Fraternity is a society of college or university students and graduates. Fraternities are also called Greek-letter societies because most fraternities form their names by combining two or three letters of the Greek alphabet. The word fraternity comes from the Latin word frater, meaning brother.
The best-known kind of fraternity is the general or social fraternity. Professional fraternities are made up of people who are preparing for or working in such professions as education, law, medicine, and science. Fraternities called honor societies select their members for their exceptional academic records. Recognition societies are for people with superior achievement in a specific undertaking. A student may join only one general fraternity. But a general fraternity member may also join a professional fraternity, an honor society, or both.
Many fraternities admit both men and women, but most general fraternities are for men. Women’s organizations for college students are discussed in the Sorority article. Most fraternities have chapters (local units) throughout the United States and Canada. Intercollegiate, national, and international fraternities have thousands of chapters with millions of members.
The first Greek-letter fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, was founded in the United States in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. It began as a general fraternity, then later became an honor society. The Kappa Alpha Society, founded in 1825 at Union College in Schenectady, New York, is the oldest ongoing general fraternity.
General fraternities
Membership.
To join a social fraternity, a student must receive an invitation approved by the chapter members. This invitation to join is called a bid. Bids are issued following a period called rush. During rush, students who are interested in joining a fraternity attend events to learn about various fraternities and meet their members. Students who accept bids become trial members called pledges or associates.
Pledges must prove their ability to live, study, and work with fraternity members before they are accepted into full membership. Many fraternities assign to each pledge an upperclassman called a big brother who offers advice, guidance, and support.
Some fraternities subject pledges to a controversial practice called hazing. Hazing can sometimes require pledges to demonstrate their commitment to the fraternity by performing embarrassing tasks. Such tasks might include wearing odd clothing or running errands for fraternity members. The most controversial hazing involves cruel or dangerous requirements, such as preventing pledges from sleeping or making them drink too much alcohol. More than 40 U.S. states have passed laws that ban hazing. Some fraternities have replaced hazing with community service projects that give members and pledges an opportunity to work together.
A pledge or associate who fulfills all requirements is initiated and receives a fraternity pin. Pledges who become full members are known as the brothers of a fraternity. Brothers promise to keep the organization’s ceremonies and mottoes secret.
Activities.
Fraternities play an important role in many aspects of college life. Most fraternities maintain a residence called a fraternity house where their members live, socialize, and eat. Residential life provides experience in self-government and develops skills in cooperation, leadership, and relationships.
Fraternities participate in a wide variety of social service programs and extend hospitality to students from other countries. They also contribute scholarship money for fellow students to attend college and for children to go to summer camps. Most fraternities have alumni (graduate) chapters and associations that advise chapters about financial affairs and life after college.
Fraternities are well known for sponsoring such social activities as dances and parties. Some chapters have allowed social events to become occasions on which members drink too much alcohol or abuse other drugs. Other chapters have sometimes encouraged behavior that is disrespectful or sexually aggressive toward female guests. In response to such problems, some campuses have established policies that regulate parties and enforce legal restrictions on drinking. Other campuses have banned alcohol completely.
Organization.
Each general fraternity chapter is a self-governing unit. But fraternities are regulated by college officials, a campus interfraternity council, and the national or international headquarters of each fraternity.
Most colleges have an interfraternity council, which consists of representatives from all fraternities on campus. The council promotes the constructive aspects of fraternity life, settles disputes between fraternities, and enforces conduct codes. The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), established in 1909, is a federation of local interfraternity councils. The NIC sponsors a meeting each year for its member fraternities. Most national fraternities have a permanent staff and publish a magazine or maintain a site on the Internet.
Professional fraternities
Professional fraternities are made up of people with a common academic or occupational interest. Some professional groups require higher academic standing than do general fraternities. Members may not pledge other fraternities in the same profession, but they may also belong to a general fraternity. Most professional fraternities participate in the Professional Fraternity Association.
Honor and recognition societies
Honor societies are either departmental or general. A departmental honor society selects men and women who have excelled in a specific academic field, such as French or mathematics. A general honor society selects members who have exceptional achievement in all fields of study. A recognition society admits members who have done outstanding work in a particular undertaking, such as retailing or community service.
