Atlantic Monthly cover story on fraternities
 

"The Fraternity Problem" by Caitlin Flanagan is the cover story of the March issue of the Atlantic Monthly.
Www.theatlantic.com

I got the full text as a freebie with Zinio. Of course you can read it in ink/paper at the library.

I can't figure out which side this chick is on, except for that of purple prose. Good Lord. As with most things, all the things mentioned could have happened in any large house where students live.

Saw the issue at B&N this morning, but haven't read it yet.

I enjoyed her writing style. And I don't dispute the problems she mentions. As someone involved in housing for my group and NPC, I know all too well the issues she cites. The problem is she didn't cite the same incidents that happen in other campus housing and their rates. You can't just spew a lot of facts on one side of the coin and cry "foul" without stating what is going on with the other side: dorms, small group housing, Honors houses, university approved off campus housing, etc. It's an interesting start to a conversation that is crying out for chapters 2, 3, etc...

I also think it's totally unfair to cite incidents like the lack of deck railing, open windows, etc when the local codes do not forbide these things. Why not do an article on the need for uniform codes and compliance????

This was just the tip of the iceberg and she wants to toss the baby with the bath water, bless her heart.

And, in the same issue, there's a review of a book written by a close friend. You can read it online.

/end swerve

An 1857 letter that a Sigma Phi sent to one of his fraternity brothers suggests the new system was already hitting full stride: “I did get one of the nicest pieces of ass some day or two ago.”

This is one of my favorite quotes....apparently, even back then, they were braggers!!

Sometimes, the local codes DO prevent such issues--the way most building codes work is that if the construction precedes issuance of the code, then the building is grandfathered in until additional related work is completed. So, if railings were not required when the building was constructed, and no related work has been done since that time, then technically the building is in compliance. Of course, every state has its own rules and sometimes municipalities have their own codes beyond that. In reports a lot of campus building-related fatalities, it will be mentioned that some items were out of current code.

I think, as an architect AND as someone who worked in student affairs and housing in a former life, that it's not at all unfair to cite those incidents. It's typical policy that dormitories and university-owned housing exceeds local building code for life safety issues. Why shouldn't Greek housing be any different?

Overall, even though I kind of lost her in the middle, it was a well-written article. Anyone who's been involved in Greek Life in the past 15 years has heard most of what she discussed; she's written a few articles for The Atlantic about drinking and hook-up culture at colleges. I've read criticisms that she didn't address NPHC fraternities or NPC sororities, but that's neither really here nor there since the issues are different.

It's a pretty timely article, too--Greek Life is becoming more and more popular, even at universities like my undergrad where it had stagnated for decades. I also think the typical Atlantic reader is a parent of college-bound students (like Flanagan, who has 16 year old twins), and is definitely going to read this. If they're not Greek, or not actively involved, then the fact that a fraternity will drop a liable kid like a hot potato if a lawsuit comes up--leading to the claim being filed against the parents' homeowner's insurance--would be a major shock.

This is very interesting from the article:
In a certain sense, you may think you belong to Tau Kappa Epsilon or Sigma Nu or Delta Tau Delta—but if you find yourself a part of life-changing litigation involving one of those outfits, what you really belong to is FIPG, because its risk-management policy (and your adherence to or violation of it) will determine your fate far more than the vows you made during your initiation ritual—vows composed by long-dead men who had never even heard of the concept of fraternity insurance.

As someone who works in risk management and having attended a few NPC Something of Value programs, (and on campuses mentioned in this particular article) I've found the bold here to be quite a shock for most folks outside of risk management, insurance, and practicing law.

And then the Atlantic posts this.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education...nities/284176/

That's really stupid. They do know that the more Princeton sends out GREEK LIFE IS TEH DEVIL letters, the bigger the pledge classes get, right?

Flanagan (author of the Atlantic article) has a sort of update post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...996_story.html

So after reading this article, will more organizations ban alcohol at the houses also? Seems to make sense that one problem usually leads to all the others...

Alcohol free housing does not remove alcohol abuse. It just means the brothers have to go somewhere else (often driving there) to drink. It does nothing to educate the members on sensible alcohol consumption. It's the coward's way out.