| OCR Text |
Show Hi A ¦ ¦ty i f**^ r 1 ff Bf W^5E^V;ICE # GREEKS From social self-consciousness to social consciousness In the early years of the twentieth century, almost any college joe could tell you exactly what a fraternity or a sorority was because most were affiliated with one or another of them. Fraternities and sororities stood for brotherhood and generally good times made of houses, rush, pledges, beer mugs, mascots, pins, best girls, and dinner-dances. It was good to belong; to be with people who-dressed and acted and believed the way you did. You could always be sure of support in a campus political campaign and that your younger brothers and sisters or sons and daughters would someday have the same opportunity to be a greek. The second half of the twentieth century has brought with it a radical change, especially in the college-age group. The change seems to be from the material orientation of the post Depression America to a humanitarian brotherhood-of-man type; interest in the little guy, the minority group. Some people feel that in view of this change the fraternity system will die unless it reforms. Perhaps this is too harsh a position to take. In reality, the sororities and the fraternities are not so very far from the modern trend in humanitari-anism. It's not a long journey from social self-consciousness to social consciousness. The idea of brotherhood after all, has been in the greek system a long time. This isn't to say that the greeks have entirely thrown away the traditional. They still cheer at the Homecoming game; rush their pledges through goat week in the cemetery; support ASUU; hold beer bashes and throw elaborate dinner-dances. 181 |
