College fraternities/sororities

Use this forum to discuss the April 2020 Book of the month, "Project Tau" by Jude Austin
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Brenda Creech
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Re: College fraternities/sororities

Post by Brenda Creech »

Marion Jepkosgei wrote: 11 Jun 2020, 17:08 I am African and sororities and fraternities are best known to me from novels and movies. What I can say though is, the author was trying to portray the impacts of such frats and how deep bullying is in schools. Acceptance is one thing everyone craves. No one would like to sit at the "best mates" table and be virgin for the entire school life.

Philip really enraged me. It made me think of how some people have fashioned a callous demeanour in themselves, something that has clouded empathy and other admirable aspects of humanity. Bullying really needs to stop. People should be able to pass Science or Math without being teased or made fun of to the extent where they want to bury their true selves to prove points. Kalin didn't deserve what he went through in search for a place to belong.
Very well said! I agree with you 100%!
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Post by Arwa_here »

Same here. I'm in a University myself but sororities and fraternities is an unfamiliar concept to me. Maybe it's only common to US/EU ?
We have seniors but they have zero reason to bully.
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Post by Aditi Sapate »

The country that I belong to, we don't really have franternities or sororities here, so that part was a little tricky for me to understand. We usually do have clubs and teams for sports but the factors governing the selections are quite different than those portrayed in the book.
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Post by Claude Belemu »

I think there are Kalins and Philips throughout life especially high school and early college. The need or desire to fit in especially strong among young people so I do not find it unrealistic.
I am Zambian but went to an International University in Cyprus. Fraternities were not part of the university experience both there or back home in Zambia. It is a really foreign concept lol But I've always wanted to be a part of one to some degree.
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Post by Sally_Heart »

Fraternities are the peak of fame in some colleges and it really makes a big impact on some people. For some colleges are just a platform for education while for others it's similar to an adventure, a place to make new connections and experience life. So I do understand how someone with esteem issues might desperately need fame and the advantages that come with it.
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Post by Delaney35 »

Odette Chace wrote: 11 Apr 2020, 14:47 In college, I attended the informational meeting about joining a sorority, but the price tag quickly made me shy away from actually rushing. While on my particular campus, I don't think hazing ever went that far, there is still a definite draw to belonging to a group on campus that is so close-knit. It is an "easy" way to guarantee that you make friends.
I think hazing is definitely a problem at some schools but many have moved past. I also really think it is a very easy way to make friends.
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Post by Odette Chace »

Delaney35 wrote: 25 Jun 2020, 13:18
Odette Chace wrote: 11 Apr 2020, 14:47 In college, I attended the informational meeting about joining a sorority, but the price tag quickly made me shy away from actually rushing. While on my particular campus, I don't think hazing ever went that far, there is still a definite draw to belonging to a group on campus that is so close-knit. It is an "easy" way to guarantee that you make friends.
I think hazing is definitely a problem at some schools but many have moved past. I also really think it is a very easy way to make friends.
Indeed. I think it also has a lot to do with how big the school is. I went to a very small school.
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Harty Muli
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Post by Harty Muli »

The issue of fraternities/sororoties is well established from the first chapter where Kalin realizes his inadequacy and aspires to be like Philip and by extension anything that he represents.
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Post by gelli_baranda »

I went to a private religious institution to get my college degree. Sororities and fraternities were not a thing, but I know persons who joined and had a classmate who got involved in a hazing incident (neophyte initiation) and got jail time for it.

In the Philippines, these organizations have a negative connotation which is always bad. Ask anybody and they'll tell you the previous death incidents previously occurred.


Dont tell the parents unless you want to get a bunch of hitting and sermon!
Happy reading,
Gelli xoxo
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Post by Jyockel08 »

I find that in America you can’t say EVERY school has the same experiences, but many do and it is fascinating to hear the different opinions from other places. Great thread!
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Post by InventorT »

I was never in a fraternity but I can totally relate to kalin wanting to feel among because I was kinda in a click and when I left, there were so many people who could do anything to replace me. They all wanted to prove themselves by any means possible
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Post by angela roura »

As an incoming college student, who currently lives close to a college campus, I have always had a stereotype of Greek life in my mind. People long to be accepted into a group, and if one CAN get accepted into Greek life then they will have friends for life. Lots of frats/sororities are very exclusive and they throw big parties, making themselves some of the most popular on campus.
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Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

I think the author portrayed an image of fraternities that would have been accurate in the past. I think frats and sororities have been kinda forced to be more welcoming to different people. And there have been way too many legal issues regarding hazing. I haven't been in either, so I could be wrong.
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Post by Samantha Gayle »

I believe that this is a fairly accurate description of what can happen with frats. I also think the situation can happen in many different settings outside of a frat. When someone wants something so desperately, another person can definitely prey upon that person. I think that Kalin wanted to belong and fit in so badly, that he was willing to do anything, and certain people will, unfortunately, exploit that.
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Post by Reader-247 »

I live in a city that is one of the biggest in our country. So hostels (dorms) were reserved for only out of town students. whereas most of us came to the university daily from our homes. We did have clubs of sort but 'Kalins" were rare, in my opinion. We had quite a lot of moderate folks, middle of the line... Famous ones need not fit the exact description of "Philip" as well.
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