A Deadly Campus Tradition.

A Deadly Campus Tradition

Greek life, fraternities and sororities specifically, has been a prevalent part of the college experience for several decades. For most, fraternities have offered lifelong friendships and fond memories in addition to academic opportunities. For others though, involvement in fraternities has resulted in the death or injury of their child, and has left them fighting for justice with little success. The increase in hazing-related incidents in the recent years has led many to debate whether or not fraternities should be banned altogether. Although fraternities and sororities are undeniably flawed, I do not believe banning them is a wise or realistic solution.

Firstly, the goal of a college or university should be, above all, to educate their students and prepare them for a successful career. Greek life has deep roots in many powerful institutions, and being or having been a member of a fraternity can give students a considerable leg-up in finding a job. According to Alan DeSantis’ 2007 book, Inside Greek U: Fraternities,, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige, a large majority of Fortune 500 executives are greek alumni. Additionally, “at least four members of President Trump’s Cabinet are fraternity alumni, and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch was a member of Phi Gamma Delta” (text 1, page 58). The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee states that in Congress, 155 lawmakers are Greek alumni, which only further demonstrates the prominent link between fraternities and successful careers.

Next, in addition to furthering themselves as students, Greek life on campus promotes philanthropy and has greatly benefited the community. According to the Penn State Interfraternity Council, fraternity members volunteered 65,000 hours and raised nearly $1.4 million for charity in 2016. The positive impact fraternities are making extends far beyond Penn State, “Nationally, fraternity undergraduates volunteered 3.8 million hours and raised $20.3 million for philanthropy in the 2013-14 academic year, the most recent year with numbers available” (text 1, page 59). Fraternities do a lot to help improve the world around them, both financially and by working hard and volunteering their time. If fraternities were banned, that would be a significant loss for all of the good causes they have helped to support.

On the other hand, some argue that fraternities are doing more harm than good. Hank