Students and Others Sue Berkeley Officials Over Police Response to Protest

Using this same logic, perhaps we should ban the democrat party it seems to encourage a lot of bad behavior as well.  For example, the Ted Kennedy, Chris  Dodd waittress sandwich, Teddy driving that car off the bridge and letting a woman drown.  Perhaps we would be better served to think about making people responsible for their individual behavior and not trample of free association rights.  Oh, I forgot, Teddy was never held responsible for the death of that woman, at least in this life.

badger74 would have to first define what is meant by ‘success’ to convince me that fraternity brothers are more successful than everyone else.  If anything, my assumption that ‘success’ means earning potential only suggests that frats develop solid career networks, nevermind whether the participants are better qualified and better employees than non-frat candidates.  badger74 has only a fraction of an argument, so far. 

Another consideration: at Dartmouth, for example, sororities have their own houses and host their own parties, and generally seem a lot more productive (and with better grades) than the frats.  Would Prof. Essig also ban sororities?  I know I’ve cited an exception as an example, but once you ban the frats, you can’t justify keeping the sororities, can you?

Also, re. free association, private universities could ban greek life if they wanted to (or make it really hard for greek organizations to exist on campus, effectively banning greek life).  But rather than banning frats and sororities, universities could impose stronger sanctions.  If you institute a stronger GPA requirement, for example, you could change the makeup of these institutions (as the NCAA could in enforcing better time management practices among sports teams).   

When I was an undergraduate (and definitely not a frat boy), a number of my friends got together and formed a baseball team, all of whose opponents were fraternities. The name of our team: Signa Phi Nothing … our comment on the Greeks.

This has been a good week for me so I am going to be a bit playful:

My Top 10 Responses to this article (which I am thankful for)

1) “Thank You Laurie, May I Have Another”

2) “Why Take Away Places Where Dan Quayle or Larry Eustacy Can Socialize”

3) If A Group Of 70 to 80 Men Of Privilege Need Some Alone Time, Then Why Not”

4) “John Birch Society Membership Would Rise By 33%”
 
5) “More Early Risers: I Love The Smell Of Stale Beer & Vomit In The Morning”

6) “Frats Are The Counterpoint Assholes to the Dean Wormers’ Of The World” (survivor jackasses)

7) “There Is So Much Man Love That Is Never Seen; You Can’t Judge A Pledge By His Cover”

8) “Where Else Will Future CEO’s Learn To Practice Their Rituals of Hazing”

9) “It’s A Wash: Gambling & High Fives Would Decrease; Bathing And DUI’s Would Increase”

10)  Product Losers:  Axe Body Spray, Bear Hat With Feeder Tubes, & The Greek Alphabet

Come to think about it, Laurie you have a point…  Let’s force them to deal with the rest of the world.

I worked at an institution that by tradition banned all social societies (fraternities and sororities).  As far back as living memory could confirm, there were “secret societies,” groups that had “secret” signs of membership, included initiations, and–yes–there were incidents of hazing.  Human beings will associate based on all sorts of criteria, many that are disquieting (like race).

The continuing discussion that we had focused on whether it was better to maintain an institutional ban, expressing an official philosophy opposing exclusive organizations, or to recognize the existence of the human drive to form associations of people with similar qualities, providing the college with some measure of control over their behavior.  I tended to lean toward the latter, but it is not an easy issue to unravel.

An observation: Williams College did away with fraternities decades ago. The loss of that tradition – though still keenly felt by some alumni – does not seem to have held the institution back from excellence. 

Outstanding!  Finally an explanation of why presidential politics and decision making has been so dysfunctional for so many decades.

It’s amazing that this is an item in The Chronicle of Higher _Education_.

Since when is banning something _educational_? Are we so bereft of educational ability that the only way we can lead young people is by close control of large swaths of their associations and actions? Can’t we convince them, educate them instead?

