek life, so...

if you see positives & benefits to belonging to a fraternity, do those same benefits apply to a fraternity that's been totally stripped from a campus. Is being banned from campus that big of a deal, do they really care? Does that chapter's fraternity still exist on the national level. Do they still have to meet national level things (not even sure what those might be) Would being an officer something to put on a resume? Are network connections more limited to those specifically associated w/that chapter. Would you encourage your son to join one or only ones in good standing.

I'll say it is a North Carolina or Virginia college. Legit Greek life is under 25%..

fully appreciate the fact that this is not my world. Also it's not my kids so you won't hurt my feelings.

[Anonymous]

To be banned by national, something pretty egregious must have happened. Once they are stripped of their formal affiliation, they are basically a local independent fraternity. This means they can do whatever they want within the bounds of the law and university policy. Since all the adults have left the building so to speak, it's now just a group of guys with a history of bad decision-making making it up as they go along. I wouldn't want my son involved.

[Anonymous]

This is an odd post, not sure why you care if your DC is not interested in Greek life? At UVA, there are two frats who lost their operating agreement with UVA this fall due to hazing last spring, but both houses are owned by their alumni (and have been there a VERY long time) and are acting pretty much the same as usual. My DS is not in one of them, but i know they have held mixers, formals etc this fall. They are eligible to come back in 5-6 years I think.

I would certainly not encourage my DS to join a banned frat and I can't imagine why they would.

[Anonymous]

At my school they certainly cared because the school technically owned all Greek houses and they were on campus. If you're kicked off, you're kicked out of the house and it's given to some other organization.
Some fraternities had unofficial off campus houses but those were of way less interest to anyone looking to join. Not sure what happens at other schools if alum own the house, seems like a big problem potentially.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why someone would seek to join a banned fraternity. I know from my own school days that banned groups often stick together for a year or so, but are not recognized by their nationals and don’t have any claim to much of anything. They likely have alumni contacts thru the chapter, but those contacts will be rightly pissed that they did something bad enough to get booted. There is zero point in “joining” a dis-affiliated group, because it’s just a group of guys. There are no real officers of ghost chapters.

A lot depends on the type of ban, whether it’s permanent, and most important – WTF happened. If my kid was a freshman, I’d have significant concerns about his choice of friends right now.

[Anonymous]

Chicks dig the banned frat guys.

[Anonymous]

I went to the university of Texas where there have been a few fraternities banned over the years. Some have dissolved completely but a few are still operating largely because of alumni support and their base members come from the bigger cities and the same few high schools/camps and their daddies were in the fraternity and their granddaddies were in the fraternity etc. And the sorority girls from the same circles still flock there. Then they will all get married and go back to the same neighborhoods and their kids will join the fraternity.

[Anonymous]

At our school banned fraternities were shut down. No new recruits. No social functions. Etc.

They get banned for bad stuff - avoid if it’s still functioning somehow.

[Anonymous]

OP again. I don't the specifics, do know chapter was unaffiliated by school either 7 or 3 years ago. Believe ban is permanent; school site they are not working to reinstate any banned chapters. They only have an off-campus house. The 3-5 banned frats seem to all be generic alcohol, hazing, and/or behavior unbecoming . Rumor is someone not frat accidentally died at party with alcohol, not alcohol poisoning or hazing (like drowning while intoxicated), not sure how true. Didn't see a news story that lined up.

Guess I'm not clear if still a national chapter or not. Seems to be well-healed kids with parents that can afford to pay.

[Anonymous]

Are you saying they are are still meeting and recruiting even though they have been banned? Or do the former members just get together to socialize wherever they live. I doubt they are having chapter meetings. I also doubt that National would condone clandestine meetings, activities, etc., regardless of how “well-heeled” the parents are. If the students did something so egregious to get banned, it reflects poorly on the “brand.”

Eventually, schools generally let the fraternity or sorority back (usually after all of the kids involved have graduated). My friend’s ds is currently involved in re-starting a house at his school that was banned a number of years ago. They are starting very small and low key.

[Anonymous]

It just means their house moves off campus.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Not sure how "healed" the chapter is, darn auto-correct. Yes, members are having freshman join and doing recruiting type events but not on campus. Parents weekend gathering they had kegs & cases of beer available to all our in the open. They are having parties, not sure volunteer work/projects, or other such that I know approved frats have to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It just means their house moves off campus.

OP again. According to school site they are banned from recruiting and holding events or participating in on campus events. They are not approved and to not believe if they claim to be working to get reinstated.

In a small college town, does that make much difference. Are sororities allowed to "officially socialize" with banned frat(such an odd concept to me).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Not sure how "healed" the chapter is, darn auto-correct. Yes, members are having freshman join and doing recruiting type events but not on campus. Parents weekend gathering they had kegs & cases of beer available to all our in the open. They are having parties, not sure volunteer work/projects, or other such that I know approved frats have to do.

I would be leery. Very leery. Sanctioned fraternities don't have a ton of oversight and banned/unsanctioned/"off campus" fraternities have even less. Not sure how it works at every school but recruiting pledges to a banned frat spelled big trouble at my school (individual students put on probation or suspensions) and if you were found trying to pledge one you were then banned from joining any fraternity at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just means their house moves off campus.

OP again. According to school site they are banned from recruiting and holding events or participating in on campus events. They are not approved and to not believe if they claim to be working to get reinstated.

In a small college town, does that make much difference. Are sororities allowed to "officially socialize" with banned frat(such an odd concept to me).

At a lot of schools sororities don't have any "official" school-sanctioned socializing with fraternities other than charity events so I don't think that's really an issue. Whether the sororities are interested in holding parties with such a frat is another story.
However, in most cases I do not see why it would be better to join a banned fraternity over a legitimate one on campus unless you are a less than desirable candidate who cannot get a bid for some reason.