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Justin Mangaroo

Professor

ENC1101

November 13, 2017

More Than a Fraternity

Being in a Fraternity is something some college males desire and try to be in. There are

many fraternities in colleges. Although the brothers of a fraternity are different individually, they

all share the same goal of building a brotherhood and maintain a valuable fraternity. In order to

become a brother of a fraternity one must go to rush events to meet the brothers and get to know

to them and they get to know the pledge. If the brothers think the person could contribute and

benefit their frat they will give that person a bid to be able to pledge in their frat. During the 9-

week pledging process, pledges must wear a suit wherever they go. This is so that the pledges

can be easily recognized. Pledges are separated into groups where each group gets a magister.

Magister is Latin for teacher. The magister is a brother who teaches core values of the fraternity

such as courage and integrity to pledges and he also teaches positions in the fraternity and other

terms of the fraternity on a national level.

I had the chance to talk to one of my friends (whose name I am not going to use for

privacy reasons so I will use Chad as his name) who is currently pledging for Sigma Chi. I asked

him how the fraternity builds relationships between everyone. He said, Well to start off with,

we are required to do a lot of activities with the other pledgees. One of the activities we did was

perform a dance routine in the CFE arena. We had to practice every day for hours, sometimes we

wouldnt get done until two in the morning. I asked, Out of all the things why a dance
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routine? Chad responded, At first I thought it was so the other fraternities and sororities could

get a good laugh, but then I realized it had nothing to do with that it was about the bonding

experience and becoming closer to everyone in the frat. That was one of many activities that

Chad did. Some weeks Chad had to be at the Sigma Chi house for 24 plus hours a week. The

reason for that is because the brothers wanted everyone to get to know each other and build upon

their friendship with each other. Fraternities do a good job making sure there is no problems or

hostility between each other. If there is any conflict between anybody in the frat, it is resolved in

a peaceful manner rather than fighting it out. Chad told me about a time where two of the

pledgees were having problems with each other. Chad explained, We did an activity where all

the pledgees stood up and one by one each of them had to address if they had a problem with

someone in the pledge. When one of the pledgees stood up he said he had an issue with one of

the pledgees. The brothers made the two talk out their problems with each other by threatening to

ball them and they were told to spend the day with each other to bond together. This shows how

frats keep the peace between each other and how they keep the frat a whole. Fraternities

understand the importance maintaining the brotherhood in the frat. If brothers had problems with

each other and resorted to violent solutions instead of peaceful ones, it would break down the

brotherhood and make the fraternity weak.

Although many people view fraternities as groups of guys who just like to party and

dont care about school, Fraternities are much more than that. Fraternities hold charity events,

give out scholarships, and do other things to help give back to their community. The pledge will

also have to meet certain GPA requirements while in the fraternity. Chad said, It feels like I

have been taking another class since I have been pledging. Pledgees are required to read and

study The Norman Shield, a reference manual of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. The Norman shield
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teaches the pledge group about the history of Sigma Chi. Pledgees also have to bring The

Norman Shield wherever they and must have it on their person at all times, failure to do so may

result in the pledge getting balled or kicked out the frat. Pledgees are also tested on this manual

and must score usually between 90%-100% to pass. This teaches responsibility because the

pledge has to keep the manual on at all times and he actually has to read the manual and study to

get between a 90%-100%. Fraternities also have chapter meetings where they discuss about The

Norman Shield.

Once the 9-week pledging process is over, the initiation process starts. If the brothers

think the pledge successfully went through the pledging process they will decide whether to

initiate him into the fraternity or ball him from the fraternity. If someone gets balled that person

still can try and rush for that frat but it has to be sometime in the following semesters and he has

to go through the pledging process again. But just because one can rush and pledge again it does

not mean they are guaranteed to get initiated. If by chance the pledge does get balled it does not

always necessarily mean the brothers didnt like him or that he wont get initiated next time he

pledges. It could mean that the brothers did not think that person was ready to be in the frat yet

for reasons maybe being that person was not matured or responsible enough to be in the frat. If

the pledge gets initiated as a brother, he can later become a part of the chapter officials.

The chapter officials operate the chapter meeting. These chapter officials consist of a

Consul, Pro Consul, Annotator, Quaestor, Magister, Recruitment Chairman, Tribune, chapter

editor, Scholarship Chairman, Philanthropy Chairman, Community Service Chairman, Historian,

Kustos, Risk Manager, Steward, and a House Manager. The consul is the president of the chapter

who presides over the chapter meetings, affairs, and activities. The Pro Consul is the vice

president of the chapter and works with the consul in carrying out chapter operations. The
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Annotator keeps records of the chapter meetings and files them into the chapter minute book.

The Quaestor is the treasurer of the chapter and collects and protects all the funds given to the

chapter and sets the budget for the year for the chapter. The Magister, like I said earlier, teaches

core values of the fraternity and positions in the fraternity and other terms of the fraternity on a

national level. The Recruitment Chairman organizes chapter recruitment programs and must

attend the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop. The Tribune coordinates mailing and

preparation of chapter correspondence, makes sure chapter reports are submitted on time, and is

in charge of the alumni relations program. The chapter editor publishes chapter newsletters to

highlight current alumni and undergraduate activities and helps the Tribune keep an accurate

mailing list. The scholarship chairman creates and maintains a setting useful to scholastic

achievement amongst the pledges and brothers, helps emphasize academic priorities in the

chapter, and provides scholarship information to the chapter. The philanthropy chairman

executes and overlooks all of the chapters philanthropic events, makes sure the brothers value

and understand the benefits of giving back to the community, and educates the chapter members

on the difference between philanthropy and community service. The community service

chairman executes and oversees community service events inside and outside the chapter, and

also educates the chapter members on the difference between philanthropy and community

service. The Historian is responsible for gathering and making permanent records of activities

and members, preserves historical records and properties of the chapter, and furnishes the Grand

Historian with chapter information. Kustos preserves privacy of the chapter room and helps with

chapter meetings and gatherings. The Risk Manager develops the Chapters safety/risk

management program, educates the brothers about risk management, and helps enforce those

rules made, and addresses any concerns related to safety, building maintenance, fire, health, and
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the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, hazing, or sexual abuse. The steward is in charge of setting up

chapter meal service and kitchen operations. The House Manager is responsible for coordinating

chapter efforts in relation to safety, cleanliness, and care and maintenance of the chapter house.

Having all these different roles in the house displays all the responsibilities the brothers have.

Having these roles also shows how importance of teamwork is. Everyone has to fulfill their own

role in order to have a successful and sustainable fraternity. If one person does not carry out their

role, it impacts the whole frat. With each brother having their role and having to fulfill their

through teamwork builds the relationship between the brother and strengthens the brotherhood as

a whole.

Even though fraternities are known for throwing wild parties and getting a bunch of girls,

much more comes with that. A fraternity can be seen as an important discourse community. The

pledging process and the roles given to brothers and the chapter officials make everyone in the

frat come together as one in the community. Fraternities teach important values useful for life

later on after college like responsibility and integrity. One would also develop a brotherhood

with the other brothers in the frat that last a lifetime. Fraternities also give brothers connections

that can benefit their career that they may not have found or would have trouble finding if they

were not a part of the fraternity.