We pose as intellectuals, intent on diving to the core of important questions.  Our self-proclaimed “nuanced thinking” isn’t in effect this screed that could be summarized by “here are things I don’t like, and here’s a quick way to get somebody to knock them down a peg”.

Seriously, we can do better as an educational community, we _have_ to do better as an educational community, or we’re going to become even less relevant than we are now.

More on point, stinkcat, I think we should end feminism. Forty million people have never been born because of their patronizing vulgar definition of women’s interests. I think fraternities are a small issue compared to that. 

Yes, feminism is a long tradition. But let’s end it. Better yet, let’s abort it.

I suspect that 40 million people are not born *every day* because of decisions to have non-reproductive sex. As Monty Python sang it, “Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great, and if you waste a single one, God will be irate…”

No accusations, here: I’m sure you’ve never wasted a single sperm.

What about outcomes? If you were to compare the earnings of those in a fraternity vs. those not in one what would it look like? (Honestly, I have no idea and am curious)

As in actual numbers, I can’t find any information on that; however, 85% of Fortune 500 company executives belong to a fraternity. 

There is evidently an instinctive urge for men, mostly within a fairly narrow age range, to band together, whether you call it a gang or a fraternity or something else.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t fraternities originally organized into a system in response to violent activities of what were in essence campus gangs?  University recognition of fraternities is an acknowledgment that those so inclined will join into bands, and left to their own devices, possibly with far worse consequences than we see from fraternities.  While a fraternity system might not prevent that from happening, at least it nominally provides a structure for channeling natural tendencies.  Skorton is calling for an end to hazing, something we’ve all heard many times, not the fraternity system, which whatever the downsides serves the campus interest much as organized sports do.  Without a system, the University would simply be turning a blind eye and so suffer whatever the consequences might be.  Sororities appear to be less prone to misbehavior leading to bad outcomes, but I would think that is a topic for another article.

How tiresome.  Ending them will be impossible.  Oh sure you could disband the “Greek” system of frats but you’d be a fool tho think that like minded social and economic groups wouldn’t band together socially and/or in some sort of housing.  It is the nature of the species.  Get over it.

Coincidence and correlation are NOT causality. 

College fraternities and sororities are essentially social fossils of the eras in which they were founded. As a rule, they formalize the social relationships that existed when the “Fabulous Eleven” or the “Awesome Eight” institutionalized their bonds of brotherhood. As such, they are highly resistant to social engineering. This is why attitudes and social bonds from earlier eras keep expressing themselves today; that is part of why it is called “tradition”.

Over one hundred years ago, a university president tried to ban eating clubs, which had taken over the role of fraternities at Princeton. Woodrow Wilson lost his fight, but his willingness to oppose the power of the eating clubs led to his rise to the Presidency. Princeton has been known as a bastion for snobbish eating clubs ever since. So, any attempt to ban fraternities and sororities would need to include eating clubs too.

Fraternity and sorority exist regardless of the policy of academe. My concern is rather that the institutionalized varieties of brotherhood and sisterhood may get in the way of true brotherhood and true sisterhood. Some students will choose tradition regardless of official policy. Yet, students ought to have the opportunity to form their own social bonds; each generation should feel they can be their own “Magnificent Seven” rather than fastening onto a collegiate version of ancestor worship.

Fraternities and sororities ought to be encouraged so long as their members are fluent in the “house language” and literate in its writing system too. So, a fraternity with a Zulu name would require fluency and literacy in Zulu, or a sorority with a Chinese name would require fluency and literacy in Chinese. Hence, Greek letter societies ought to be encouraged on college campuses so long as each member of a fraternity or sorority has achieved fluency and literacy in the Greek language. (Perhaps they could take their pick among Classical Greek, Byzantine Greek, and Modern Greek!) Without fluency and literacy in the Greek language, the use of Greek letters by fraternities and sororities is merely an advertisement of their pretentiousness and ignorance.

Beyond these reforms, there is a limit to what any university administration can do. Would secret societies really be an improvement over openly recognized fraternities and sororities? So long as students form their own organizations, fraternities and sororities will exist in all but name. (For example, a sorority could call itself a “women’s tennis club”.) But then, fraternity and sorority can exist without any organization at all.

