CJ Walters English 1102 April 2nd, 2013 Mrs.

Williams 250 Word Summary The Figured world I will be observing is Lambda Chi Alpha. Lambda Chi Alpha is a very diverse fraternity holding 63 members of different backgrounds with a common interest of brotherhood. The purpose of this figured world is to provide a place for people with common interests to mingle and network. Another purpose of the group is to get involved in philanthropy and other events that are not normally done by students outside of Greek life. Lambda Chi Alpha is defined by business and pleasure because we are all there to have a good time but we are also there to get stuff done and help pad our resumes for the future. A good example of the activities that go on within our fraternity would be our blood drive that has been going on all week, and then on Saturday we will have a brotherhood BBQ where we will all hang out. It is a very strong mix of business and pleasure every single week. Rules within the Fraternity vary greatly depending on the day of the week, or even just the time of day. On Days such as today messing around would not be appropriate or acceptable due to the fact that we are trying to gather blood for the Red Cross. However on Saturday living by this strict no fun rule would be far from appropriate. When we have our BBQ it is expected to be laid back and care free and very anti-rules. Within the fraternity I expect to find a few different communities. There is a community of guys who just dont care about the business aspect they are typically the older crew that is in there last semester and chose to just live up their last semester. I expect to find a group of over achievers who are looking to hold a high officer position. Overall I just expect a wide range of data.

Observation 1: Thursday, March 28th 11:00am 12:00pm Myself and three other brothers are in the SAC working the blood drive booth. People keep coming in to get ready to give all their blood up to save lives. My brother Bryan who is kind of short and rounded is signing people in as a write their numbers down on the blood drive sticker. Spencer a tall lengthy kid who came through in my pledge class comes up and starts playing Mambo Number 5 on his laptop. We soon get bored and proceed to give one of our brothers numbers out to a cute girl who walked by. The brother is Chris Dahlen but we refer to him as Dahlphin due to his high-pitched laugh. He was rather upset we were passing out his number but we did it because he always seems to mess things up with girls so we figured it couldnt hurt. Once Dahlphin calms down one of our brothers goes over to

help a girl walk to the canteen because it appears she passed out. He gives her Ritz Crackers and apple juice to try and revive her. Another one of my pledge class brothers, Kyle, is on his laptop writing a paper. He eventually gives up and says he will just do it later because we are all being obnoxious. We just reached our 60th donor at the 11:45 mark, which is a fairly good feat for a smaller blood drive. Spencer got some girl to start singing to Barbie Girl and everyone else at the booth just wants to take the stapler on the booth and staple our ears shut because of this vocal atrocity. I am now ending my observations and packing up to head to class. I catch Brian up to speed on what to write on the blood donor stickers and then proceed to leave. Literacy Practices: Writing on the blood drive stickers, Signing in people who show up, looking up music to listen too, and writing a paper. Artifacts: Laptops, Stickers, Crackers, Paperwork, and Apple Juice. Actors: My brothers, Patients, People who run the blood drive, Specialized Language: Canteen, and SAC. Observation 2: Saturday, March 30th 11:00pm 12:00am Im standing on the lawn of our house because the house is too full. There are about 200 people here and I am frozen. Two of our brothers just took a couch and threw it into a mini bond fire we had going and instantly I can feel the warmth overcome my body. As I look around I see the older lady with big red hair from nextdoor walking around our yard. It is rumored and supposedly confirmed that she works in a sex shop so a bit of fear and awkwardness overcomes my emotions. I start to hear a bit of a struggle and it appears someone is getting kicked out; apparently its our brothers ex girlfriends. All of this action reminds me to go find my girlfriend. So I wander back into the house and start to make my way through a mob of people. I end up passing two people kissing and they look awkward the guy is a PNM so whatever I wont go tell him to stop being weird, Ill just keep it for future reference. I then make my way past the Ping-Pong table into the dance room with all of the strobe lights, but still no sign of my girlfriend. So I head back outside to see if maybe I just passed by her with out realizing it. As Im about through the door I run into our president who tells me I secured the only female role in our AirBand dance for Greek Week. Apparently everyone finds it hilarious to see me in a dress so whatever. I make it outside and sure enough I see my girlfriend by the fire talking with some of my brothers. I then see my friend Haley who I havent seen in 2 months. As we start catching up someone accidently drops their keys into the fire and is freaking out trying to get them. Unfortunately for her those keys arent going to make it out of that fire. As one of the brothers proceeds to throw another couch into the fire some of the brothers and I start to do our chant. We gather around and hop up and down yelling at the top of our lungs. This night has been a huge success and filled with some decent drama. Literacy Practices: The Lambda Chi chant Artifacts: Couches, Fire, Ping-Pong, and Keys.

