Keep Frats Meaningful

With the recent termination of Georgetown’s chapter of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, it is time to reevaluate the place of Greek life on campus. Georgetown fraternities must be sure to remain true to their founding principles and not just act as fronts to throw parties.

Although the business frat was dissolved because the leaders did not file the necessary paperwork with their national fraternity, many Georgetown social organizations need to take a critical look at the events they host and always work to make themselves more relevant to students’ lives outside of the party context.

Social organizations should be fun, of course, but they should also build character.

It is great to have an outlet to party and have a good time, but an organization should be concerned with more than just drinking. What is the point of joining a club that only has parties on the agenda? You can have your own parties and save the dues.

Luckily, Georgetown has always distanced itself from the Greek life. Instead, the university encourages interest-based groups. And that is just the way it should be.

The beauty of the Georgetown social scene is that the absence of drinking clubs and exclusive groups allows students to participate in different organizations, interact with diverse people and explore a variety of interests. Students do not have to fear being turned away from a group because they did not conform to a fraternity’s arbitrary regulations.

Imagine what our campus would be like if there were a bona fide Greek system. Freshmen would be superficially judged with their first steps upon campus. Once selected for a group, new members would be subjected to hazing masquerading as “pledging.” Students would have to pay hundreds of dollars to hang out with one group, and only one group of people, rejected frosh, would feel like social outcasts, because the parties would be exclusively for the chosen ones. Instead of students defining their society, the society would be defining them.

Unfortunately this socially dominating system is prevalent at universities across the country.

It is true, of course, that Georgetown has a few frats. But aside from their use of Greek letters, these pre-professional, service and religious fraternities scarcely resemble the exclusive student groups of other universities, and only one, Alpha Phi Omega, is officially recognized by the university.

Though Delta Sigma Pi is no longer on campus, a new business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, has taken its place. We hope that the leadership and members of Alpha Kappa Psi honestly want to use their organization as a pre-professional tool. Hopefully Alpha Kappa Psi will use this opportunity to give business students meaningful connections for their careers and social lives.