The fact that you assume a critic of the Greek system must be a bitter reject goes a long way to explaining why some of us can imagine a better university without Greek systems.  Having received a bid from my first choice sorority, pledged, grown disenchanted with the expectation that I would behave in a sexual way to please the “brothers,” and deactivated (i.e. quit), I can say with authority that it is possible to criticize the Greek system without having been a rush reject.

The women in my sorority whose company I enjoy continue to be my friends to this day.  The ones whose values and interests I didn’t share (and who dominated the group) probably never missed me any more than I missed them.

While every chapter behaves a bit differently, I do not believe that many (any?) Greek organizations put more time and effort into socially constructive activities than they do to hedonistic ones.  There is, of course, nothing wrong with a bit of hedonism.  Just stop claiming that Greek organizations exist to support the local Children’s Hospital or raise alumni dollars.  The hypocrisy of such claims is what makes most of the critics so frustrated and cynical about Greek life.

I advise students every year as they make decisions about whether to rush or not and how to balance the commitment of Greek life against their other goals.  No one has ever expressed an interest in rushing in order to do philanthropy or raise their GPA.  Congratulations to everyone who finds these by-products of Greek life through joining and benefits from them, but let’s deal with the real problem–the negative behaviors fostered and supported by most Greek organizations with great frequency.

I suggest a much more rigid system of punishing Greek organizations.  No more negotiation with Nationals and alumni.  Members caught participating in illegal activities (at Greek events) should all be banned from Greek associations on the first infraction. Chapters with repeated violations of  university codes of behavior should be booted off campus that year–permanently.  If there are chapters who want to emphasize the benefits of Greek organizations, then they can flourish, and the others will be gone.  This would enable freedom of association and send the university message that the rules apply to everyone–even people who might one day be wealthy donors.

You characterize banning as a quick fix for the left.  How about banning gay marriage?

please regale us with your statistics of impact (proving Greek life’s utility), please do not forget the date rapes, illegal arrests, and wasted resources that go into having to watch over Biff and his buddies…..

btw I was in fraternity so I speak from experience not outside judgement..

have to agree with suomynona here… this was not only my personal experience (minus the idea that sex was not a problem comment) but my professional one some 25 years after the fact.  Good piece of work here Gox….  You should go undercover as an alumni and write a book… I’d pay to read it

The worst thing for me is that pledging typically starts from the moment they show up to school.  Their focus is not on learning but on drinking, getting paddled, and running naked through town at night time.  It would be better if students had to wait a year.  Get a decent GPA first and then go do some stupid stuff.

Hmmm… Does this have larger implications for late night KFC?

Sometimes people working behind the counter in the soup kitchen think that everyone who isn’t is Marie Antoinette. Hey, millions and millions of people are going to movies, going on vacation, wondering whether to get a GPS in their new car, choosing one cigar over another, ordering the special at Applebee’s, going apopletic over an umpire’s call at a baseball game, choosing the color of their new drapes, ordering a cable package that gives them HBO free for a year, and a lot of other non-brother’s-keeper things. Some of them are even worrying (but hardly 24/7) about the place of fraternities in colleges. Many of these people are working at well-paying jobs designing GPS’s, importing cigars, managing Applebee’s, televising baseball games, decorating interiors, installing cable systems, and a lot of other non-essential, non-brother’s-keeper things, to earn the money that enables them to give to their churches so that the churches can afford free meal services.

If one of the deadly sins isn’t self-righteousness (such as 22097984′s), it ought to be.

BTW, Most of the accused commenters on this thread probably do their share of good deeds, too.

I dont support any acts of hazing or excessive drinking, however those practices happen in other settings as well.  As educators it is our job to help students (greek and non-greek) make good decisions. Consider this: 38% of all federal elected officials, 30% of all Fortune 500′s, and 63% of all U.S. Cabinet members since 1900 are greek, while only 3% of the US is greek.  One can easily argue that greek students go on to be more successful than non-greek students.

