Argumentive Essay Fraternities and Sorrorities - 1735 Words

Against Fraternities/Sororities As portrayed in the 1978 hit movie Animal House, college fraternities/sororities are a hotbed of excessive drinking, casual sex, vandalism, and generally licentious behavior. But, in real life, unlike the movie, the results of such conduct are hardly laughable. Even though the nationwide membership in both fraternities and sororities are at an all time high of 350,000 members, fraternities and sororities are still receiving harsh criticism from university leaders and civic authorities. In the face of several recent incidents, fraternity and sorority behaviors can no longer be viewed as harmless school boy or school girl high jinks, but must be seen for what it truly is, a dangerous threat to the†¦show more content†¦Although not as dangerous as hazing, the problem of racism among fraternities and sororities are also a growing problem. At the University of Southern California, in Thomas 4 2003, members of a rival fraternity spray painted anti-Semitic slogans on the sidewalk in front of a Jewish fraternity house. In another disgraceful episode, at Oklahoma State University, Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers were reprimanded after holding a â€Å"plantation party,† during which several members masqueraded as black slaves.(Inside Greek U: Fraternities, Sororities and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power and Prestige 1-125). Kappa Alpha chapters, traditionally strong in the Southeast, hold â€Å"Old South† parties annually. At these parties, females dress as southern belles while the K. A.s don Confederate Army uniforms in a satirical reenactment of the days when slavery prevailed. A Fiji Island party at the University of Wisconsin was halted after college officials deemed the tropical garb and black makeup worn by the brothers as racially offensive. Similarly, the Delta Kappa Epsilon at Louisiana’s Tulane University blackened their faces during the 30 annual â €Å"Debut