The American footprint | Fraternities and sororities: a long American tradition

(Burlington) A tradition well anchored in American culture is that of fraternities and sororities. At the University of Vermont, located in Burlington, the Greek Life – as they say in English – has been passed down from generation to generation for almost 180 years.

For many Quebecers who visit the city bordering Lake Champlain, it is rather fascinating to see imposing historic buildings adorned with letters taken from the Greek alphabet. Especially since a mystery surrounds the functioning of frat houses – and their feminine equivalent -, apart from a few clichés seen in Hollywood films, of Revenge of the Nerds has Legally Blonde.

A few days ago, on a beautiful fall day, The Press went to meet random students on campus.

Brenna Greenhalgh kindly answers the door at Alpha Chi Omega House. Why did she join the ranks of a sorority established in 1885 with the slogan Real strong women ? “For philanthropy,” she replies. We provide support to women who are victims of domestic violence. »

The student is one of about fifteen young women who are lucky enough to live in the house located on Burlington’s main street. But in total, there are around a hundred members in the Vermont section of the sorority (Alpha Iota).

Her “sisters” are the family she chose, Brenna argues.

Originally from neighboring New Hampshire, Brenna is completing a major in political science and plans to study law in the future. Being a member of a sorority makes networking easier, she points out, since you can continue to be a part of it after your studies and there are dozens of chapters of Alpha Chi Omega throughout the United States.

Rules to follow

Founded in 1791, the University of Vermont (UVM) has 10,000 students. It has welcomed on its benches well-known personalities such as the actor Ben Affleck, the writer Annie Proulx and none other than Martin St-Louis, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

Seven fraternities are officially recognized by the university, as well as six sororities, which requires its members to follow rules, such as maintaining a certain academic average (i.e. a GPA of 2.5 out of a possible maximum of 4.0). Other organizations exist in parallel, without being able to hold activities directly on campus.

Crossed during our walk, Ethan Fink is part of the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity, which has existed since 1954 in Burlington, but which has not been recognized by UVM for a while. party too much water at the end of which students were transported to hospital.

Recently, the 20-year-old and members of his fraternity went on a weekend camping trip. For him, being a member of a frat house“it’s a way to make good friends and have contact with older students.”

Ethan was coming out of a physical education class with Ella Haber, who is part of Tri Delta, a recognized sorority. Since last April, she has been vice-president of the Vermont section and responsible for the code of good conduct of its members.

Italianate in style, the house in the Eta section of Tri Delta was built in 1850 and has belonged to the sorority since 1934. “It’s moving to think of the hundreds of women from several generations who lived there,” comments Ella Haber in front of the front door.

In mid-September, the section welcomed around forty new “sisters” after an annual recruitment process lasting several days.

In the jargon of Greek life, this period is called the rush. Candidates must participate in different activities held by fraternities and sororities to make themselves known and choose their section.

It all culminates with a bid nightwhere everyone is gathered in a room to learn, by means of a card sealed in an envelope, if they are among the lucky ones. There follows a group walk home, then a celebration.

This ritual gives rise to moments of joy, but also of sadness, admits Ella Haber, who did not think of getting involved in Greek life before enrolling in university, although her parents had experienced it. She had in mind the more intense – not to mention superficial – rituals of other universities.

How did she choose Tri Delta? “Each section has its values, and during recruitment I had some great conversations with the girls from Tri Delta. They were down to earth and honest. I feel like I’ve made friends for life. »

The movement Abolish Greek Life

Although fraternities and sororities have existed for more than 200 years, they are increasingly being questioned. In 2020, the New York Times published an article titled “The War on Frats” following a petition to Vanderbilt University for Greek Life be banned there. Last year, in the University of Vermont student newspaper, The Cynica student exposed how people from the LGBTQ+ community do not feel welcome there.

Read the article from New York Times (in English; subscription required)

Read the article from Cynic (in English)

Basically, the movement Abolish Greek Life criticizes Greek life for being racist, misogynistic and not inclusive enough, and for being too focused on debauchery, even though the legal drinking age in the United States is 21.

Not for all students

During our visit to Burlington, we met an animal science student who had chosen the University of Vermont for her Greek Life more discreet than elsewhere. She doesn’t like the fact that it’s some sort of private club that you have to pay for and be chosen for.

Another student member of Alpha Gamma Rho, a fraternity, points out The Press how the University of Vermont is getting stricter on students who are members of a recognized fraternity or sorority. In addition to maintaining the academic average, you must complete a minimum number of volunteer hours.

The Conrad Cole fraternity and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority were to hold the Saturday following the benefit event. Car Smash For Cancer. Each $5 donation allowed… a hammer blow on an old painted car! “Recently, we also did a clean-up chore at the beach,” Conrad adds.

The friendly finance student generously opens the doors of his frat house looking like a manor. A council made up of former students manages its administration, he explains.

In 2017, a law also caused fraternities and sororities at the University of Vermont to lose the property tax exemption they enjoyed.

In short, the Greek Life is no longer what it was.

However, you only need to look at the Instagram accounts of fraternities and sororities to see how certain clichés of beauty, party and privileges persist. We have seen – with our eyes – frat houses with floors littered with red plastic glasses, irrefutable proof of a wake-up call.

If certain features of the Greek Life are called into question, joining it has an undeniable advantage. “It automatically gives you 100 friends,” says Ella Haber.