Below are just a few things to consider when talking about Greek Life.

- According to nationwide study of fraternity and sorority members, by
belonging to a fraternity your chances of graduating are greater by up
to 10 percent.

- Greek members on average donate more than four times as much to their respective universities as alumni than do non greeks.

- As Alumni, Greeks give approximately 75% of all money donated to universities.

- As undergraduates, Greeks raise approximately $7 million per year for charities.

- As undergraduates, Greeks give approximately 850,000 volunteer hours per year.

- Studies prove that Fraternity and Sorority Alumni are much more likely
than non-Greeks to participate in community service activities after
graduation.

- Forty-three of the 100 members of the U.S. Senate are members of a fraternity or sorority.

- Thirty-Six percent of the House of Representatives are members of a sorority or fraternity.

- Of North America’s 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by Greek men and women, 30% of all Fortune 500′s.

- 7 out of 10 people listed in Who’s Who are Greek.

- 40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices have been and are Greek.

- 63% of all U.S. Cabinet members since 1900 have been and are Greek.

- All of the Apollo 11 astronauts were Greek.

- There are 400,000 active members in Greek organizations nation-wide.

- Less than 3% of the United States is Greek.

- A study by the University of Missouri found that Greeks throughout the
U.S. and Canada are more involved on their campuses and rate their
overall university experience better than non-Greeks.

- The same U of Missouri study found Greeks are more financially
successful after they graduate than non-Greeks, are more involved in
their communities, and give more generously to their alma maters.

Tedious, but somebody’s got to do it:

* “[Hazing and excessive drinking] happen in other settings as well.”

Yeah, but they happen a lot more intensely and frequently in fraternities. The fraternity culture is largely *built* upon them.

* “As educators it is our job to help students (greek and non-greek) make good decisions.”

With the Greeks: You’re doin’ a heckuva job, Brownie.

* “Consider this: 38% of all federal elected officials, 30% of all Fortune 500′s, and 63% of all U.S. Cabinet members since 1900 are greek”

One might just as well argue such (and greater) percentages for Gentile white males. 

* “One can easily argue that greek students go on to be more successful than non-greek students…According to nationwide study of fraternity and sorority members, by belonging to a fraternity your chances of graduating are greater by up to 10 percent.”

I’ll repeat: “Statistics prov[ing] that being involved with a Greek organization raises the chance of succeeding in college as well as reaching graduation,” is mostly explanable, I think, by the following. a) Fraternity members are generally more well-heeled than other students (it costs a bundle to belong to a frat), and don’t have the economic struggles plaguing many independents; b) the old-boy network kicks in after graduation; c) the kind of fields men in fraternities go into more than independents do–heavy on money-making and conformity. The implication that fraternity members are more intelligent, studious, and hard-working than other students is false.

* Greek members on average donate more than four times as much to their respective universities as alumni than do non greeks…As Alumni, Greeks give approximately 75% of all money donated to universities…[a] of Missouri study found Greeks are more financially
successful after they graduate than non-Greeks…and give more generously to their alma maters. ”

They’ve got more money. (See above.) “Legacies” do the same thing, and we all love “legacies,” don’t we?

* “As undergraduates, Greeks raise approximately $7 million per year for charities…There are 400,000 active members in Greek organizations nation-wide”

So, 400,000 members “raise”–not *give* themselves–$7 million annually for charities. That’s about seventeen bucks cents per member…or about three six-packs of decent beer.

* “As undergraduates, Greeks give approximately 850,000 volunteer hours per year.”

That’s about an two hours and a quarter a year per member, or about half of a Pi Phi car wash.

* “Studies prove that Fraternity and Sorority Alumni are much more likely than non-Greeks to participate in community service activities after graduation.”

They’ve got more money and time. And does “community service” include businessmen’s organizations?

