I knew sororities were “a thing” in America, but… holy sht. This is legit insane. What is the point? For parties? Social validation? I can only imagine the mental health problems spreading like a zombie infection and breeding like coked-up jackrabbits.
Makes me glad to be Canadian. Never saw any of this sh
t up here in either one of my two degrees.
jMyles•5mo ago
> What is the point? For parties? Social validation?
These are often the most public and prominent, but in reality probably not significant drivers, no. And you can't be blamed for thinking so, given the proclivity of TFA to barely - if at all - scratch the surface.
The power dynamics at institutions of higher education are such that authority, money, and political capital are spread across a bunch of different entities, which vary significantly from campus to campus. These include, for example:
* Faculty governance bodies
* Unions
* The "Administration" (whom are typically state employees in the case of public institutions such as the University of Alabama described here)
* The student government (which is often much more powerful than is generally known)
* Athletics
* Residence Life
* Greek Life, the primary topic here
At a campus with extremely powerful Greek Life, the Greek orgs often have connections into the offices of local and area politicians (including the student government), area professional and business groups, landlord and tavern-owner associations, and many other elements of high society.
If you're a sister at a powerful sorority, and you need help with social connections ranging from something very small (eg, finding the right attorney to help you write a letter to your landlord) all the way to something big (connecting you to the right VC to fund your startup idea), you're never doing a web search or making a cold contact again. All of this stuff is likely to be handled through your organization, not only during your college years, but for many years after.
Many pledges are aspiring entrepreneurs, and may want to open shop proximate to their college campus. Doing so with the force of a powerful local Greek is a massive multiplier.
This is a complex topic, and there are darker parts which I haven't covered here. But the short answer is no, it has little to do with parties and social validation; those are just the surface constructs.
rekabis•5mo ago
Makes me glad to be Canadian. Never saw any of this sh
t up here in either one of my two degrees.jMyles•5mo ago
These are often the most public and prominent, but in reality probably not significant drivers, no. And you can't be blamed for thinking so, given the proclivity of TFA to barely - if at all - scratch the surface.
The power dynamics at institutions of higher education are such that authority, money, and political capital are spread across a bunch of different entities, which vary significantly from campus to campus. These include, for example:
* Faculty governance bodies
* Unions
* The "Administration" (whom are typically state employees in the case of public institutions such as the University of Alabama described here)
* The student government (which is often much more powerful than is generally known)
* Athletics
* Residence Life
* Greek Life, the primary topic here
At a campus with extremely powerful Greek Life, the Greek orgs often have connections into the offices of local and area politicians (including the student government), area professional and business groups, landlord and tavern-owner associations, and many other elements of high society.
If you're a sister at a powerful sorority, and you need help with social connections ranging from something very small (eg, finding the right attorney to help you write a letter to your landlord) all the way to something big (connecting you to the right VC to fund your startup idea), you're never doing a web search or making a cold contact again. All of this stuff is likely to be handled through your organization, not only during your college years, but for many years after.
Many pledges are aspiring entrepreneurs, and may want to open shop proximate to their college campus. Doing so with the force of a powerful local Greek is a massive multiplier.
This is a complex topic, and there are darker parts which I haven't covered here. But the short answer is no, it has little to do with parties and social validation; those are just the surface constructs.