Final Report pt. 2

Chris Hayden #10

PHIL 1030

Dr. Oliver

Final Report pt. 2

     The first installment is located here: http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2017/12/chris-hayden-10-phil-1030-dr.html

     My position on fraternities should be quite obvious from my first installment and it hasn't wavered since. To start, many if not all fraternities require members to pay dues. This is a fee that is pooled from all the members and is used to pay for the groups expenses such as clothing with the greek letters on it, parties, alcohol, etc. The following article expands on this topic and some of the insanely high membership dues present at certain chapters. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliesportelli/2014/06/19/buying-into-greek-life-is-it-worth-it/#282953749c39 The reason I bring up membership dues is because many students feel the need to join fraternities to acquire friends and fit into the crowd but it is my belief that you can't purchase true friends. Most of these "friends" you'll never see again after you graduate. This article is an interesting read from a less legitimate source but still worth your time. It's a fraternity alumni's story. http://www.complex.com/life/reasons-you-shouldnt-join-a-fraternity/ 

     Sexual assault is a hidden truth in fraternities. Rarely proven, these acts of cruelty occur far to often and are usually fueled by alcohol and covered up by money. The following article shows the unfortunate truth of having an expensive lawyer and the victims not wanting to testify with the truth for some unknown reason. http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/01/27/rape-charges-against-ex-mtsu-frat-leader-dismissed/97159132/ Further elaboration on this horrible subject can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/24/rape-sexual-assault-ban-frats

     In conclusion I believe the cons out weigh the pros. It would be irresponsible of me to highlight all of these issues and not present any solutions so here it goes. Off campus houses, unofficial or official, shouldn't be allowed. These houses provide unsupervised playgrounds for all the previously discussed issues in both installments. It's a fact that sorority houses have more restrictions and security. Why aren't fraternity houses the same? Alcohol shouldn't be allowed on campus. Anywhere on campus including greek row. And the parties where the cops know there is alcohol and literally look the other way shouldn't be allowed. These points aren't a fix all but it's a start and thats all it takes, someone to start.