* “Forty-three of the 100 members of the U.S. Senate are members of a fraternity or sorority… Thirty-Six percent of the House of Representatives are members of a sorority or fraternity…40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices have been and are Greek…63% of all U.S. Cabinet members since 1900 have been and are Greek.”

This is a good thing? All it shows is that the old-boy networks are greased up and humming along.

* “Of North America’s 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by Greek men and women, 30% of all Fortune 500′s.”

If only twelve of all the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women, and the ratio applies to the top fifty companies as well (I can’t find a stat for women CEOs of the top fifty), that’d mean that 1.2 women are CEOs of the top fifty. Let’s round that down to *one,* so we’re probably talking “are headed by Greek men and a woman, possibly a Greek.”

* “7 out of 10 people listed in Who’s Who are Greek.”

This says a lot more about “Who’s Who” than fraternties and sororities. “Who’s Who” is an antiquated joke. Hell, even I get asked to be in “Who’s Who”!

* “All of the Apollo 11 astronauts were Greek”

What about all the other Apollo flights? Or astronauts in general?

* “Less than 3% of the United States is Greek.”

Inordinate power exercised by a small group of people is a good thing?

* “A study by the University of Missouri found that Greeks throughout the U.S. and Canada are more involved on their campuses and rate their overall university experience better than non-Greeks.”

When belonging to a fraternity or sorority itself is considered being “more involved on…campuses,” then, of course, Greeks are going to be “more involved on their campuses.” Likewise, students who are wealthier, don’t have to have as many part-time jobs, party a lot together, and consider themselves better than Gamma Delta Iotas (i.e., GDI’s or “goddamned independents”), are going to rate their university experience as better.

I think if you asked any average college student — not just members of the Greek system — if they came to college to be successful in business or to join the Sierra Club, you probably wouldn’t be surprised by the results.

Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4

Feeding the hungry is important. The mouth must be fed. The mind must also be fed.

Universities are supposed to be places where one feeds the mind.

If academics had never been worried that the institutionalized Church was getting in the way of true faith, the Reformation would never have happened. Protestantism is based upon the notion that the Catholic Church’s institutions had been undermining the true Church. One must always be on watch for whether an institution promotes its bureaucracy more than it promotes its mission.

Universities are not perfect; no artifact made by human hand can be perfect. Still, universities ought to be places that at least attempt to live up to their ideals. Does real learning take place? Do college degrees correspond to real knowledge? Are the professors at a university as educated as they would like to think they are? Ignorant pretense is a disease that can eat away at the life of the mind.

What message does it send if a restaurant in China has a misspelled English name? What message does it send if a girl is named “Syphilis” or “Chlamydia” because it sounds nice? There are times when using a foreign language without understanding it can make one sound very, very uneducated.

Much of the entire point of a university is to ensure minimum proficiency in a named field. There is little point in conferring a degree unless it corresponds to at least some knowledge. In particular, a doctorate is supposed to convey that a “doctor” is an expert in his field. It doesn’t mean that the occasional talented amateur can’t know more, but it is supposed to ensure a minimum level of expertise.

So, the question of whether true brotherhood is fostered or undermined by fraternities goes to the ideological heart of why fraternities exist in the first place. It also goes to the heart of why Protestantism exists, and perhaps could express why Christianity broke from Pharisaical Judaism. Remember Romans 2:17-29. The true nature of fraternity is the kind of philosophical question one ought to expect to be discussed at a university, or a theological seminary.

So, why not expect fraternities to have a “house language” other than English? Rather than promoting the use of Greek letters as merely crude totems of elitism, why not expect more? It makes sense for universities to expect the use of the Greek writing system to reflect knowledge and not ignorance, reality and not pretense. Those who display Greek letters with no knowledge of Greek invite contempt and subvert the intellectual message of the university.

The dry rot of ignorant smug pretentiousness can eat away at the Academy, just as it can eat away at many other institutions. There was once an itinerant Galilean rabbi by the name of Joshua who expressed displeasure at the ignorant pretense of moneychangers at the Temple. There was a reason why he was upset.

