/lit/ - Literature

>>5454159
they don't really exist and the ones that do are total plebtier

Alpha-Delt are a literary fraternity? It all makes sense now. Pretty clever pretense to start a fraternity under, the Alpha-Delt's at my school could barely write their own names on the first try, let alone read an entire book.

>>5454253
>"i didn't get a bid"

>>5454159

It's my third year in university and I still don't understand the point of fraternities, how they work, or what they're for. Apparently it's just common knowledge that I somehow never learned.

>>5454261

In other words, can someone explain this shit to me

>>5454258

I was acquainted with the founding brothers, I lived pretty close to the house so I'd go to some of the parties. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, they were good guys aside from the times when someone would nearly kill themselves doing dumb shit.

I have crippling social anxiety.

>mfw I have to direct a 3 hour seminar in a couple of weeks.

Phi Beta Kappa bitchessssssss

>>5454261

PLEASE I JUST DONT FUCKING GET IT

>>5454309

It's a social circle whose involvement in philanthropy can be found on a spectrum ranging between 'extensive' and 'laughably-little.'

Basically for those in college who don't want to find or create a social circle so they pay to join one that already exists and replenishes itself every year.

>>5454261
Are you fucking retarded? It's just something to put on a resume. Maybe you might get a connection or two out of it. How could you not figure that out?

Of course, the above info is only relevant to the academic fraternities. The stereotypical college frats are for people who want to...fraternize and get drunk and fuck easy pussy, while also getting the aforementioned benefits. But did I really need to tell you that?

>>5454316

You have to pay to get in? What kind of bullshit is that?

>>5454324

I think it's a bullshit system

>>5454327
Of course it is. Even starting at the SATs, so much of college is bullshit.

So...

Universities have fraternities. They apparently have some sort of historical basis (even though the members change every four years)

People have to" bid" to get in (?)

There are academic fraternities and fraternities based on partying

Somehow being in a fraternity is a good thing and helps you get a job even though every one I've met in a frat just parties all the time and doesn't give a shit about learning

They cost money

You get to fuck girls? For some reason?m

Does anyone understand this shit?!

>not being a fratlord
>not having the best possible college experience
>not paying for friends

laughing-fratlords.jpg

itt: niggas getting no pussy

>>5454341
Jesus Christ, I'll break it down for you
Some fraternities, such as Delta Kappa Epsilon and Alpha Delta Phi are older than Canada. A bid is basically an invitation if the current brothers like you and you express interest joining.

There are the older fraternities, which typically have a level of academic and philanthropic interests. Athletic as well. They all party. The new fraternities, which are easily made, usually are just about socialization/partying.

Every president of the United States has been a member of a fraternity besides Obama. Just the other day I found out my neighbor from childhood who is a lawyer was (is) a member of Alpha Delta Phi.

They cost money to throw parties, maintain the house, purchase jerseys for the fraternity sport teams, throw events, etc.

Yeah, many have close ties to sororities.

It makes perfect sense. Stop being a fag and Google if you find it that confusing.

>>5454325

You pay dues, which is a membership fee yea. I never tried to join a frat except the one time I tried to join the orthodox jewish frat to score a sweet free trip to Tel Aviv. didn't get in

>>5454365

The fact that every president has been in a fraternity can be attributed to the fact that they had money, this they were more likely to join a fraternity and more likely to become president.

Who runs fraternities?

Are fraternities only in the us? Because this shit is so retarded I might move

>>5454365

I just know that Jimmy Carter was in Beta Beta Beta.

>>5454372
Jesus Christ, I wasn't saying they became president because they were in a fraternity. I'm saying exactly what you're saying: rich people often join fraternities. Thus, if you join a fraternity you're most likely making friends with a lot of rich people. Which yes, is definitely handy for landing certain types of jobs.

>>5454383
I think the Bushes are DEKE and the Roosevelts are ADP

>>5454383
so am i :(

For those who don't understand them:

Fraternities can hardly be described in a way that is accurate to all universities. The culture, wealth, and existing social opportunities at a given campus all contribute to how the Greek system works. At schools in the South, like my own (the University of Alabama), fraternities are extremely prominent and are the primary source of parties and alcohol. The older ones (and the better new ones) also have great connections to local/state/regional politics and business. Of course, these benefits come at a cost and fraternities in the South (especially at SEC schools) cost about $5-7000/year--close to the yearly tuition at some public schools.

Where do these dues go? Well, fraternities are non-profit corporations like churches. But as we all know, non-profit doesn't mean greed isn't a factor. Almost all fraternities of note have basically two levels of organization--the national level and the chapter level. The chapter is the house you see and the associated active student members, officers, and their employees--typically janitors, security guards, cooks, and one or two adult staff, often volunteer alumni. The national level usually exists in an office somewhere in America, not at a college. The national organization takes some of the dues to pay their corporate leadership some very handsome salaries, but a lot of the work the national org. does is legal and insurance related. They are responsible for keeping the chapters insured, but also for cutting local chapters off from the national if they do stupid shit. The National offices typically have very strict rules that they give to the local chapters that they know aren't actually followed. The rules are written to help the National fraternity avoid litigation, keep insurance costs low, and above all allow them to completely sever support to any local chapter should something go horribly wrong (people dying, etc.). Lastly, some of the dues go toward building and maintaining the often exorbitant mansions local chapters require to attract new members and new pussy.

