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Review of related literature about fraternities
Review of related literature about fraternities
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Kappa Phi Lambda: Authority, Appearance, and Culture within an Asian Sorority I watched the sisters of Kappa Phi Lambda, an Asian-Interest sorority at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, stand single file against the wall. Each sister looked like a clone of the next: dark, straight hair, slender build, and monogrammed clothing with Greek letters. It was as if they were not only sorority sisters but blood related sisters - close-knit with unconditional love and sibling rivalry. Thrust into the college environment, many first-year students are overwhelmed with a newfound level of responsibility and a dynamically different learning environment. Many freshman women turn to joining a sorority for a smoother transition. For many, being a part of a sorority means having a home away from home. To join however, potential new members must engage in a process known as rushing, “an intense, week long process where potential members vie for spots in their desired sorority” (Kruger, 2013, p. 84). Kappa Phi Lambda asserts their culture and identity during the rush process through shared Asian …show more content…
Holly was originally hesitant about the rush process but one of the rush events touched her personally. Vietnamese summer rolls resemble egg rolls, but they are made out of rice paper instead of wonton wrappers. According to Holly (Vietnamese descent) at the summer roll rush event, “these summer rolls taste like home, and they make me miss my mom so much”. This idea of the shared Asian culture is mentioned by Accapadi (2005) when he asked South Asian women why they wanted to join a sorority of their race they stated that they wanted to “[find] a sense of belonging” (p. 93). In fact, many of the sorority sisters of KPL repeatedly told rushees that they joined to find a place where they “fit in”. The shared Asian culture not only attracted rushees, but also propagated a sense of
At a young age I knew as an African American woman through activism, educational autonomy, and community service, I can thrive through the wake of extreme poverty and turmoil faced by the people of my neighborhood of East New York. My interest in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. The ladies of this organization exude exemplary character who excel in sisterhood, respect, honesty, accountability, and integrity. Throughout my life I always encouraged myself to have these ideal characteristics without knowing that one day I would be pursuing membership in a prestigious organization, whom upheld the key principles “greater service, greater progress. The first
I myself am from a very “awkward” dichotomy. The reason for that is that I grew up in Oak Cliff Texas, a low socioeconomic neighborhood with the a very criminal atmosphere. However, my father was able to obtain upward mobility through his construction business that he built, therefore I have always been financially well off. Since I grew up in Oak Cliff and attended an inner city public high school my classmates were mostly of low socioeconomic background and well, the nature of their behavior is very much like mine. Now when I attended A&M I decided to join a fraternity. There is “Latino” fraternities available for students to join on campus but I joined one that is recognized by the IFC (Intra Fraternity Council). This is one of the barriers amongst universities’ Greek life systems themselves. As described in the book, Greek life systems generate a barrier where students of low socioeconomic status find it harder to join. The fraternities and sororities that are recognized by the “IFC” are those that are categorized by the student body as “cool or better” organizations. Those that aren’t recognized by the IFC are seen as the “poor or gay” organizations. Those fraternities that are recognized by the IFC on campus as far as I know are all white. Latino or Black fraternities and sororities aren’t recognized by the IFC, at least at A&M. I am the only Minority in the fraternity that I am apart of, and I sometimes recognize that I am different in different aspects than most of the members and can feel the “isolation” that is described in the book. Once my fraternity was having an event and everyone was required to pitch in 30$ towards supplies for it, and the way that the money is gathered is through a mobile application where people can pay with their credit cards. I asked one of my fraternity brothers is I could just pay him cash and he
While reading Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, I learned more about the inner workings of Greek Life. I learned that the odds of me finding a sorority are so slim due to my independent and different personality. While I am not good at sticking up for myself, something this book has made me feel is crucial to blend in and conform to an ideal to fit into a sorority, I am too opinionated. There are not many sororities (at least shown in Pledged) that welcome girls who are different, preferring to stay similar. For example, each pledge class would soon like identical within a few months of pledging. Another thing I learned about is the careful planning and manipulation that occurs throughout sororities,
To me the purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is to promote sisterhood and unity, serve the community, and build lifelong bonds. Therefore, I am seeking membership in order to be a part of a sisterhood that
One of the many forms of dangerous pressures girls face from their membership in a sorority is body image. Being a member of an organization with typically 100 women opens the door for pressure to conform to a certain ideal look. Forms of hazing often would include activities that brought down the girls’ self-confidence. “During circle the fat, pledges undress and, one by one, stand in front of the entire sorority membership. The sisters (or, in some chapters, fraternity brothers) then use thick black markers to circle the fat or cellulite on a pledge’s body....For many sororities, thinness, as the pledges discover, is a priority” (Robbins 259). These types of activities are not uncommon for sororities. From day one of pledging, the idea of having a perfect body is obsessed over. Even girls with healthy, fit bodies are criticized just as much for the sake of the upper classmen to break them down, so they could build them back up they way they want. Its manipulating and confusing. The pressure to be accepted by the sorority was a common outcome from the priority of perfection, which could also lead to eating disorders. A study was done and found that “the most consistent finding was...