Actors: My Girlfriend, Brothers, Brothers Ex, Sorority girls, PNMs, Old Woman. Specialized Language: PNM, Air-Band, and Greek Week. Observation 3: Sunday, March 31st 6:00pm 7:00pm The fraternity is in chapter and everything is quite as our president strikes down on the gavel. We recite our creed with hands over our hearts and then sit down and open our ears back up to the President. The president lists all of the Greek week activities for the up coming week then turns it over to the officers. Our philanthropist is up first and he tells us about an upcoming volunteer opportunity at a school. If we havent volunteered yet this semester we need to now, but thankfully I have more than doubled my points so Im fine. Our social chair is up next and lets us know that our formal will be coming up and says it will be on the 28th of April. At this point in time only about half the room is paying attention because the NCAA tournament is on and one of the brothers has it up on his laptop. Our president just banged the gavel and is telling everyone to listen for our treasurer to speak. Our treasure is presenting a power point on good money management. The room seems to be lackluster and the only noise besides the voice of our treasurer reading the PowerPoint is a clicking of a black ballpoint pen. As the speech goes on it actually gives some good pointers about credit score, how to manage funds and how to keep track of what you spend in order to save enough money for dues. We make our way through the risk management chair and a few other officers and then head to the lower officers. As we go through the lower officers our IFC delegate lets us know of some changes that may be made in the near future and would like us to give some input. After that I am called on for courtesy chair, which is basically just the PR chair that gives out gifts or letters all the time. Brother Jay, a guy who came in the class before mine, wants me to send a card to an older brother whos having a hard time so I jot down the address on my IPhone. I just noticed some delicious looking cake and pizza sitting on the bottom corner of the stage brought to us by our Sweethearts. We are now done with the officers and go to a period of open discussion. We start off the conversation talking about our blood drive. It appears to have been a decent number of donations considering we just had a blood drive a couple months ago. Someone motions to close old business and the whole room seconds it. There are no objections so the chapter meeting comes to a close. Everyone makes their way to grab a slice of cake and a piece of pizza and then proceeds to make their ways to the exit. Literacy Practices: Reciting the creed, Reading of the power point, Giving input on IFC, Writing on my IPhone, and Motioning to close the meeting. Artifacts: Gavel, Cake, Pizza, Laptop, IPhone, Pen, Actors: President, Officers, Other Brothers, and Sweethearts. Specialized Language: Dues, Motion to Close, Open Discussion, Sweethearts, IFC, Courtesy Chair, Creed, and Formal. Interview 1: Dalton

(Brother of XA) When I say Lambda Chi Alpha what does that mean to you? Lambda Chi Alpha means brotherhood. Through Lambda Chi I always have people who will have my back no matter what and they help me stay on the right path. We are also so close that I know Brothers will tell me what I need to hear rather than what I want to hear. Why did you personally join Lambda Chi? I joined Lambda Chi initially because I thought it would give me great networking experience. I liked the aspect of getting to know a lot of people and hopefully having that broaden the horizon of my career choices. Having the knowledge you have now what would be your reasons for rushing Lambda Chi today? Well I would still definitely rush for the networking aspect, but it would be for more than just that. I would also rush for the brothers, volunteering, and partying. I would rush for the brothers because obviously it gives you a fantastic pack of people to hang out with. Then I would rush for the volunteering because it helps you get involved in the community that I grew up in and give back to those who werent blessed like myself. Then I would rush for the parties not because Im a heavy drinker or anything like that but because its a fun way to de-stress after a long week, meet people, and also not have to worry about safety. A lot of Non-Greek parties can be dangerous and are usually hosted by drug dealers or someone sketchy like that. I just like knowing Im going to be okay after a party and that there will be sober drivers preventing anyone from driving drunk. Have you ever had a day where you regretted going Greek? No, and honestly I dont think I will ever have one of those days. Lambda Chi till I die. Interview 2: Matthew Griellner (Non-Greek) What are some initial thoughts that come to mind when you think of a fraternity? Truthfully I think of a stuck up country club type atmosphere when I think of a fraternity. When you think of someone who is in a fraternity how would you describe them? I would describe them as fake and very judgmental, they think they are better than everyone else for whatever reason. I also hardly ever see them in my classes so sometimes I question weather they actually go. Would you ever consider joining a fraternity?

