The Great Frat Debate

Frats get blamed for everything, don't they? Excuse me, I meant to say fraternities. Ever since Patrick Kycia chose to drink at a Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity party in Moorhead -- to the point of incoherence -- walk home alone and later drowned, much has been made and blame has been passed.

Though only fraternity members were at the party, the media and rightly so, has questioned the fraternity culture. Two deaths in less than two years does that in the eyes of many.

As this picture of the now-charged fraternity members exemplifies, this was a frat. They were reckless, ignorant and immature and would undoubtedly shame the fraternity's founding members. They don't deserve to describe themselves as a fraternity. From all accounts, they were Moorhead's Animal House. Rightly so, they lost their charter. It was one year too late in my opinion.

I'm not even in their house, and they shamed me. These idiots let the stereotypes flourish and dishonor other greek members like myself. They discourage the same good young men around this country from holding the same ideals as the fraternity great from years past. At best, they will see it as a trap, turning bright-eyed ambitious individuals into lazy, fat, dumb socialites swimming in their own immoral behavior, alcoholism and depression.

These members deserve jail time and expulsion from school. Kycia made the choice to drink, yes, but the providers of alcohol consciously or not, took responsibility as soon as they visited the liquor store. Retribution must be served. It is examples like this that should be touted across college campuses to create codes of conduct and relationship statements between all campus groups and universities. Administrations and fraternity officials and alumni must step up. Even my fraternity has taken great steps to clean up their houses -- but I can imagine this same situation many times over in my house, at the University, or at chapters across the country.

Added security, party lists, house jobs, sober party monitors are great steps. But it takes one idiot until this occurs. It will again sometimeat the U. No initiative -- even the one I'm greatly proud of -- can absolutely prevent it. And when it does, don't get pissed when the media or I use the term "frat" in a headline or a story. It may lump us all together in the eyes of non-greeks, but we've earned it. Indeed, it is our own and our brothers fault. Until we sit down, rationalize the situation, unify our models and ideals, and end our immature behavior, we shall undoubtedly remain where we are.