a rarefied world of wealth, taste, and class: the popular young woman is in Phi Beta Kappa, an
The purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha is to promote sisterhood in colleges to assure a bond between college women, and the sorority leads by being an example for other college women to follow. Alpha Kappa Alpha also promotes higher education and positive self-esteem to younger women. Alpha Kappa Alpha also gives back to the community in community service that could range from educating our women on relevant topics to just lending a hand in the community. I want to contribute to this purpose at Mississippi State University and back in my hometown.
If granted the opportunity to become a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. I expected to become a better man once finishing the member in take process. Throughout the process I expect to develop many different skills that I can carry throughout life. I would like to become more professional as well as to enhance my networking skills. I expect to become more hands on in different charity events that I’m not familiar with. I would like to improvement my personal status and security, and the meeting of the everyday demands of living.
After the open invite events are over, it goes to invite only and that’s where the cuts are made. Every fraternity tries to choose the best people that fit the values that fraternity. Rush week is a grueling week for any fraternity because, so many kids rush and fraternities can’t accept everyone. “Because Boise State Greek life is increasing rapidly, this fall was the hardest rush week for any fraternity because of the record amount of kids that came out,” (Carter Lewis). The fraternity discourse community is
If I am chosen as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. I will work hard to uphold the reputation and exceed the standards that those before me have set. I believe becoming a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. means joining a group of highly educated women that together I believe are capable of facilitating the type of change that is imperative in today’s society. It is my hope that I will be accepted as a member and be afforded the opportunity to take part in that change. I look forward to hearing from you regarding my request to join your
The mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and genuine friendships among college women, aid in issues concerning girls and women in order to come up with solutions to eliminate or ease the circumstances they may face, maintain an ongoing interest in college life, while also being of service to all mankind. This sorority has not only empowered women to help others, but it
Our daily lives involve making decisions. One of the many decisions that have been made by many people is when they decide to join a certain fraternity. This happens mostly to students in the higher learning institutions when they are joining. After joining the fraternity, they then make some judgments as to whether they had made a right or the wrong decision. One of the people who was pleased with his decision is Peter Jacobs in his article which talks about his fraternity joining. The article was published on 28th January 2015 in the business insider. The article was written to respond to the many negative thoughts that had been said about the lifestyle in Greek. The Greek life had been viewed as childish and hostile (Jacobs par 3). He highlights and discusses the five important reasons that were behind his pleasure in joining the fraternity.
As the end of spring semester of my freshman year approached, I was overcome with both joy and relief knowing that soon I would be done with finals and, more importantly, I would soon be completing my slightly long and extremely dry initiation process and finally be allowed to called myself a sister of Sigma Delta Tau. Even though I was beyond excited to become a sister, I couldn’t help but feel weird about the entire situation. Up until the day I decided to rush, I never in a million years would’ve thought that I, of all people, would join a sorority. Even though I had come to terms with the fact that I was in fact meant to be a sorority girl, I was still unsure of how to tell my friends and family back home that I was a sister. In high school, I’d always
Day in and day out we hear about high school and college students wanting to pursue a sorority and/or a fraternity based on the stereotypes these organizations uphold, well I chose to differ. I told myself if I ever decided to become a member of a sorority it would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership, and service, which are qualities I have chosen to uphold. From my perspective, I encourage myself to maintain a respectable appearance and reputation which doing so inspires me to embrace my self-concept; which helps me confidently excel academically and professionally as a “lady of distinction” and “exemplary character.” Most importantly, I continuously remain involved in community service, being involved allows me the opportunity to learn and understand the lives and circumstances of others by opening my mind, heart, and soul. Overall these qualities strengthen my passion to be a member of the prestigious Alp...
importance to all who are apart of it. This is all important to the personoining