Non-secret sororities?

[loubell80]

What is Farmhouse?? Just curious. Thanks.
Loubell80

[PenguinTrax]

Originally posted by loubell80
What is Farmhouse?? Just curious. Thanks.
Loubell80

Farmhouse is an agriculture fraternity.

[antidrama]

I must be the only other DU here on GreekChat....so I guess I'll reply...

I think I can sum up my feelings by saying this...what we lack in secrecy, we make up for in our brotherhood/friendship, our character, our culture, and justice. There's nothing to hide. Just because our rituals and meanings are open, doesn't make them any less important to every one of us; and it doesn't weaken our brotherhood at all. If anything, it makes it that much stronger. We still share the commonality of having gone through our ritual and meanings, but we're free to let others know what we're about and what we believe in!

Plus it was pretty cool having my family and girlfriend to see me get initiated...the most important and greatest day of my life, thus far.

No offense to anyone else...those are just my feelings and part of my reasons why I'm a DU.

But anyway! To my knowledge there is another non-secret fraternity out there...but the name escapes me at the moment. I think it was founded in California???? Not too sure though! Maybe someone can help me out on this one???

[AGDAlum]

The other "non-secret" fraternity is Alpha Kappa Lambda -- it stands for Aletheia Kai Logos, truth and reason. Founded at UC Berkeley in 1914.

[dzsaigirl]

In my opinion, Delta Upsilon lacks absolutely nothing in not having secret ritual. I feel that the fact that my fiance can share with me what his fraternity stands for is awesome. In DU, your family and friends can see you get initiated! I think that is wonderful. It is so great for them to be able to fully share what it is that they stand for.

As a side note, I know stuff about the secret fraternities on campus that I shouldn't. Also about the sororities. It is not info I seeked out, just info that people let slip or purposely told about their ritual (handshakes, passwords, why the pin is what it is, etc. for several groups). A lot of the DU's I know feel that people would possibly find out their stuff anyway, since they hear about everyone else's stuff, so even if they had secrets, they would eventually get around like everyone else's. Also, keep in mind that while DU is not a secret fraternity, they are a private fraternity. So they keep what is there business their business. Just because they don't have secret ritual doesn't mean that everything their chapters do is up on a billboard for all to see.

Just my $.02

[antidrama]

you hit the proverbial nail on the head, dzsaigirl!

AGDAlum...thanks! now its all coming back to me!

[equeen]

What say you all - shared secrets or shared experiences? Which is more valuable to you?

An interesting topic, evergreen.

The "secrets" of our Sisterhood are the beginning our bond - and the bond ultimately grows stronger from the experiences we share. It's a balance of both "secrets" and experiences, IMO.

I really don't like the word secret. There are aspects of my bond that I would not share with anyone except the iinitiated - but it's not so much "secret" as it's special. If there's no meaning in something, except to me and my Sisters, why would I share it with the ininitiated and make it less meaningful? I wouldn't.

Does that make the special stuff publishable material? No, of course not. The way I look at it is this - each family has family traditions. And they're not generally known to anyone unless they're (a) a part of the family (b) very, very close to the family (ex. a close family friend, neighbors that are just like family) or (c) have married into the family.

Not that your family traditions are secret - but what meaning do they really have if you're not in the family?

Additionally, a family's traditions reflect a lot about them - their values, their way of life, their heritage. It really says a lot about them - and a stranger may not appreciate or even understand some family traditions.

My favorite example in all of this are recipes that are family secrets. You don't share the recipe - but of course, you share the food itself. There's a joy in that - you share the best of yourself without compromising your uniqueness. Also, there are lots of families that don't have any special/secret recipes...but they're still a family, and they still have that bond.

[AchtungBaby80]

I know that a whole lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't see the need for secrets. My sorority happens to have secret rituals, etc., so I don't give out that information because I promised not to. But I think it's sort of ridiculous, quite frankly. I do not feel any closer to my "sisters" knowing that we all do the same secret rituals than I would if everyone knew about it. And I feel rather stupid when people, especially my parents, ask me certain things about my sorority and I have to say, "Um, I can't tell you that...it's a secret." Brings me back to my days at junior high...

"My favorite example in all of this are recipes that are family secrets. You don't share the recipe - but of course, you share the food itself. There's a joy in that - you share the best of yourself without compromising your uniqueness."

Thanks equeen... A great example, especially since I love to cook. Now I think I understand!

Evergreen

[curiouss]

Originally posted by PnguinTrax


Farmhouse is an agriculture fraternity.

Why do they (at least the one at MU does) have houses?
I thought only socials were allowed to.

[PenguinTrax]

Originally posted by curiouss


Why do they (at least the one at MU does) have houses?
I thought only socials were allowed to.

They are a national social fraternity with an emphasis on agriculture. Same with Alpha Gamma Rho (Ag-men). Triangle is a science/engineering fraternity that is social as well. All are members of the National Inter-fraternity Conference.

Any group can have a house, it's not limited to any particular type of fraternity.

[curiouss]

Originally posted by PnguinTrax


They are a national social fraternity with an emphasis on agriculture. Same with Alpha Gamma Rho (Ag-men). Triangle is a science/engineering fraternity that is social as well. All are members of the National Inter-fraternity Conference.

Any group can have a house, it's not limited to any particular type of fraternity.

Thanks for clarifying. I learn something new everyday.

[IUPDeeZee]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
I know that a whole lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't see the need for secrets. My sorority happens to have secret rituals, etc., so I don't give out that information because I promised not to. But I think it's sort of ridiculous, quite frankly. I do not feel any closer to my "sisters" knowing that we all do the same secret rituals than I would if everyone knew about it. And I feel rather stupid when people, especially my parents, ask me certain things about my sorority and I have to say, "Um, I can't tell you that...it's a secret." Brings me back to my days at junior high...

If you think keeping our ritual secret is *stupid*, why did you join? If you wanted comraderie without secrets, you could have joined the Young Democrats or something...

[AchtungBaby80]

I didn't really know what I was getting into when I joined. But now that I'm here, I honor the promise I made. Besides, I'm not politically affiliated.

[KSigkid]

My whole take on this:
There's a lot to be said for shared experiences - that, after all, is why we are close with friends up until the point when we join the Greek system, and why we have friends afterwards and during who aren't in our particular fraternity or sorority. There's no replacement for those, and things you do with those people/memories you have of those people will always create a special bond of sorts that can't be replaced. The guys who I'm particularly tight with in my chapter, I've had those experiences with. Whether it's going out and having a few at a bar together, or helping each other out through girl/family/school/whatever trouble, we have those shared experiences that we can look back on and make us tight. Yes, we're in the same fraternity, but those shared experiences make us even tighter.

However....there's also a lot to be said for the secrets and rituals that make me a Kappa Sigma. Not taking anything away from non-secret societies, but my preference was to join a secret society. It's those secrets, the Kappa Sigma ritual, that makes for a certain type of bond that can't be forged anywhere else, through any other means. It's not necessarily a better or worse bond, just a different one. Even if you're not the best of friends with a person, if I meet someone who is a Kappa Sigma, there's an instant connection the first time we meet. Sometimes, that connection makes for an easier time getting to know each other (talking about like experiences leads to conversation about other topics, thereby getting to know the person better, for example). Sometimes, that may be one of the only connections you have. That bond is still there though, and it's something that I really like - a connection forged over those secrets. It's something to be able to see someone from my chapter at school, and know that we took part in something like the Kappa Sig ritual.

Like I said, that's just my way of thinking. To each their own, if you're happy, that's the main thing, but I'm glad I'm in a secret society.

Collin