Education Articles from College Matching Service

Sorority and fraternity are the two divisions of the females and males in colleges and universities. The system of dividing genders originated in Greece. Although chambered, the houses act as a second family to the philandering college students. Since a lot of voluntary activities are done, one cannot stay away from them. This makes them more dutiful and develops their character.

The Greek system in Universities:

The long held social systems in Greek University Campuses are known as Sororities and Fraternities. This is therefore a system which has been devised by the Greeks; but gradually the system made its impact in different places.

Sororities for females and Fraternities for males:

Sororities are generally for females, and Fraternities generally for males – some “sororities” are actually “female fraternities” as defined by their charter. The difference is negligible today although in the past there were differences.

Rampant Sexism in Greek System:

In the Greek system, sexism is quite rampant. According to the report, unofficial attitude which fraternities take toward women is extremely misogynistic. This can be exemplified: as in some groups, people, especially males, pledges for “tagging” female guests; they are labeled either as off limits to other members. There are also some instances of institutional sexism.

Sorority: Titled as bawdy house:

There are many schools which have labeled the sorority houses as “bawdy house”. This is because in the sorority house, all the members are female and live under an ordered title much to the agony of the fraternity house.

Drug and Fraternity :

Although drug is banned in most of the sorority and fraternity houses, in some of the fraternity houses, the practice is till in vogue. Thus in some fraternity houses, taking drug and alcohol is a common practice.

Rush to get chance in Sorority/ Fraternity:

You need to rush in order to get a chance into sorority or fraternity. The next thing that you should do is pledge. After that you shall be finally accepted as a member of that group.

Legacy System in Sorority and Fraternity;

A legacy system is still in vogue in some sorority and fraternity houses. If you have your near relative, like father, mother, sister or brother in any of the houses, then you can get ready entry. This is despised by many members of the house, and they do not honor this system.

Sororities and Fraternities are elitist still:

At present, both the sororities and fraternities are elitist people. Since they gave a Greek foundation, they have a strong sense of snobbery and selectivity in them.

North America and Sorority, Fraternity:

In North America, the primary purpose of this division is development of character and imparting leadership ability. Thus it is employed for a social cause.

Ancient Greece had been the center of learning. The students considered themselves as fortunate if they found a place in this seat of learning. The Greek mission was to spread the ideas of knowledge and impart a strong personality in the student who visited the place. The seat of learning provides the student an opportunity to understand his personal potential. For making an efficient and responsible citizen of the state, this was an endeavor. Thus this Greek motto was adopted in the years to follow by many states to enhance their educational skills and produce better citizens.  

In Greece, the university/ college campus was distinctively divided into two categories. They are Sorority and Fraternity.

·         Fraternity is actually an organization which takes pride in leadership, academic achievement, and community service.

·         Sorority on the other hand is meant for leadership, donating to the needy, and responsibility towards the community. It is therefore an organization for women.

·         These two houses constitute the integral part of Greek college/ university campus. The Greeks were renowned all over the world because of their aptitude for learning. The traditional Greek system also involved a lot of other things. They are rushing, bidding and pledging.

·         Bidding is referred as a formal phenomenon of inviting people to join fraternity or sorority. By bidding, a news student is urged to join either sorority or fraternity. It happens in every college and university; so bidding is a common phenomenon. To get to know people is a difficult task and a student must first judge a person before relying.

·         Rushing is yet another phenomenon in was prevalent in the Greek society. You have to rush in order to enroll yourself into a community, either sorority or fraternity. This is the rule.

·         Pledging is yet another aspect which was prevalent in the Greek society. Pledging is done when a person becomes a full member of the organization.