Questions for HYPSM alumni

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most elite frat sounds awful. It needs better PR.

Sounds awful to whom? When an Alpha Delt or Saint A’s member happens to be interviewing with an Alpha Delt or St. A’s alumnus, it’s a BIG help. This is not so much the case with fraternities like FIJI or Beta Theta Pi which seem to have chapters at every college. Also, many fraternities, such as Beta Theta Pi, have been closed by their colleges because pledges have died from alcohol poisoning or molestation of women at parties. These things just don’t happen at Alpha Delta Phi or St A’s. Parties at these frats (both of which are devoted to literary criticism), tend to be cocktail parties, black tie balls and high teas.

When I was at Columbia St A’s had a reputation for serious drug use and cavalier treatment towards women. I think you’re over-invested in the fraternity scene and its importance at these particular schools - actually wonder if you might not be a Penn grad trying to be part of a dialogue that isn’t really about you.

I never even saw any drugs at all at St. A’s at Columbia. There was marijuana at Alpha Delta Phi at Columbia but never anything harder. It seems odd to say that St. A’s had a cavalier attitude towards women because St. A’s was the first fraternity to coeducate at Columbia. Columbia’s chapter of St. A’s adamantly refused to engage in any programs with St. A’s chapters that were not coed.

St. A’s was also the first non Black fraternity at Columbia to accept Blacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most elite frat sounds awful. It needs better PR.

Sounds awful to whom? When an Alpha Delt or Saint A’s member happens to be interviewing with an Alpha Delt or St. A’s alumnus, it’s a BIG help. This is not so much the case with fraternities like FIJI or Beta Theta Pi which seem to have chapters at every college. Also, many fraternities, such as Beta Theta Pi, have been closed by their colleges because pledges have died from alcohol poisoning or molestation of women at parties. These things just don’t happen at Alpha Delta Phi or St A’s. Parties at these frats (both of which are devoted to literary criticism), tend to be cocktail parties, black tie balls and high teas.

When I was at Columbia St A’s had a reputation for serious drug use and cavalier treatment towards women. I think you’re over-invested in the fraternity scene and its importance at these particular schools - actually wonder if you might not be a Penn grad trying to be part of a dialogue that isn’t really about you.

I never even saw any drugs at all at St. A’s at Columbia. There was marijuana at Alpha Delta Phi at Columbia but never anything harder. It seems odd to say that St. A’s had a cavalier attitude towards women because St. A’s was the first fraternity to coeducate at Columbia. Columbia’s chapter of St. A’s adamantly refused to engage in any programs with St. A’s chapters that were not coed.

St. A’s was also the first non Black fraternity at Columbia to accept Blacks.

So what? There has been plenty of drug use and mistreatment of women by Black fraternity members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most elite frat sounds awful. It needs better PR.

Sounds awful to whom? When an Alpha Delt or Saint A’s member happens to be interviewing with an Alpha Delt or St. A’s alumnus, it’s a BIG help. This is not so much the case with fraternities like FIJI or Beta Theta Pi which seem to have chapters at every college. Also, many fraternities, such as Beta Theta Pi, have been closed by their colleges because pledges have died from alcohol poisoning or molestation of women at parties. These things just don’t happen at Alpha Delta Phi or St A’s. Parties at these frats (both of which are devoted to literary criticism), tend to be cocktail parties, black tie balls and high teas.

When I was at Columbia St A’s had a reputation for serious drug use and cavalier treatment towards women. I think you’re over-invested in the fraternity scene and its importance at these particular schools - actually wonder if you might not be a Penn grad trying to be part of a dialogue that isn’t really about you.

I never even saw any drugs at all at St. A’s at Columbia. There was marijuana at Alpha Delta Phi at Columbia but never anything harder. It seems odd to say that St. A’s had a cavalier attitude towards women because St. A’s was the first fraternity to coeducate at Columbia. Columbia’s chapter of St. A’s adamantly refused to engage in any programs with St. A’s chapters that were not coed.

St. A’s was also the first non Black fraternity at Columbia to accept Blacks.

So what? There has been plenty of drug use and mistreatment of women by Black fraternity members.

That’s a non sequitur. The point is St. A’s was the first fraternity at Columbia to accept women. Two women served as President of St. A’s while I was there.

[Anonymous]

Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

Rich and connected is fine but someone was carrying on like this was some elite special group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

Rich and connected is fine but someone was carrying on like this was some elite special group.

What’s that got to do with anything?

[Anonymous]

Nothing apparently. I guess the elite special chosen few waste their elite special time on DCUM with the rest of the shlubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

Rich and connected is fine but someone was carrying on like this was some elite special group.

What’s that got to do with anything?

St. A is considered just another frat at Penn. They may try to mimic the Harvard final clubs, but they’re not the Fly or the Owl..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Nothing apparently. I guess the elite special chosen few waste their elite special time on DCUM with the rest of the shlubs.

The “elite special chosen few” have all the same problems we do. Christopher D. Smithers said the rich and elite have many more problems than the poor and should be given preference when seeking out help for alcoholism. That’s just as stupid as saying the rich and elite don’t have the problems the rest of us shlubs have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

Rich and connected is fine but someone was carrying on like this was some elite special group.

What’s that got to do with anything?

St. A is considered just another frat at Penn. They may try to mimic the Harvard final clubs, but they’re not the Fly or the Owl..

St. A’s at Columbia refused to have anything to do with St. A’s at Penn because, inter alia, St. A’s at Penn was not coed. At least it wasn’t back when I was in college. Whether that’s still the case I don’t know. Penn was a VERY atypical chapter of St. A’s. Fly at Harvard used to be Harvard’s chapter of Alpha Delta Phi which was Harvard’s most elite frat until Harvard closed its frats.

[Anonymous]

Ok clear this up for me. Are these socities for rich people or elite people? Those are not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok clear this up for me. Are these socities for rich people or elite people? Those are not the same thing.

Elite people. Old families, even if the families are no longer rich or never were. I’m relatively well off but I wouldn’t say I’m rich. My father was rich, but not as rich as my grandfather, who was not as rich as my great grandfather. In another branch of my family, my great grandmother endowed a chair at Columbia. No way that I, my father, or even my grandfather could have done that. My family has been downwardly mobile for generations but we still get into the same clubs we always have. Our children are still invited to cotillion. Even the daughters of branches of my family that never had money are debutantes and social belles. My father was very conflicted about all that. I could never tell where his head was at on that subject.

[Anonymous]

Elite has different meanings to different people. Thank you for explaining what the word means to you and what it means in terms of an "elite" frat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are high powered individuals from such elite and rarified societies wasting their valuable time and energy on an anonymous parenting chat forum?

Hard to believe, I know, but the rich and connected have kids, too.

Rich and connected is fine but someone was carrying on like this was some elite special group.

What’s that got to do with anything?

St. A is considered just another frat at Penn. They may try to mimic the Harvard final clubs, but they’re not the Fly or the Owl..

St. A’s at Columbia refused to have anything to do with St. A’s at Penn because, inter alia, St. A’s at Penn was not coed. At least it wasn’t back when I was in college. Whether that’s still the case I don’t know. Penn was a VERY atypical chapter of St. A’s. Fly at Harvard used to be Harvard’s chapter of Alpha Delta Phi which was Harvard’s most elite frat until Harvard closed its frats.

The Fly has nothing to do with ADP in the last 50 years; that it was once an ADP chapter in the early 19th century is irrelevant now. None of the frats at Harvard were for men who couldn’t get punched at a club. The reason the single sex final clubs are still open while the frats closed is that the powerful alums all belong to the clubs.

You’re reaching pretty hard here.