University of Virginia Library

Meet Members

And this is where the potential
rushee should begin to find out, for
himself, about fraternities - he
should meet their members. There
are houses dominated by certain
sports, others by certain activities,
others by students from certain
areas of the country. But all
students are generally welcome if
they seek to offer something to a
fraternity where they get along well
with the brothers. Friendship is,
above all, the essential ingredient of
fraternity life, and potential members
are selected much as one
student selects his friends in his
dorm.

Another supposed criticism of
fraternities is what they offer once
a student becomes a member.
Critics say brothers beat and use
pledges to take out their own
frustrations, a claim that is usually
bunk (who beats his own friends?)
Some fraternities do put their
pledges through "Hell Nights" and
shape-up sessions (both regulated
for possible injury by a watchful
IFC and by state law), but most of
these houses are even now re-evaluating
their pledge programs to bring
constructive change. Many houses
have done away with such initiations
altogether, so the tales are
often false.