“Why should I join a college fraternity?” is a question often heard on today’s campus. This is a legitimate question, and deserves thoughtful, honest answers.
The collegiate officers and members should clearly explained to the male and female aspirants/prospects the beauty of joining our organization such that, a college fraternity exists on the premise that man is by nature a social being and wants to associate with his fellow man. He cannot associate equally with all of them, or even many of them, but he may enjoy close relationships with some of them. A fraternity provides structure, an environment in which intimate friendships can flourish and lead to true brotherhood.
Members are drawn together by shared goals and common experiences. It is also more likely than not that a young man will find in a fraternity friends whose interests and backgrounds are different from his own. Learning to live in close relationships with members of a group is a thoroughly valuable experience. Social action requires organization, and fraternities are effective promoters of group activity because of their organization.
A college fraternity, not unlike any other worthwhile human institution, encourages its members to make a commitment to something outside themselves, to something larger than themselves. In a fraternity, commitment is directed, in part, to the programs of the organization, to the things the group does as a whole, but mostly it is a commitment to people - to friends.
As students make their commitment to others, a fraternity provides a structure within which this commitment can be carried out. Their dedication may be formalized in rituals of orientation and initiation, as well as during a renewal of these vows in formal meetings from week to week. Today’s society tends to label ritual as an outdated carry-over of “nineteenth-century hocus pocus,” however a ritual that is well done and seriously approached makes a profound impact upon those who participate in it.
They may also ask the purpose of having rituals. Ritual is but one way of expressing a fraternity’s ideals and aspirations. Closely associated with ritual is symbolism. Whether the student is ready to concede the point or not, we all live by symbols. Although it is true that some symbols have lost their meaning and are irrelevant to man in his present-day world, many symbols persist as graphic reminders of a man’s commitments in life. A fraternity’s name, badge, coat of arms, songs and publications, whether local or national, are symbolic and can have great value if a member is willing to permit his life to be touched by them.
Fraternities make possible a unique experience in living. The fraternity member knows that there are many things that only individuals can do, things for which no organization of people is necessary or even desirable. He knows too, however, that there are many worthwhile enterprises - on and off the college campus - that can best be accomplished by groups of people working together. Such cooperative effort is a hallmark of fraternity living.
That Fraternities provide abundant opportunities for self-development. Upon examination, members of the same fraternity may prove to be remarkably diverse in tastes and talents, in thought and behavior. It is indeed advantageous to the fraternity as a whole, if members are encouraged to exercise their talents, and make their personal unique contributions, to “do their own thing.” Each of them can find ways to empower the chapter and to develop his own potential as a member of the group. Members are afforded an opportunity to give of themselves in their own way. That is the road to self-realization. Moreover, a fraternity is a structured organization so opportunities for leadership are many.
From a fraternity the member can learn much that complements the instruction he receives in the classroom. In addition to encouraging good scholarship, a fraternity helps the member understand more about human relations and about himself. The lessons learned in this laboratory of social education can serve a man for a lifetime
No comments:
Post a Comment