Date sent:        Fri, 26 Apr 1996 11:10:52 -0700

We the Brothers of Alpha Tau Fraternity believe the development of the individual as a
responsible, mature member of society is the primary goal of the university today.We believe
that Fraternity offers to the university community a unique, desirable and successful means
of achieving this goal.In fulfilling the purposes of Fraternity, we dedicate ourselves to
the principles of:	Intellectual Awareness	Social Responsibility		Integrity	And Brotherly
Love.          (Credo of Alpha Tau)				     courtesy of AT Inc.It is the above statement
that one national Fraternity, Alpha Tau, and many like it, exploit as their main reason for
existence.  However, it is the events and activities, which are not covered by the above
credo and are increasingly occurring, that garner the greater attention and negative
publicity for the whole fraternity system.  It is not just a matter of bad press, it is the
fact that there exists a negative image for the male Greek system as a whole, which in turn
has been fixed in the minds of parents of young college bound males, the boys themselves,
and increasingly the general public through the media.  Over the past five years the number
of college men pledging fraternities has dramatically dropped.  No longer do naive young men
flock to the fraternity houses during rush.  Fraternities are now having to conform with
standards that appeal to these new breed of college men.  So what is it that is finally
coming back to haunt the houses?  Its simple.  The threat and long history of hazing, along
with what is deemed to be an emphasis on drinking and some drug abuse are no longer
appealing to the vast majority of college bound men.  And this history clouds the beneficial
changes in the creedo and actions of male Greeks.Hazing in fraternities has long been a
tradition as well as a source of much great folklore, (not to mention just the increasing
public destruction of property and physical abuse of non fraternity members).  This would
include excessive drinking, depriving pledges of sleep, verbal humiliation, and in extreme
cases, racial prejudice, as well as the raping of  women, very non productive activities
that can only hurt and discredit the victims and the hazer.  Most colleges have now imposed
strict guidelines or minimum standards to bring to an end the days of "Animal House" like
behavior.  But there still exists the fear of being hazed, especially because of numerous
reports of hazing taking place underground out of the view of school officials.  It is quite
common for the term pledge to be synonymous with hazing.  The pledge system itself provides
a window of opportunity for hazing (NY Times, 8-27-89.  p. 39). It is interesting to note
however an article that talks about how pledges actually have the power to prevent
hazing.	"Ending the problem of hazing could be a simple process.  If a fraternity pledge
class would stick together and refuse to participate in any type of hazing or inappropriate
activities,  the chapter members would be helpless to react.  There is nothing they could
do.  The pledge class could not be dismissed;  they are needed both financially and as a
matter of pride.  And if a chapter tried to dismiss an entire pledge class, the national
fraternity, local alumni and college officials would begin to ask a lot of questions about
the chapter's pledge program."		(Dewine, Paul R.. Los Angeles Times, 5-4-92.  M5)One
fraternity has even taken a very revolutionary step to try to curb continued hazing of its
new members.  In July of 1989, Alpha Tau Fraternity  instituted a no pledge policy, citing
that no matter what was done, pledging lead to hazing.  AT now stands out from the rest as a
very attractive alternative to the traditional fraternity.  Now, those rushees that accept
bids are initiated within 72 hours.  The new brothers learn history, tradition and the
ritual in an appropriate post-initiation educational process (L A Times, 2-22-90.  B6). 
Some still find fault; David Riesman, a Harvard educator argues that ending pledging does
not."Nor does ending pledging get at the reforms really needed- better tone, stronger
governance, and higher academic priorities. Students need at least a year at college before
joining in order to develop friends, ideas, and an independent center of gravity.  Dartmouth
now forbids joining until the sophomore year."      (The Christian Science Monitor, 
9-12-89.  p20)Besides the lack of appeal that pledging and hazing have on the Greek
community, another big turnoff is what appears to many as a dependency on alcohol to make
the Greek experience viable.  Fraternities are positioned as a very social establishment,
and alcohol is a large part of the college social scene.  There is especially a large number
of incidents of underage drinking at fraternity houses now.  Besides alcohol, there exists a
sizable percentage of fraternities that abuse drugs as well.  With a large part of high
school education being about "Just Say No", how can fraternities expect this life style to
be appealing anymore?At the University of Maine, a Sigma Chi brother could not rationalize
the practice of alcoholism and the use of drugs any longer (Mehren, Elizabeth.  LA Times,
5-4-92.  E1).  After  his fraternity was about to be kicked off campus for some serious
violations, with the convincing of their national office, this Sigma Chi chapter became
chemical-free.  No alcohol, no drugs, and what then turned out to be no bros.  All but one
out of 35 guys in the house left after the fraternity adopted the chemical-free policy.  The
bright spot is that the lone brother was eventually able to recruit 10 new guys for the
house.  All of them young, 18 year old freshmen men.  They represent the new breed of the
college man.Basically, the fraternities of old need to reposition themselves to go after the
college man of new era.  When a person joins a fraternity, it is because he wants to be a
part of the brotherhood, not a member of a group of boys that abuse themselves. 
Fraternities once represented a higher class of man, but the general consensus in the public
eye is that a fraternity is a group of inferior, disorderly men.  Fraternities need to clean
up their tarnished images.  Academics and the betterment of ones life need to become the
focus of fraternities, not just side show propaganda just to lure you there.  Once the media
and word of mouth begins to circulate the goodness of fraternity, only then will they be the
ambition of every entering college freshmen.Assignment #5Does the Greek System in America
have an image problem.  What is the general perception of sororities and fraternities by the
public.Falling from the Top: The Decline of the Fraternity in the Public EyeBy Michael S.
KingMike ReynoldsAssignmentt #5- A Greek Image ProblemSourcesDewine, Paul R.  "Pledges have
power."	The Los Angeles Times.  March 8, 1992:  pM5Mehren, Elizabeth.  "Asobering
pledge."	The Los Angeles Times.  May 4, 1992:  pE1The Christian Science Monitor.  "No more
'animal house.'	September 12, 1989:  p20The Los Angeles Times.  "When fraternity goes
wrong."	February 22, 1990:  pB6The New York Times.  "Fraternity, ending pledge
system."	August 27, 1989:  p39