Above all, National is responsible for cultivating a squeaky clean public image through "leadership conferences," philanthropy awards, scholarships for chapters with high average GPAs, and the like. This is necessary because at bottom what every college student acquainted with fraternities knows is this:

Fraternities exist to provide alcohol, pussy, and friendship to wealthy young men who are just as insecure as everyone else their age.

That's it. Connections, leadership, involvement, philanthropy--these are all side benefits, totally ancillary to the above. If fraternities did not provide the above, they would not exist.

As I stated at the beginning, fraternities at schools outside of the South are different in some ways. They are less expensive (often as low as 1k/year). They are sometimes less party happy/hazing happy. But, at bottom, they exist to provide a service.

cont.

Fraternities are most common at state schools and schools in rural schools like those in the South (but also like Dartmouth, which has a notorious Greek system) because these locations have a dearth of smart students intent on actually learning and a dearth of party locations like clubs and concerts already existing in the local area. Fraternities fill that gap. In urban campuses and campuses in cultured areas like California, Greek life is less prominent because there are plenty of opportunities for extra-curricular "fun" already available.

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.

>>5454159
>frats

oh boy

Fraternities....Mason's, Sports Locker Rooms, Military, College Frats....all remnants of an ancient concubine homosexual fetish. They all love to be so homoerotic yet be offended and become defensive when called out on it while attempting to prove their masculinity.

A bunch of "I wish I was" and "I wish I could" hidden behind a steel door forever sealing their appetite for a large cock to tickle their throats.

No fucking thanks.

By the way, the fraternities I've been discussing are in no way related to what the OP is talking about. The question just came up and since I know something about it I figured I'd contribute.

Fraternities like OP's are academic honor societies and they exist for various academic areas like theatre, engineering, and apparently literature. Fraternities like SAE are known as "social" fraternities. You can tell a fraternity is one of the "cool" social ones if its affiliated with an organization called the North American Inter-Fraternity Conference (IFC).

Another note about fraternities: these are great ways to get involved with politics. As has been mentioned, the Bush family were DKEs at Yale. DKE is actually the oldest fraternity at Alabama. Alabama's chapter is the second DKE chapter, it was founded when some rich bastards from Yale were visiting their ante-bellum buddies in the 1850s. DKEs have a lot of power in Alabama politics. DKE almost never gets in any trouble for any hazing because a lot of their alumni are in the University administration and the State government. Pic related is DKE House. It is located directly across from the Crimson Tide football stadium. Seem like a sweet deal? It is. DKE is the only fraternity on campus that actually owns the land its house is built on, so when the University decided to expand the stadium they had to ask the DKEs permission and DKE got to choose the site of its new house.

Houses are refurbished and expanded about every decade. Fraternities are growing significantly here because of New Money coming in from out of state and a general campus population increase.

I'm glad someone finally explained fraternities to me

So pledging usually just involves a shit load of drinking?

ADP at my university is the only frat I've ever partied at.

It was awful.

not gay enough for me.

I hate frats and frat culture. They wear greek letters as if it added some sort of modern significance to themselves, but the organizations barely resemble what they were founded as. That's how things usually change over time, yes - but who says I should give a damn about who and what they are?

They represent the worst of academia.

>"oh yes I was in delta kappa phi in my college years!! :^)"
as if it fucking meant something

>>5455672
I thought all they did was drink and get laid.
Sounds like the best of academia to me.

>>5455682
do you really need a group of totally not gay brothers to get laid

just go to a fucking bar or club christ

>>5455694
+1

The only real pro-frat arguments I've ever read focus on networking and sex. Sex is easy, just leave the fucking dorm and socialize for a bit, it's not like the sex is exclusive to frats. Networking is easy too, get out and meet people. Form working relationships with classmates and professors who could help you out later in life. That simple.

Oh, and also I'm relatively asocial. That might also shape my views on paying for friends.

>>5455682
>drink and get laid
>best of academia
What has become of /lit/

>>5455727
>Sex is easy
>Networking is easy too
leave

>>5455752
> Not everyone on /lit/ is autistic *cry cry*

>>5455727
>paying for friends

I very truthfully don't understand. They won't let you in if they don't like you. If they don't like you, you're probably anti-social and don't have friends. I have literally never met someone in the Greek system without friends going in. You guys make it seem like those weird cafes in Japan where the staff pretend to be your friend/like you. And 90% of the money you're paying go to tangible things, ie, do you know how much it costs to replace 30 windows or purchase 30 kegs.