When it comes to freedoms a fraction is all one really needs. Business relationships are often built on personal relationships. And most would have a similar view of success that might not impress the Dalai Lama. So be it.  I’m sure it is also the same in whatever world you inhabit and whatever type of success you seek.

Actually, the partying continues, just more discreetly and in more expensive venues.

Hazing is a problem; I don’t believe anyone in higher education will disagree with that statement. However, I find this outlook has, in some universities, turned into an anti-Greek sentiment. Greek Life is meant to be about Brotherhood/Sisterhood, Philanthropy, Academia, and Leadership. Hazing is not a conducive or required portion of this system. The “new member education” process, or “pledging,” is a way for new and prospective members to familiarize themselves with the organization they are joining and their future brothers/sisters; this process does not inherently include hazing.

Cornell’s actions could be unnecessarily detrimental to the Greek Community on campus and insinuate hazing is directly linked to a wonderful educational experience. Rather than banning pledging, Cornell should increase their efforts to stop hazing by creating reporting hotlines and creating mandatory workshops for all groups at risk of having a hazing incident. Removing pledging could possibly drive the process underground where it is less easily regulated and the chance of hazing will increase. In addition, groups such as athletic teams, ROTC, and EOF programs could be hazing completely unnoticed when the administration is focused on Greeks.

As for Laurie Essig’s view on removing The Greek System completely, I would say she is completely unaware of the benefits and purpose of the Greek system and oblivious to the reasons why and places where hazing and underage drinking take place. It almost appears she is basing her view of fraternities on bad college themed movies. In addition, there are other groups that are likely to abuse alcohol: Athletics and Residence Life paraprofessional staff. Would Laurie suggest we just get rid of these groups as well?

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this had turned into a discussion on Religion.

* First, re cprh8710: “Hazing, casual sex, binge-drinking, and racism are not going to
disappear from campuses, fraternities or not, unless we significantly
change our common culture”

No, but fraternities are hotbeds of binge-drinking, disrespectful treatment of women, and (though much diminished, at least overtly) racism. Not having fraternities around–not having frat houses and official status for fraternities–reduces the occurrence of these things. And a good way to start changing the common culture is to excise (or, what I favor, at least de-legitimize) the groups that manifest some of the worst things in the common culture. (Or is “unless we significantly change our common culture” simply a high-sounding excuse for doing nothing?)

* vincent_scarfo’s “Greek Life is meant to be about Brotherhood/Sisterhood, Philanthropy, Academia, and Leadership” reads–with all those noble upper-case letters–like something out of an Interfraternity Council press release. The operative phrase here is “meant to be.” Greek like may be meant to be about these lofty things, but “Brotherhood” on the ground comes down to partying together, Philanthropy means just enough to put a little lipstick on the party pig, and Academia means don’t flunk out because the house can’t afford to lose a paying member.

* “insinuate[s] hazing is directly linked to a wonderful educational experience.”

Well, if that “wonderful educational experience” is belonging to a fraternity, hazing *is* directly linked to it. Hazing is to fraternities what sugar is to a Snickers bar. It (and partying) are what fraternities are about.

* “Rather than banning pledging, Cornell should increase their efforts to
stop hazing by creating reporting hotlines and creating mandatory
workshops for all groups at risk of having a hazing incident.”

Ah yes, therapy for everything, penalties for nothing. And you gotta love “all groups at risk of having a hazing incident.” Those poor, underprivileged, “at risk” fraternity brothers. When the University of South Carolina suspended fraternity rush because
booze was being rather openly served to underage rushees (the school
later let twelve of eighteen fraternities resume rushing but brought the
hammer down on the remaining six–all very big nationals), the fraternity presidents
issued a public letter saying that the school had made a mistake.
Instead, the fraternity presidents said, the administration should “join
us in a period of reflection” on the matter. Was this arrogance exacerbated by naivete, or naivete exacerbated by arrogance? (I’d go with the former.)

