Quote:
Originally Posted by Coramoor
Professional Frats/Sors. are resume builders. The only people that take them seriously are those that can't get a bid to a real greek org. or use them as a way to further their resume/student gov't bid.
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That is my general feeling as well. But in many cases they are also people who want to be part of a group but do not have an interest in social fraternities, or the work involved.
There is a strange irony about all this at U. Texas since even though non-Greeks seem to loathe us, every single type of organization you can imagine makes a point of having Greek letters.
So they hate us, yet at the same time are desperate to seem as much like us as possible.
Every campus has some organizations that are legitimate nationwide fraternities of a non-social type- Alpha Phi Omega for example, philanthropy driven.
But at U. Texas just about every major has a greek-lettered professional organization or two, plus all kinds of spirits groups and there is even a church-related one that call themselves the "eternity fraternity" (I forget the name, but Omega is in there somewhere- hence the 'eternity'.) I have never seen anything like this to such a degree at any other school.
Beta Kappa is a business fraternity here (open to women as well I believe) and at one point they actually got their hands on a house in West Campus (the old Theta Xi house next to ADPi) and tried to basically function as a social fraternity (only guys could live in the house if I remember right.) When I was in West Campus last week I saw an Acacia sign out, so it appears that effort failed.
We also have groups like Tejas House- who own a nice historical home in West Campus- who do not have greek letters and advertise themselves as a place for people who don't like Greeks to join up, but in form it is just a bunch of people living together having the social side of Greek life (well- they think so), but none of the ritual or serious commitment. And yes, there are "trial periods" for admission to many of these groups (not sure about Tejas House in particular.) So they are doing just the things they seem to hate Greeks for doing, but somehow think they have a better way. They are essentially local fraternities that chose to not have greek letters.
In any event, U. Texas is full of these kinds of groups and regardless of their stated purpose they have, in some cases and to varying degrees, houses or other off-campus meeting sites, socials, winter and spring formals, and other party-oriented purposes. I can understand a philanthropy-based greek organization having parties and get-togethers, but a full blown Winter Formal at a hotel complete with T-shirts and a sit-down dinner? What better purposes could those funds have been used for? (no names, but I am referring to a specific organization here- not making up a hypothetical example.)
Fine by me, and many surely have found the right place for themselves in these groups- but the desire to be like real GLOs is unmistakable, and a testament to the fact Coramoor is right with regards to a significant portion of the membership.