The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

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Korkki
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Korkki »

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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by missF »

Yep - that’s where I learned about fraternities from! :lol:
watching you fail in your quest for a “one watch” has been great entertainment
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by jkbarnes »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:21 pm I think this is something that non-US members might struggle to understand, Andrew. Could you explain it for the layman, please?
Fraternities are more or less men’s social clubs on college and university campuses, typically denoted by Greek letters. They usually have a recruitment drive in the fall semester called “rush.” New applicants are called pledges because they pledge themselves to the organization. After a defined pledge period, pledges are initiated into the fraternity as full members.

While the primary focus is social, fraternities often perform service on campus. Typically there is a designated charity supported by the national organization that local chapters support through fundraising or philanthropic work.

Post graduation, fraternities give there members access to a network of alumni that can aid in finding a job. Since graduation, I’ve occasionally served as a mentor to fraternity brothers at my school who were looking to become teachers.

A more extensive description can be found here.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by jkbarnes »

Korkki wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:27 pm
Haha! My experience wasn’t even remotely close to this! Animal House certainly represents the zenith of fraternity life on American campuses, I think.

Hazing of pledges is frowned upon by most national organizations now, however I’m sure it still happens in some form or another.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by nbg »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:21 pm
jkbarnes wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:16 pm It looks like my son might be pledging my fraternity (same fraternity, different chapter).
I think this is something that non-US members might struggle to understand, Andrew. Could you explain it for the layman, please?
Would something like the Bullingdon Club count as a UK equivalent?

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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Richard D »

nbg wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:49 pm
Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:21 pm
jkbarnes wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 7:16 pm It looks like my son might be pledging my fraternity (same fraternity, different chapter).
I think this is something that non-US members might struggle to understand, Andrew. Could you explain it for the layman, please?
Would something like the Bullingdon Club count as a UK equivalent?

Neil
The Bullingdon is all-male wealthy, elitist, privileged members club whose bad behaviour is well documented. Also, it’s the breeding ground of future leaders including Prime Ministers. At the very least the A fraternity or sorority is a brotherhood or sisterhood formed around common goals and aspirations. Their common experience builds ties and friendships that last a lifetime. Something that can’t be said about the Bullington lot.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by nbg »

^^^ Richard you probably realised that I knew. I was just testing to see if anyone would be able to post a printable reply that would not breach forum guidelines. :)

It is fair to say that my view on that lot would breach a few forum guidelines! :lol:

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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

^^^ One of the reasons I didn’t reply. Mustn’t get political!

Most undergraduates at Oxford knew vaguely about that and a few other less well-known groups, but I think it’s fair to say that that whole scenario passed most of us by. In a collegiate university a lot of your social and sporting contacts are forged through your own college. We had quite a few black-tie dinners but they were mainly based around college societies and sporting clubs which were open to all members of the college. There was a private dining club in my college but we were generally pretty scathing about them and they looked down on most other undergraduates.

Anyway, thanks to the various people who cleared my question up, especially Andrew.

I love the Greek letter combinations for the different societies. Perhaps watch enthusiasts could form their own version, something like ΩΣΠ? OSP - Moonwatch club! :lol:
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

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nbg wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:21 am ^^^ Richard you probably realised that I knew. I was just testing to see if anyone would be able to post a printable reply that would not breach forum guidelines. :)

It is fair to say that my view on that lot would breach a few forum guidelines! :lol:

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I think we are on the same page or should I say radar screen. :lol:
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by jkbarnes »

Richard D wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:11 am The Bullingdon is all-male wealthy, elitist, privileged members club whose bad behaviour is well documented.
A great many people in the US would say that’s exactly what a fraternity is. It can be very divisive, for sure. I’m very careful about if, when, and where I bring up having been in one.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

jkbarnes wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:34 pm A great many people in the US would say that’s exactly what a fraternity is. It can be very divisive, for sure. I’m very careful about if, when, and where I bring up having been in one.
In that case, what proportion of university students in the US would you say joined a fraternity or sorority? Would it be possible for any university student to join one? What proportion would be unable to join one because they were considered not to be of quite the right social standing or didn’t go to the right high school?
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by jkbarnes »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:40 pm In that case, what proportion of university students in the US would you say joined a fraternity or sorority? Would it be possible for any university student to join one? What proportion would be unable to join one because they were considered not to be of quite the right social standing or didn’t go to the right high school?
Those can be challenging questions to answer because they can vary quite a bit from school to school. In general, fraternities are not actually terribly elitist, despite some people thinking they are. A better comparison to the club mentioned would probably be the secret societies at Ivy League schools like Harvard or Yale. Membership is super selective and can open doors later on but doesn’t necessarily keep the closed.

As for membership, I’m fairly certain it’s down across the board nationally. At my college, when I was a student, membership in a Greek organization was actually on the high side. This was primarily because Williamsburg, VA, where my school was located, was not a “college town” - the town did not cater to the school at all. There was just about nothing to do off campus, so Greek organizations filled the social void. It’s my understanding, however, that membership is down from when I was a student.

At schools with a big Greek life there’s probably a fraternity for just about anyone. On most campuses, there will definitely be a pecking order to the organizations - top tier, middle tier, lower tier. Much like the cliques that exist in the typical HS. Every organization has its reputation. At my school, one fraternity was closely associated with the football team, one was predominantly New England preppies, another had a reputation for insane behavior & hard drug use. And one was seen as the nerdy fraternity, which is rich considering my school was essentially a school full of nerds, and this particular fraternity threw what was arguably the best and hardest to get into party on campus every semester! These reputations & identifies also change over time.

At the end of the day, I see fraternities as being about finding your “tribe” - those like minded people who share your interests, you know? And for some people, their tribe isn’t a fraternity. For my wife, it was a women’s A cappella group.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Richard D »

Now that’s a relief, just received my MRI scan report and it shows no abnormalities.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by jkbarnes »

Richard D wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:25 pm Now that’s a relief, just received my MRI scan report and it shows no abnormalities.
Relief, indeed! Assuming this was in reference to your wife? I hope everything is on the upswing now.
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Re: The Non-Curmudgeons Corner

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Very welcome news, Richard.
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