* “…other groups that are likely to abuse alcohol: Athletics and Residence Life paraprofessional staff.”

Wait a minute! Wouldn’t Residence Life paraprofessional staff be involved in those mandatory workshops for groups at risk of having a hazing incident? Or are the RL’s just for the proles in the dorms?

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief.  The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules or took a few liberties with our female guests.  We did.  But you can’t hold an entire fraternity responsible for the acts of a few sick, perverted individuals.  If you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system?  And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general?  I put it to you, Gregg – isn’t this an indictment of our whole American society?  Well, you can do what you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you bad-mouth the United States of America!”
 
 – Otter, from “Animal House”

Actually, Hazing did not become a part of the Fraternity system until after WWII, therefore it could be removed from the system again. I joined a non-hazing organization, and greatly enjoyed the pledging process. I was treated with respect and brotherhood from day one. It was educational, I learned about the history of fraternities in America, the history of my fraternity, and a lot about myself. I won’t say that every fraternity is the same, because I know there are fraternities that haze and that would be a generalization.

Your post is riddled with tired stereotypes about “party pigs” that I don’t even feel the need to respond. However, Academia does not mean “don’t flunk out,” statistically Greeks have higher GPAs than the campus average because academics are emphasized. As for Racism, there are Historically black, latino, and multicultural organizations, but membership is open to all races into most fraternities. 

I am not saying we should not punish people who haze. If a chapter is hazing, they should be immediately kicked off of the campus and stripped of their letters nationally. I am merely saying you should not punish the entire Greek system on a campus because of one bad chapter. I am also saying, as an educator, we should be hosting these workshops to PREVENT hazing, not as a slap on the wrist afterwards. 

You completely ignored the fact that ROTC and Athletics are largely at risk, and only made a snide comment about ResLife staff. If you are unwilling to condemn these organizations, why are you so quick to do it with Greek Life? 

For as many bad examples of fraternity life, I can give you even more good ones. Please stop using stereotypes and generalizations to judge an entire group of people. Place the blame on the bad individuals, not the system itself.

I think the main issue here is, do we want franternities to be part of the university system where there can be some accountability and regulation, or do we want this sytem off campus where they are not answerable to the university and not subject to university scrutiny. Men are going to form groups, fraternities, secret societies with an exclusive element regardless. At least the current system gives the universities a bit of control.

And, yes, I will acknowledge that fraternities will pick up trash or contribute time to a non-profit, but this is just window-dressing.  

“Animal House” is probably one of the most misunderstood movies in existence.
 
One of the screenplay writers was Harold Ramis, a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Washington University.  Another one of the screenplay writers was Chris Miller, who dedicated the “Animal House” book his fraternity – the Alpha Delta Phi house at Dartmouth.  Producer Ivan Reitman was from the Delta Upsilon fraternity at McMaster University.
 
This satire was created by people who had an inside knowledge of fraternities.
 
On the one side were the Omegas.  They were violent and evil, but they were also devious and clever.  They were at least as corrupt as the Deltas; the difference between them and the Deltas was that the Omegas were two-faced.  The Omegas got away with cheating while the administration saw only what the Omegas wanted them to see.
 
Then there were the Deltas.  On the surface, they were the most disreputable fraternity on campus.  Yet, if one thinks about the highest ideals of brotherhood, the fictional Delta Tau Chi fraternity lived up to them.  These young men displayed brotherhood, leadership, camaraderie, ingenuity, pluck, bravery, coordination, and an ability to apply what (little) they learned in college to the real world.
 
Far from being crass stereotyping, “Animal House” used existing stereotypes and turned them upside down.  The “good boys” were presented as the bad guys and the “bad boys” were presented as the good guys.  Far from projecting a negative image, it presented fraternities and sororities as fashionable – and part of the counterculture.  If I remember correctly, membership in fraternities and sororities went up after “Animal House” was released.
 
