Luke
Johnson
Jennifer
Hudgens
WRD 110
Section 058
10/13/15
Frat Bro's
What does it really mean to be a
part of something more than yourself? Everywhere around the world and in every
culture people have a strong tendency to become part of something more than
just who they are. This is the basis for many organizations around the world
and is the reason why people want to join these organizations and religions, to
be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. That's where I come in, formerly
a new college kid just looking for something to be a part of, now a candidate
of one of the number 5 fraternity in America (Newsweek 1).
There are many misconceptions about
fraternity life. A lot of people believe that they are just a bunch of dumb,
well dressed guys who go out and party all of the time. But anyone who has seriously
looked into this knows that it isn't true at all. As a member of a fraternity
you're expected to be a lot of things, including; a gentleman, a scholar,
respectful, motivated, well dressed, etc. Every fraternity has a specific set
of values that they focus on and look for in their members and recruitment, but
every single fraternity has respectable core values that they believe in
completely. It is every member's job to represent these characteristics in
absolutely everything that they do, and it is their fraternity brother's jobs
to help hold them accountable for it. Whether it be at a party, in class, or even
just walking down the street, everyone in the fraternity must uphold the values
they believe in.
This accountability system brings
everyone extremely close together. Unlike many other organizations,
fraternities are brotherhoods. Sometimes not everyone will get along and
sometimes there may be arguments or fights but everyone is like family. In the
end would go to war for everyone else in the fraternity because we all have
been through similar experiences and all love each other like a true brother
would. Many sports teams also carry this same value of brotherhood, the ones
who carry it the strongest are usually the best teams out there, regardless of
talent. For example, the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team consisted entirely
of college, and amateur-professional American hockey players. That year they
were inexperienced and untalented, but they ended up defeating the dominant
Soviet Union hockey team who were expected to win the gold medal that year
(Coffey 1). The American's didn't win because they were the better team, or
because the Soviet Union wasn't prepared, the American's won because they were
a brotherhood, the teammates loved each other and fought for every single inch
of that ice for each other. That kind of love is what it is like to have
fraternity brothers who have your back through thick and thin.
To the right is a picture of a
painting called A Serpent, Rose, and A
Star. This was painted by Elmer Paul Catts Jr. in 1952 and this painting
still stands as an official symbol of Sigma Nu. The knights in the photo each
represent one of Sigma Nu's values; Love, Honor and Truth. This represents the
3 sections of the creed of the fraternity which is, "To believe in the
life of love, to walk in the way of honor, to serve in the light of truth. This
is the life, the way and the light of Sigma Nu. This is the creed of our
fraternity" (Hopkins, Riley, Quarles). This short version of the entire
804 word creed is taught to, and memorized by every member that joins the
fraternity. The first time I heard that creed I got chills because I knew right
then that I was in the place that I wanted to be. 
The photo on the left was taken
before chapter meeting. It just depicts everyone just hanging out having a good
time just like anybody else would. Shortly following this photo, everyone got
up and ate dinner together just like a family does every evening. Chapter
meeting is a giant meeting where everyone in the fraternity must attend (shown below). During this meeting, the leaders of the fraternity go over everything
that is going on within the fraternity. They let everyone know about
philanthropy events, fundraisers, academics and anything else that is relevant
to fraternity activities. While attending these meetings you really learn what
fraternities are about. Every fraternity has meetings because without them you
would just be a symbol of the fraternity stereotype. These meetings are where
things are accomplished. During these meetings, people find out who needs help
in what class, and who can help them. During these meetings, we organize
philanthropy events and create a desire for our members to be participate. It
is during these meetings that the fraternity brothers are reminded that they
are a part of something larger than themselves and that they need to not only
hold themselves accountable, but to hold each other accountable as well. 
Fraternity life is a lot of things;
it's complex, weird, difficult, time consuming, and a lot of hard work. But it
is worth it. The combination of the fun fraternity parties and the lifelong
friends that you gain, makes fraternity life sweeter than honey. The worthiness
in being a fraternity man lies within 3 main things, your growth in values as a
man, the strength of networking, and the accountability that being a part of
something holds you to. I wouldn't want to be a part of any other organization.
Unfortunately, fraternity life is in danger of collapse due to a weak
relationship between the chapters, and the University of Kentucky's
Interfraternity Council (IFC). Due to new IFC regulations and policies
fraternity life is being weakened and is not in a strong state. This is the
issue that I will be investigating and learning more about over the course of
the semester, not only to get a good grade, but also to possibly help the state
of all Greek life at the University of Kentucky.
Works Cited
Coffey, Wayne.
"Miracle On Ice." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web.
12 Oct. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_Ice>.
Hopkins, James, Greenfield Quarles, and James Riley. "Sigma Nu
Fraternity, Inc. • The Creed." Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. • The
Creed. 1869. Web. 12 Oct. 2015. <http://www.sigmanu.org/about/the_creed.php>.
"College Rankings
2012: Top Fraternities." Newsweek. Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2012. Web.
13 Oct. 2015. <http://www.newsweek.com/college-rankings-2012-top-fraternities-64505>.
