People In Fraternities And Sororities example essay topic

At Ferris State University, only about 8-10% of the students belong to a social fraternity or sorority. I have been to many different schools and have found by looking at composites that most schools have less people in fraternities and sororities than 15 years ago, but many schools have way higher numbers than us. Eastern Illinois University is an example, there are about 10,500 students and approximately 35% of them are involved in a social fraternity or sorority. I feel this school is a good example because it is very similar to Ferris. EIU has a lot of majors and has a very diverse student body, and so does Ferris. EIU is located in the small town of Charleston, Il.

Which is about the same size as Big Rapids, and if it weren't for these schools there is a good chance that neither of these towns would be very big at all (all of this information is posted on Eastern Illinois' web site at web). The question is, what could we do different to increase our numbers to be more like EIU? In this research proposal I will touch on several different aspects of the Ferris State Greek system, and I will eventually get into a method in which we can increase the number involved in social fraternities and sororities. I surveyed 30 students on the Ferris Greek system, and the majority just didn't prefer to be a part of it. Many of them have not even had the opportunity to develop an opinion of the Greek system here because they have not really had any association with it. Most of the people say that they just have no need for the Greek system because they have other things to worry about.

A lot of these same people on other occasions have told me that if the Ferris Greek system was anywhere near as good as U of M or Michigan State, they would join in a heartbeat. The idea that we need to express to these students is that Ferris has just as much to offer as U of M or Michigan State. Figure 1 During my survey I investigated what people think about the idea of rushing a fraternity or sorority (shown in figure 1). Out of 30 students 15 either never thought about it or don't plan on it but would be open minded in what they have to offer. This states that 50% of the students that I surveyed are not fully aware of the Ferris State Greek system. It is obvious that the Greek community here is not that well known, but how do we appeal to the 50% of the population that is just not fully aware of what the Greek system has to offer.

Show Them! Most of the people that look into the Ferris Greek system see nothing but drinking organizations. Though it is true that fraternities and sororities tend to "enjoy their weekends", it is also true that many of their members would not be here today if it weren't for that fraternity or sorority that they are involved in. A fraternity or sorority has a tendency to keep someone on track. A lot of people come to a Ferris and for some reason or another don't like it and want to go home, people in the Greek system, however, seem to feel right at home and have no desire to leave Ferris. This is something that should be publicized, maybe people would be more inclined to join a fraternity or sorority if they were fully aware of exactly what that organization could do for them.

Another topic I looked in to during my survey was exactly what the general public thought that a fraternity does (figure 2). Out of 30 people 23 of them said they think a fraternity drinks. Since when was it the whole fraternity that drinks and not each individual? I use the varsity hockey team as an example: There is a good portion of them that live in a house and throw parties all the time, but if you were to ask what the hockey team does most people would simply respond "play hockey". A fraternity is not designed to be a drinking organization, and neither is the hockey team, so what is it exactly that gave us that reputation and not the hockey team. One of the main concerns is that that the focus of a fraternity or sorority is not very clear.

Many people say that you can't really explain what it is that a fraternity or sorority does for you "you'd just have to try it"; this response does not help us at all. For most Greeks the problem is that they just don't know how to say what it is that a fraternity or sorority does for them, not that they don't know what it is. Figure 2 In my survey 18 out of 30 students marked down that they believe fraternities and sororities do community service, which means that it is publicized well but there is room for improvement. 7 students marked down that people in fraternities and sororities "date rape girls / sleep around"; this simply proves that the stereotype does exist, but it is not as serious as some think, however, this is still an issue that needs to be confronted. As far as this question goes one of my biggest concerns is that only 14 students marked down that they thought fraternities and sororities help each other succeed in school and in other aspects of life. This is a concern because that is one of the most important aspects of a fraternity or sorority.

One of the only real ways to publicize that is to actually talk to someone who is involved in a fraternity or sorority, which is the only real way that someone can describe how much there organization really does for them. A concern that I haven't even approached yet is the competition for social fraternities and sororities. In my survey I asked what people would be more inclined to join: a professional fraternity or sorority, a social fraternity or sorority, or another student organization. This chart clearly shows that most people prefer to join a professional fraternity or sorority over a social one (figure 3).

What this seems to state to me is that a professional fraternity or sorority is much more understandable on what their purpose is. People who are in a fraternity or sorority know that it does help you in school and put you one step ahead when you graduate. When someone marks that they would prefer a professional fraternity most of them clarified to me that they only prefer it because it is much more obvious in its purpose. Figure 3 All of the different dilemmas that I touched on above are all part of the "generation Y student". When numbers in fraternities were much higher 15 years ago, they applied strictly to the generation X student.