“Animal House” is a fantasy and a farce.  Some of its fantasies are straight out of traditional boarding school lore.  As far as I have been able to tell, “Animal House” is quite popular among members of fraternities and sororities.  It should not be taken as a serious documentary about fraternities and sororities, but it has some lines that contain great truths.
 
“Animal House” does not portray fraternity members being gratuitously nasty and humiliating toward ethnic minorities.  It does not portray fraternity brothers mercilessly taunting minority children on a parade float or holding slave auction parties.  It does not show fraternity members doing a “Heil Hitler” salute toward a black student senator during student senate orientation.
 
Some members of fraternities and sororities are really great people that I have a high opinion of.  I have also met some “brothers” who make the worst monsters from “Animal House” look good.

Good idea. Why pass laws against murder, theft, assault…, for instance. It doesn’t fix the problem.

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I thank alexis_v for the instruction on the advent of fraternity hazing, and defer to his account. That simply makes the credulous vincent_scarfo (hazing came into frats after World War II) appear all the more in error.

In alexis_v’s final paragraph, “where I come from” is crucial. I’ve worked at colleges where Phi Delts were a laughingstock and couldn’t get a member elected to a Student Body Anything, and where Sigma Nus were preponderently abstemious electrical engineering members. And that’s the point about national social fraternities: There’s no common denominator that separates one of them from another. So when a national social fraternity says it wants official recognition–along with the Young Democrats, the Objectivist Society, Hillel, and the Bobcat Chamber Music Quartet, etc.–from the college, it ought to be turned down (not “banned,” just told that as far as the university is concerned, they’re just a bunch of guys living in the same rooming house–and subject to the same good-conduct regulations that any student is), because there’s no real purpose to the organization save hazing, partying (even if it’s just forlorn, femaleless drunks among the nerds), and some silly, pretentious, essentially meaningless rituals.

“The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi,” though, is a nice song.

I’ve heard protestors talk about their intent in this incident. They intended to provoke a response from the police.  They refused to stop blocking the area and when police arrived they encircled them and wouldn’t let them out.  One young lady talked about knowing they would be sprayed but that was what they wanted. The police warned them that they would have to spray them in order to break up the group but they stayed.  Could it have been handled differently? Yes.  Are these students the “victims” that they claim to be?  No.

Sorry you’re still pissed off at your mom and dad….  You know, a day will come when you’ll miss them dearly.

So, Birgeneau is disturbed by the incident, but Chronicle commenters think it’s all good? I say good for them.

UC
Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau’s campus police report to the chancellor and the
campus police take direction from the chancellor. University of California
(UC) campus chancellors vet their campus police protocols.  Birgeneau allowed pepper spray and use of
batons to be included in his campus police protocols.

Chancellor Birgeneau’s campus police use brutal baton jabs on students
protesting increases in tuition. UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau and UC Davis
Chancellor Katehi are in dereliction of their duties.

Birgeneau and UC Davis Chancellor need to quit or be fired for permitting the
brutal outrages on students protesting tuition increases.

Opinions? Email the UC Board of Regents marsha.kelman@ucop.edu

I’d like to second profmomof1′s comments: I don’t think we take seriously enough the need to invest time and resources to learn to effectively use technology.  Some of our students are surprisingly adept, but some are not — and we have to serve all of them.  My question is always about the ratio of classroom time in teaching the software/technology to learning benefits. Small learning curve with obvious benefits=good technology. 

I’ve found turnitin.com to be a very useful tool all around, but some features aren’t as good as others.  The originality reports are good.  The grademark function is good. The gradebook is good, but I wish we could leave comments with individual gradebook items and had more options for attendance keeping.  The ETS grammar checker, on the other hand, is almost worthless.  I spend more time deleting wrong comments (flags header information as fragments, doesn’t understand inline citations, mistakes comma splices for run-ons, misidentifies fragments regularly) than I would adding manually the few comments that I choose to keep.  That’s really too bad, as ETS comments include a link to the rule, which is a good feature.