What if GLOs were coed?

[hoosier]

Many of the European student groups are coed, and they seem to delight in posting pictures of hazing - male and female - on web pages.

I would think adding women to the typical fraternity atmosphere (and perhaps a few women advisors and supervisors too) would be an improvement.

Especially in dress, manners, cleanliness, timeliness, and civility.

Some of the pictures I've seen from Europe, though, just show the girls getting crap dumped on them along with the boys. And many of the hazings seem to be in public, with non-members looking on. And most seem to have beer bottles in the members' hands.

Maybe co-ed wouldn't be an improvement.

Here's a picture site:

http://members.lycos.nl/gaypoeta/

[Taualumna]

Professional GLOs are co-ed.

[PhiPsiRuss]

There are social GLOs that are co-ed. In the marketplace for fraternal organizations, they do not do as well as single sex organizations.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by hoosier
Many of the European student groups are coed, and they seem to delight in posting pictures of hazing - male and female - on web pages.

I would think adding women to the typical fraternity atmosphere (and perhaps a few women advisors and supervisors too) would be an improvement.

Especially in dress, manners, cleanliness, timeliness, and civility.

Some of the pictures I've seen from Europe, though, just show the girls getting crap dumped on them along with the boys. And many of the hazings seem to be in public, with non-members looking on. And most seem to have beer bottles in the members' hands.

Maybe co-ed wouldn't be an improvement.

Here's a picture site:

http://members.lycos.nl/gaypoeta/

That link looks like a gay porn site. I would edit it out of your post.

[Tom Earp]

hoosier, way over the top on this one!

If GLOS become coed, then what is the purpose of having us?

If I come out of my room bleary eyed some morning scratching my crotch, the last thing I would want to see is some girl bleary eyes walking towards me scratching Hers!

[Sister Havana]

Alpha Phi Omega is coed, although there are a few all-male chapters that were grandfathered in. (Delta at Auburn and Gamma Lambda at Clemson are the two that come to mind). Interestingly, the membership in my chapter was overwhelmingly female when I was there!

There used to be a local coed fraternity at Indiana University called Alpha Theta Tau. I don't know what happened to it.

[Firehouse]

Russellwarshay is correct about the inability of co-ed social GLOs to compete in that particular atmosphere. There have been many, many experiments - some of them forced by lefty administrators - but they have all failed. There are a few obscure chapters here and there of smaller nationals who flirt with the concept, and there are a few locals who adhere to it, but nothing of consequence. It's interesting that the failure in this arena doesn't carry over into other venues, There are successful co-ed professional societies, civic clubs, service & religious organizations.

[Taualumna]

If there is a direct female equivilant then often the all women orgamization may feel that it they are taking potentials away from them. I know that Girl Guides of Canada had a fit when Scouts went co-ed because parents who have both boys and girls were more likely to pull their girls out of Brownies/Guides and put them in Cubs/Scouts. However, both organizations still remain quite active, at least in this part of Canada As a (former) Girl Guide (in brackets because once you're "enrolled" (initated) and receive your Guide pin, you'll always be a Guide and can return to the movement any time you want) I'm also really glad that Guides chose to remain all girls!!!

[Munchkin03]

My alma mater has co-ed groups, and the three (Alpha Delta Phi Society, St. Anthony's Hall, and a local that broke away from Zeta Psi) have larger memberships than most of the single-gender groups. A lot of my former classmates were very into equal opportunities for everyone, and many of the groups have their basis as literary societies. That made them more attractive to the "average" student there than a single-gender group, especially at a school where Greek membership was not a very popular choice.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by Munchkin03
My alma mater has co-ed groups, and the three (Alpha Delta Phi Society, St. Anthony's Hall, and a local that broke away from Zeta Psi) have larger memberships than most of the single-gender groups. A lot of my former classmates were very into equal opportunities for everyone, and many of the groups have their basis as literary societies. That made them more attractive to the "average" student there than a single-gender group, especially at a school where Greek membership was not a very popular choice.

Brown University?

[33girl]

It would make the naked pillow fights more interesting, that's for sure.

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by russellwarshay
Brown University?

Yep, but I'm an alum now.

Originally posted by 33girl
It would make the naked pillow fights more interesting, that's for sure.

Uh huh...I heard tons of stories.

[AXORissa]

Rutgers has a few co-ed social fraternities-- I can think of at least two (gamma sig and ADE come to mind) and they seem to do well, they both have houses and they throw parties all the time. I dont know anyone who was in those houses though.

[TigerLilly]

Phi Sigma Pi is coed. (We're officially an honor fraternity, but with a lot of social aspects -- kind of like greek for geeks.)
I love PSP being coed! Both my big and my little are guys. Intra-brotherhood dating does happen, like for example I've dated brothers, and also this summer my big is getting married to another PSP brother, but brothers do mostly respect each other enough to not randomly fool around with other brothers from the chapter. (Now I'm not saying anything about what goes on at interchapter events and national convention... )
It's a different dynamic from a social sorority/fraternity, for sure, but I like it. I like how my chapter of PSP's planned social activities range more into the air hockey tournament / laser tag / restaurant hopping outings, as opposed to AXiD's sisterhood activities which are more of the whole chick flick / makeover night / going out for ice cream kind of thing. It's different and fun.
As for what Tom said about waking up in the mornings -- we don't have a house. I don't think any PSP chapter has an official house, although brothers will often rent a house or apt together to live in, sometimes coed, sometimes single-sex.

[tinydancer]

Just imagine the rush threads....

All the guys telling us what they will be wearing to pref!!