No, my dad is an old Alumni of Kappa Sig but the fraternity lifestyle isnt for me. I dont find it very exciting and it really doesnt fit my type of personality. Im not into the whole drink and party scene. If you had to list a positive of a fraternity what would it be? It will give you connections later on in life. Fraternities also seem to be fairly involved on campus with fundraising and such.

Interview 3: Katie Hogg (Non-Greek) When you think of fraternities what are some initial thoughts that come to mind? Douchebag, short shorts, Sperrys, preppy, alcohol poisoning, two faced, and they party. They do give a lot of money to charities because theyre all super rich though. Harsh but fair, if you had a friend would you tell him to go Greek or no. Why or Why Not? Its a personal preference, but I think its sad how some people in Greek organizations overlook those who arent in it because they arent in the same society. Also it seems that when some people go Greek it overtakes their lives and they forget about the people before they were Greek. Would you say that Fraternities cause more harm then good? Do you think college life would be better without them? They dont cause more harm then good because they do a lot for charities and stuff like that. College would however be a less cliquey place without them and so in that aspect it would create a better college environment.

Interview 4: Tom Downer (Lawyer and Greek Alum from Chapel Hill) Reflecting on your days of being in a fraternity would you say that Greek life helped or hindered your goals? I would say that my Fraternity experience definitely helped me achieve my goals later on in life. Being in the Fraternity forced me to learn time management and also how to manage play vs. work. Doing too much of one can be very hindering to the other, but both are needed in order to function at your best. I would also say that being in a Fraternity helped me with connections. I was able to intern while still in undergrad at a good law firm in Raleigh for the summers thanks to one of my brothers family friends. Also when I got out of Law School I already knew a fairly good amount of lawyers all over the state thanks to the connections I made from my fraternity days.

Being that you are now 40+ years out of college do you ever still remain in contact with your brothers or the fraternity? There are a few of my brothers that actually moved to the charlotte area and I am still close with them. I see them a few times a month to catch up. I also make the trip to UNC once or twice a year usually to catch a football and basketball game. I always stop by the house and usually go with some brothers from my class and we talk to some of the new guys about how it used to be and see the direction things are going. Ive also made contributions back to the chapter because the fraternity let me learn so much so I feel the people after me should be able to have the same experience as I did and hopefully end up being very successful from what they learn. If someone asked you if they should go Greek in college what would you say? Yes, there is no reason not to in my opinion. It has a lot of negative connotations surrounding it sometimes, which is unfair. The fraternity life can offer you 4 of the best years of your life and set you up with an amazing future if you are able to use it right.

Stereotypes vs. Reality Within the realm of Greek life there are a lot of stereotypes that are said blindly based solely on the aspects that people chose to see. Many of these stereotypes derive from Hollywood Movies, Websites, and literature and hold no basis of reality. The Greek system is thought of as a joke to some of those people on the outside looking in. Im going to analyze some key points that people always bring up when you say you are in a fraternity and hopefully get the trust out there to inform people on the facts, not the fiction. Why would you want to pay money just to have fake friends? When students think of fraternities this is one of the number one questions people ask. People do not understand why fraternities are not free and they do not understand the point of all the money. To be honest when I joined I questioned the money aspect myself and was given a strong answer. The cost of dues (Money a brother pays to the fraternity per semester) is split up among many different things. These dues cover the insurance that is necessary to keep a chapter alive. They also cover mixers, retreats, and some brotherhood events. Every single bit of that money goes to improve the chapter and enhance the experience each member gets. If you think about it fraternity dues actually only make up 2% of the average college expenses (Studentorgs.gwu.edu). These dues also cover parties that without the dues would cost

My first mixer

the student hundreds of dollars anyway. Then we also get a lot of free items such as shirts for different events and in my fraternity a lot of our brothers are representatives for different companies so we also receive free stuff from them. Honestly if I were to add up everything I have received it in items alone it would average out to be just about what our dues are. So overall saying people are paying for their friends is untrue and holds no basis. We pay for a better college experience it is no different then paying to get into a bar, going to a theme park, or going to see a movie. If you meet a girl at a bar and end up falling in love with her would you say shes a prostitute because you paid to meet her? No you wouldnt and this situation is no different.

