/lit/ - Literature

Pic related is the 2nd oldest fraternity at Alabama. To illustrate the concept of National "rules" and local chapter disobedience, take a look at SAE's recent changes to pledgeship. Pledgeship is the process of educating (i.e. hazing) new members after they've been given a bid and before they're initiated as full members. Last March, due to the media uproar about something like 15 deaths in the past few years associated with SAE events--falls from roofs, alcohol poisoning, kids falling into rivers, etc.--the National SAE corporation declared that pledgeship would be reduced to 96 hours. Yet I, along with everyone else at Alabama, know that pledgeship here is still going strong after 4 weeks on campus. The National chapter has no power over the local chapters, and they don't really care what the local chapter does because their dues are still coming in and no one is dying. When the shit hits the fan, however, the National org. will be able to say, "Well, we told you guys 96 hour pledgeship and you didn't listen. So, we can't defend you guys in court. Sorry." And then poof, SAE Alabama is gone in a flurry of lawsuits.

Hopefully that gives y'all a good idea of how fraternities work.