And what about your pledge class? You'll be friends with them before you're even admitted and paying fees. It's not like they become "blocked off" once they're admitted.

>>5455775
>le autism
Shouldn't you be sucking a jaeger bomb out of a slut's herpes-riddled cunt like all the other hedonistic degenerates?

>>5455763
>some people on /lit/ have basic skills of human communication and this angers me

>>5455782
This is great

>Went to school
>Probably thought it was a place of high learning and respect
>Took his studies very seriously
>Looked around him
>He has not friends
>Other people are having fun
>thenerve.jpg
>Maybe went to a frat party and got shut down by a drunk chick or belittled by a brother
>Spends rest of life damning the fraternities and their nonacademic vices

>>5455782
I wish I was, but the study is calling. Tonight, however, I might.

>>5455801
Wrong about everything besides the first three points. College really should be regarded as a place of dignity and higher learning, I don't see the problem with that. Our modern culture encourages everyone, even those who aren't academically inclined, to attend institutions of higher learning, which results in the degradation of said institutions. It's sad. There's nothing wrong with having fun, but that should never be the central selling point of a university.

>>5454626

I attend college in Southern California. In the school I attend frats aren't that big of a deal. There a ton of clubs and groups on campus and frats are just a different type of club. They are more expensive to join and offer more benefits usually.

I joined a few clubs but no frats, because they are too expensive and have meetings every other day and sometimes every day of the week. One of the clubs I am in was 30 dollars in dues which is pretty cheap and they provide food at most meetings and organize volunteer work which looks good on a resume.

The other club is a club for transfer students and we essentially just have mixers etc. and that one is free.

Biggest perk is that each off the clubs i am in only meet once every week or every other week so I still have time to do school work.

>>5455819
In some ways, College is stupider than High School. You have just as much sex and drinking, but this time it's pseudo-sponsored and held up by the school institution itself.

>>5455763
Having sex isn't the immovable challenge /r9k/ makes it out to be. Getting and staying in a loving relationship is much harder...with sex, there's so many options these days. It's easier than ever to get laid.

>>5455819
>He still doesn't know universities are businesses

This isn't the 19th century grandpa

>>5456812
>tfw virgin

>>5456821
I'm guessing you're after the loving relationship part?

>>5456830
NOPE

>>5456845
What's stopping you, then?

>>5456854
>Trouble escaping hungry skelington mode
>Pimply face/pale/glasses
>Not that socially awkward but I have no moves
>Previously crippling self esteem issues now just hampering self esteem issues
>Fate intervened in the couple chances I had

>>5456871

Eat healthy, go out more, work out more (these three go together, take up jogging and consciously avoid buying junk food), buy cream for your zits. Once you move into a regular routine of this you will have a little more confidence, the more routine you make it the more effect it will have on your Umwelt and the better and more confident/embodied you will feel. Don't stop for anything, particularly don't give in to sense of rejection or worthlessness. f you get shot down for sex then who gives a fuck, there are 3.5 billion other vaginas on the planet.

>>5456898
I've already been working out and operating on a calorie surplus for a couple months. Problem is I got radial neuropathy in my left hand (compressed nerve) so I haven't been able to lift for going on three weeks now. My left hand can't handle anything more than 15 lbs

The shittiest part is that even once my wrist can handle the amounts of weight I'll be restarting with, my arms will progress faster than the wrist, so instead of increasing weights based on my strength I'll increase based on the strength of a shitty wrist.

And there's always liquid courage for confidence.

Pledging TKE this semester. The chapter at my school is pretty awesome. From the TKE Wikipedia: "The founders sought to be a different organization than the other fraternities at the time by establishing a fraternity where membership would be based on personal worth and character rather than wealth, rank, or honor. Mental development would be emphasized by the study of classic literature at weekly meetings, and thus the new fraternity became known as the Knights of Classic Lore."

>>5456915
Do they still do that?

Did they replace the classic literature with beer brewing books?

>>5456922
Not sure as i'm not a brother yet. Probably not though.

I go to a pretty good school so most of the members are smart/well read, but still party

ITT: Silly Americans.

>>5456962
OP here, I'm Canadian

>>5456973
Same same, you live on the Americas.

>tfw you're in the shit frat on campus that has gotten shut down several times and is thus 1/5th the size of every other frat

Great guys, chill as fuck and no one has anything bad to say about us anymore but man it sucks ass not being big or having a big pledge class. We still have swaps and parties and such but typically unless we're having something we end up at other houses on the weekend.

>tfw didn't get a bid at my #1 because someone spread a rumor about something they thought they saw that didn't happen

>>5457143
>tfw only got in because older brother

>tfw you join the Literary Society and the entire Michaelmas event schedule has a single solitary /lit/worthy event.

I'm a probationary member of PMA which is music, so that's something

Ask a guy who was just invited to a frat anything.

>>5457743
Which frat?

Alpha Delta master race, reporting in.

>>5458874
>Formed in 2007
>Master race

Fucking lmao