The Cavalier daily :: Tuesday, September 12, 1972 :: University of Virginia Library

These statements, and many
of a similar nature, will be
oft repeated in the coming
weeks. The advent of fall Rush
stirs many people to voice their
opinions on the benefits and
detriments of the fraternity
system. It is not my goal to
refute charges such as those
above, nor to present a case
which points up the advantages
of participation and
membership in a fraternity.
Rather, I seek to convince
those people who are the least
bit curious about fraternities,
of the necessity of making a
decision based on fact and
first-hand observation, rather
than on hearsay and the biased
statements of other. The only
manner in which such
judgments can be made is by
participation in Rush activities.

Two premises about the
fraternity system must be
established prior to the start
of any discussion on the
subject. First there is the
notion that there can be no
objective statements about
fraternities without first-hand
knowledge, and secondly, that
no two fraternities are alike.
Both concepts must be
accepted if one is to make a
fair evaluation of the fraternity
system. A truly well-educated
man is one who has lived and
observed. Such observation, in
my estimation, can only come
through a first-hand exposure
to any situation. Too often, we
are tempted to take the easy
way out, by repeating the
statements of others, rather
than taking a more difficult
path, that of actual
commitment and
participation.

Secondly, the observer of
the fraternity system must be
extremely careful to avoid the
pitfall of making broad,
generalized statements about a
fraternity, or the fraternity
system, en toto, based upon an
exposure to only one or two
houses. It is very easy and
unfortunately all too common,
to assume that all fraternities
are alike, and that the system is
a closed and homogeneous one.
A casual observer can be lulled
into this deception, and, like
the person who would rather
echo the statements of others,
instead of committing himself
to active knowledge-seeking, he
fails to find out the essence of
the fraternity system.

How, then, can a person
find out exactly what this
"fraternity business" is all
about? The only answer I have
to offer is participation in
Rush. There is no such thing as
an objective observer of the
fraternity scene, to aid one in
the making of evaluations.
People outside the system are
equally as biased in their
opinions as those within the
system.

It is currently popular to
degrade fraternities as elitist,
bigoted, and reactionary.
Critics of fraternities have been
turned off in one way or
another by the system and seek
to influence the decisions of
others. At this moment, these
opponents of the fraternity
system seem to constitute a
vocal majority and have been
somewhat successful in their
attempts to dissuade others
from even exploring the
opportunities which fraternity
membership offers. On the
other hand, people within the
system are equally vocal,
stressing the advantages of
their produce, and in all
honesty, sometimes playing
down the negative aspects of
the system.

The conclusion that should
be apparent is that the only
intelligent approach to
evaluating the fraternity
system is first-hand
information, collected during
fall Rush. On the premise that
personal experience is more
satisfying and valid than
second-hand opinion or
hearsay, then the above
resultant is obvious.

Why then do people refuse
to rush, thereby denying
themselves the opportunity to
prove the system's detractors
either right or wrong? The only
commitment one makes by
rushing is one of time. Rush
consists of smokers, parties,
and other functions, which
rushees are invited to attend.
There is no other commitment
involved in rushing. Assuming
this to be true, then the only
reason which I can attribute to
one's not rushing is fear of
social chastisement. If this is
so, then we have come full
circle in society, because not so
long ago, social pressure was
exerted in order to convince
people to join fraternities, and
today. we see the effects of the
same type of pressure being
applied to discourage people
from participation in the
fraternity system.

My prescription to remedy
the evils caused by reliance on
the voicings of others is simple:
Rush. If this requires bucking
the tide of social pressure, be
strong. Participation in Rush is
the only method I know of
discovering what lies at the
heart of the institution known
as fraternity.

Rush this year is four weeks
long. If at the end of that
month, the rushee discovers
that fraternity is not for him,
then a decision can be made
based on personal experience
and justified on that premise.
Weekend time may have been
sacrificed, but there are many
weekends during the school
year. If nothing else, a rushee
has the opportunity to meet a
large number of people, many
of whom he would never come
into contact with otherwise.

My advice very briefly is to
rush. Find out, first-hand, if
fraternities really are full of
degenerate and reprehensible
characters, etc. My thesis is
that it's better to find out for
yourself, than to rely on the
opinions of others.