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streetcar colleges
Streetcar college is an archaic term used to describe a college
where the student leaves home, hops on a streetcar to the college, gets off at the college. When classes are over, he hops on the streetcar or inter-urban or bus and rides home, never to be included in collegiate activities 'til the next day.
These kids are often called townies today, most do not join a thing, continue to mingle with their old high school buddies.
They are generally not Greeks.
There are exceptions, and these are generalizations, so don't get all het up about this. Some of these chapters manage to
thrive in spite of a house or any semblance of a meeting place.
But not many. Today most are called "inactive chapters," and
even though the big U may have taken over the school and changed the identity, they're usually poor sites for chapters as
we have known them, as the type of student is not conducive....
The 'suitcase schools' were generally ones which had no social life until the Greeks, and the fraternity system helped to
keep some on campus for the weekend in spite of little to do in
the shitty little towns.
But the 'high school Harrys' still would pack their bag and head
home to see their high school girl friends. Generally these guys
were not Greeks, either. They usually learned very few social graces, married their high school girlfriend, did not graduate, and ended up clerking at Ace Hardware with five kids. And,
the whole scene has changed, we have gone into technical colleges, business schools, trade schools, many of them having matriculates who are older or who are not into a social scene at all. Again, usually a poor place to charter.
Please do not confuse these with townies who pledge a house
who has a full range of programs. They participate, graduate,
and run their dad's bank or Mercedes dealerships, and when the brothers graduate and leave, they stay, help out the local chapter, serving on boards and organizing alumni reunions. These guys are often overlooked and that is a mistake, as the
"townie" should make up at least 20 % of your chaper if you are
smart...they remain in the community, protect our interests...
Gosh, we are now in 2002...speedometer at zero. RUSH!
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