is greek unity attainable?
 

i've had some recent experiences where several fraternities have really been pushing greek unity. i don't deny that these were good will efforts, but i think they were uneffective, just as any effort in this region is ineffectual. here is my reasoning why:
fraternities and sororities are based on ideologies. in order to be an ideological structured group, you must submit to the fact that your ideals are superior to other groups (thats why you joined your specific glo). In order for the ideology to have purpose, it must be bigger than any individual member (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). this leads to a totalitarian outlook in the case of the organization (when i pledged i was taught that TKE was an obsession). if the totality is considered superior to other organizations, then one can not embrace them as equally deserving of the same consideration. therefore, greeks can never be unified.
i think that a call for tolerance among the greeks is much more realistic than this p.c. idea of 'greek unity'. my best friends from high school all joined different fraternities, but we are still best friends. i do think, however, that mine is superior to theirs. would i go out of my way to help their glo? probably not, but i respect their autonomy and willingness to be greek. i hope i have made clear distinction here. i'm not proposing that we're all out to get each other, but we would never afford the same level of consideration to other organizations as we would to our own.

damn, I feel like I am in sociology class. :)

I have never felt that my sorority is superior, just that it was the best FOR ME. If there was another group that needed my help, I would help them in any way I could, short of shooting my own group in the foot of course. There are things about my sorority as a whole that I have come to love, but truthfully I joined because of the girls in my chapter. If those same girls had instead been ADPi, KKG or ZTA, I believe I would have found things to love about those groups.

What you seem to be saying is "TKE is the best, nothing else matters." I don't know, maybe this is a guy/girl thing.

i'm only saying tke is the best in the context that i am a teke. just like a deke would say that delta kappa epsilon is the best, etc.
if your sorority didn't have qualities that you felt stood out above the other greeks, why else would you select it over the others?

OK let me put it to you this way:

did you join TKE because of the men in your chapter, or because you read up on the ideals and preferred them over the other fraternities that were available to you?

i think the two are inseparable. the men represent the ideals, and vice versa. plus, i wouldn't have joined an organization (any, not just fraternities) that didn't embody its ideals. even if it was based on just the apect of brotherhood, my brothers would still be more important to me than another organizations, just like the way i feel my ideals are more important.

33Girl, You'll Appreciate This
 

I really admire a lot of your insights. This topic about fraternity unity has a lot to do with the way men think, as opposed to the way women think. For instance, we have nothing even comparable to the alumni PanHellenic meetings/luncheons that sorority alumni have.
But here's the story, and I think you'll get a grin out of it. There was a meeting here about a year ago to plan a new fraternity row. Each fraternity had two or three alumni in the room. There were about three dozen men altogether, and everyone was over forty. There was a lot of good natured banter, and everyone was enthusiastic about the work at hand. In fact, the thing got so lively and upbeat that one man stood up and suggested that instead of each fraternity operating their own kitchen, we build one large dining hall and all the undergrads could eat together in the evening, at their own separate sets of tables of course.
No one said anything. Then, the leader stood up and said, "With respect, I just don't think that's a good idea. You know," he smiled as he went on, "When we all in school, we didn't like each other very much...and [our] kids today don't like each other very much either." Everyone laughed and applauded. We're all adults now, all friends now, and we all remember our rivalries fondly. Those were great days. The point is: 18, 19, 20-year-old men who are aggressive and ambitious aren't likely to be thinking in terms of the ideals of interfraternalism. That's why it is so important for mature, responsible ALUMNI to work closely with the male chapters.

I believe it would be more correct to say that Fraternity's are examples of Primary Groups, not ideological identities.

That would also explain rivalry more.

Most Fraternity and interfraternity behavior is easily explained by primary groups :)

Rival teams clash.

Rival sects exterminate each other.


Also, how often do we hear Chapter first? National second (if that)?

Think about it ;)

teke4life, you are wrong, LXA is the best!:)

What you have just said is so true!!!!

Is LXA the Best, of course it is or I would not have become a Brother of this Org!

BUT!!!!!!

My circumstances were a little bit different than most! I started mine!

Do you join a Greek Org. because of the people at the local level? DA, what else!!!

XYZ is the biggest National on Campus but they are a bunch of s*&t !


ABC, is smaller, but a great bunch of people!

I do not like any of the Orgs. Start your own!

The Orgs. are Racist. Do your own thing!

Being a member of a Greek Organization means different things to each of us!

I am Old! I am a member of LXA for Life! What will you be down the road!?

Do we have members who never come back!? Yes I am soory to say!

Why, one may ask!

Well, what I went through with these Men, will never be done again by anyone one but US!

But remember, I am 765 years old, and I for one am still working with my members!

Will you be able to do this!?

Check Alum. Thread, and find out how many people whom did not join in college are doing now!:cool:

tom,
i don't want to take anything away from the wonderful alumni relationships i've formed, and the ones i've formed as an undergrad too. some of my closer friends in college were lambda chi's. but that was on an individual level. we fought tooth and nail when it came to looking out for our fraternities. when you are on the outside looking in its much easier to take a more relaxed attitude towards fraternity relations. my original point was an explanation of undergrads.

james,
i'm a little in the dark, what is a primary group?

reality
 

Interfraternalism on the undergrad level is a joke. My school has 22 IFC fraternities and the only time houses get along is when they need each other to co-sponsor big exchanges (what most of you call "mixers" I believe) downtown or do a large scale philanthropy. The essence of a fraternity is competition. In recruitment, athletics, grades, social presitge, etc. While I have close friends in other houses, I have no fond feelings for any other fraternity but my own. I think most guys (especially when you put them in groups) think this way.





ps - Beta is clearly #1

I think a lot of the competitiveness factor really depends on the size of the campus. I went to a school where pretty much all the Greeks and a lot of non-Greeks could name all the fraternities and sororities, with a bit of thought. If you were at all social it was very easy to know someone (at least on sight) from every sorority and fraternity just from class, dorms etc.

Now at a huge school where there are 20 or more fraternities, I think it would be hard just to get your name out...so I think the competitiveness comes more into play there, just so people know who you are.

ACtually just got back from IMPACT, a Greek leadership thing put on by NFC, and thats something they're really stressing this year is creating a greek community rather than a greek system. I think it's great, and encourage anyone to go to one if they go to your campus. They just got done here at UCLA and I think are headed up to Washington and elsewhere on the west coast. Be on the lookout.