One of these guys will end up being my best man.

Two of my best friends and brothers

Being in a fraternity will ruin you career path There is a myth that goes around that if you join a fraternity your grades will plummet. Within the UNCC system and nearly every Greek system nationwide this proves untrue. The Fraternity vs. Non Greek Male GPA has remained virtually the same for the past 3 years. You also need to remember that when you look to move on from college into the working world connections become huge especially in todays economy. You could have every degree in the world yet still not find a job if you dont know anyone in that field. With my own chapter we have had 1002 brothers initiated and most alums hold jobs within the area. We have ties to nearly every field imaginable giving us a leg up on Non-Greeks. Also when it comes to the working world employers look for people who posses strong social skills and can lead in the work place. Being in a fraternity it is almost our job to mingle with people of all different backgrounds, weather it be a sorority girl at one of our parties, an alumni at an event, or even school officials during meetings. We also have structured positions within the fraternity which if you chose to hold one preps you for the working world. These positions are things such as Philanthropist, Risk Management, President, Pledge Educator, etc. These positions give you working experience within college. If you still believe fraternities ruin career paths consider some of these facts (provided by studentorgs.gwu.edu). All 11 of the astronauts on the polo were

members of Greek life, 76% of Senators and Congressmen are Greek, 85% of fortune 500 execs are Greek, and finally 43 of the 50 largest corporations are headed by former fraternity gentleman. To stay that Fraternities will change your future is an accurate statement, but not in the way most people think. Fraternities will alter your life for the better and open up opportunities that you once could only dream off.

My big who is now working at Wells Fargo downtown after being out of school for 3 months.

My big and myself tailgating with Alums at the Panthers game

Radom sorority girls that Ive gotten to know through mingling at Carolina Cup

All frat guys care about is partying and getting laid by everyone they meet. Is it true that Fraternity guys party? Yes to a degree. When people think about fraternity parties the first thing that comes to mind is animal house. People think that a party involves everyone passing out in their own urine and vomit and also destroying the house they are in. In reality a party can have a lot of people but it is just like any other party youve ever been too just bigger and honestly its probably a bit more toned down then the average party because as its said we are always wearing our letters. My pledge class presenting a poem Now in the case of getting laid we are all to the sorority ZTA guys so I suppose its on a couple peoples minds, but honestly a decent portion of our fraternity is in a relationship myself included. To say we sleep with random girls every night would be a stretch of the truth to say the least. Just because we know more girls and they show up to our parties doesnt mean we only think about getting with them. I always hang out with girls and not once does it cross my mind to sleep with them. It

is just ignorant to make that statement based off of one or two movies Hollywood has made. Saying that this is all way care about is also far fetched. Fraternities are some of the most active volunteers in the community. Just last week I worked 8 hours for the blood drive getting people to donate and helping the Red Cross during the event. We also raise cans for North American food drive nearly weekly, and we even volunteer ourselves to the community. Just this year we have volunteered at a school, recycling plant, food bank, park, and helped an old alumni with his house. We even had a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen foundation and raised $1,000 for breast cancer. Fraternities care greatly about more than just themselves and we are some of the most active people in the community you can find.

My Girlfriend of 7 months

Three of my best friends

Telling middles schoolers why they need college

In conclusion fraternities are not what people make them out to be. Fraternities are a lot of fun, but also a lot of work that will prep you for the next level. One of the best decisions you can ever make is to join a fraternity because it will prepare you for your future life. The stereotypes that plague us are typically so far from the truth it hurts. A fraternity brings you a better opportunity for a job, allows you to network like crazy, and allows you to meet some of the best people ever. You will find your best friends within the fraternity. The worst mistake you can ever make in life is judging something based solely on stereotypes. Educate yourself in the facts rather then falling for the fiction that certain sources try to relay.