How did your fraternity experience benefit you? As times change, can fraternities continue to deliver the same benefits? Your input will help the Alumni Council make appropriate decisions about our chapter.
(CLICK HERE TO NAVIGATE TO OUR ALUMNI SURVEY ON THESE TOPICS)
Popular disapproval of fraternities has been around for as long as, well, fraternities have. Sometimes spiking in response to high-profile incidents, criticism has evolved over time but seems especially prominent in recent years. Fraternities come under fire for:
- Promoting substance abuse
- Condoning or even encouraging bad group behavior, including hazing
- Being disrespectful of women and perpetuating gender inequity
- Distracting from academics
- Sustaining elitist or non-inclusive attitudes
Dr. Kim Vance, Miami’s Director of Student Life and a recent guest speaker at the recent Alpha Delt reunion, said that alcohol and hazing abuses do hurt fraternities. "Let's face it: at 19, the kids are dumber than a box of rocks. Pour alcohol on it and it gets worse.” She said, “As long as fraternities are a thing, we will have them at Miami.” But her tone raised questions as to whether fraternities would be “a thing” in the future.
For now at least, fraternities continue to be popular at Miami: roughly a third of students are Greek, twice the average of peer schools. National statistics suggest that, on average, fraternity members:
- enjoy their college experience more than independents
- are twice as likely to believe college prepared them well for life
- are twice as likely to have a job waiting upon graduation
- as graduates, report being more fulfilled in every aspect of wellbeing (career, community, financial, physical)
But will those numbers change in the future? Fraternity life at Miami these days may be very different from what you experienced, and may struggle to deliver the same benefits:
Sophomores in charge
- Fraternity residence appeals mostly to sophomores, who must continue to live in the dorms unless they move into a fraternity.
- Most upperclassmen are eager to move into off-campus apartments.
- Because of these trends, almost all house residents are sophomores, bringing challenges around maturity, leadership, rapid turnover, and a more fragmented fraternity unity/culture.
Intense University scrutiny
- Miami, like many schools, is placing much greater supervision on its fraternities. The university enforces stringent rules about alcohol use, hazing and other behaviors, and requires fraternities to have live-in graduate house directors. Zero tolerance is the norm and penalties are severe.
Student expectations
- Raised on social media, etc., students may be less intense “joiners” than previously.
- While digitally adept, many students come to us lacking practical knowledge about maintaining a house, building an organization, and leading others.
Financial pressures
- College students are less willing to share rooms than they were in the past; 22 South Campus now holds 36 students at capacity.
- Smaller house capacities, and attractive housing alternatives, create financial pressures. One poor rush can seriously impact a chapter’s viability.
Considering these trends, are fraternities likely to decline? Or are they needed more than ever? Your opinion matters!
(CLICK HERE TO NAVIGATE BACK TO THE SURVEY)