FRATZ + Sororities
I'm sorry, but what are those?
They are elitist on-campus "brotherhoods" and "sisterhoods" (usually named in greek letters, hence the kappa delta phi stuff) that students can join at University, usually entailing bizarre entrance rituals and then lots of competitive "community" and "loyalty" stuff with other frats/sororities.... All I really know is stuff I've seen in films basically.... I would think most aspies would struggle to get into a frat/sorority, assuming they wanted to be in one anyway.
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duncvis
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I'm sorry, but what are those?
They are elitist on-campus "brotherhoods" and "sisterhoods" (usually named in greek letters, hence the kappa delta phi stuff) that students can join at University, usually entailing bizarre entrance rituals and then lots of competitive "community" and "loyalty" stuff with other frats/sororities.... All I really know is stuff I've seen in films basically.... I would think most aspies would struggle to get into a frat/sorority, assuming they wanted to be in one anyway.
translation: a lot of butt kissing
Depends...I was in one and (if I'd had a bit more wisdom) I would have probably enjoyed it a lot. As it was, I had no clue what I wanted to do in college, transferred to a different school and barely graduated.
There are indeed some greek organizations where I do think a person with Asperger's syndrome would very much struggle within. It just depends upon the chapter, and those in it at the time. When I was in college there was a frat that seemed like the Animal House one (though not as wild and much smarter) that had a unique mix of guys. I'm sure they would have been accepting of people regardless if they had this condition or not.
It primarily depends on how mature you are. I'm a teetotaler now and if I could go back would be one still...some frats accept them, too. If you're kind to people that will be appreciated.
BTW, great engineering schools like the University of Missouri at Rolla have thriving greek programs. I'm not necessarily recommending a greek letter organization (I've got some issues with them now that I'm older) but it's difficult for me to believe there aren't a FEW (if not more) people with AS in a greek system that big on an engineering campus.
Now teetotalers in frats just drink so much water that it thins your blood to the point that it deprives your brain of oxegen to create the intoixicated effect. It takes 2-5 gallons of water. I first heard about this in 2000 at a Junior College. I also thought it was ret*d then too.
AS_Interlocking
Snowy Owl
Joined: 26 May 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 157
Location: Somewhere near the AS/NT Border...
I'm in college, and am in a Greek Organization, and honestly, and pledging (process of joining), and spending time as a brother of this organization, are absolutely two of the best things I have ever done.
Granted, I'm in a co-ed service fraternity and not the traditional social fraternity, we don't have a house, and are REALLY strict against hazing (no drinking 5 gallons of water while pledging us!), and the like, so we're about as different as you can get from Animal House.
While I have never been diagnosed AS, I have historically been clueless when it comes to socializing (this, combined with friends I have who are on the spectrum, are 2 of the main reasons I became a member of WP). Never quite got it. Never really knew how to take the initiative. And while there's still a lot I don't get, the structured social life of the Fraternity I'm in has allowed me to take my good intentions, and play them up, and in the process make more friends than I have ever had in my life.
I'm sorry if this sounds like ranting, bragging or gloating, but this has kinda hit home. I look at my (very AS-like) social awkwardness before I pledged, and look at what my social life has become, and like I said, while there's still a lot about social skills I don't get, I have, without a doubt, learned more in the past 20 months than I have in the 20 years before it. If the right frat's at your school, it could be a great opportunity.
That said, there are fraternities and there are fraternities. I personally really do not think someone with AS characteristics would do so well in a traditional social fraternity or sorority...especially one with a house. A Frat/Sorority without a house (or where you don't need to live in a house, if they have one), will give someone who is AS a valuable seperation of social and personal lives, so you won't have to worry about your fraternity/sorority brother/sister worrying about if you brush your teeth differently, or can't stand if the hall light is left on at night, etc.
While my experience in Greek Life (as different as it has been from a traditional social fraternity) has been positive, I will advise against running up and trying to pledge the first greek organization you see. SPECIFICALLY, if someone IS interested in possibly joining a Greek Organization (AS or not), I'd advise the following:
-Ask what the pledge requirements are...if they can't say, or refuse to tell you, you probably won't want to join them anyway.
-Ask if they have a house, how often they meet, and what they do when they meet.
-Ask specifically what they do to ensure there is NO HAZING.
-Then, ask yourself if this is the kind of organization you want to be in, and if it is, make the commitment to rush (indicate interest in pledging) the fraternity or sorority, and if offered a bid (if the fraternity uses bids...my chapter of my fraternity does not), go ahead and pledge.
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I'm not sure if I would be comfortable in a fraternity. They are so expensive. Plus, I don't like going to parties every Friday night because they can get to loud sometimes. Although, most of the frat boys at my college were actually pretty nice guys. I ran an article in the student newspaper about answering expressions and puns from an aspie's point of view, and they were all very impressed. Alas, I cannot say the same about the sorority girls. Many of them tend to be so fake. One night during a bonfire, it was cold and freezing rain was starting to fall. One of the sorority girls had the nerve to say "It's too cold to wear something cute outside." If she had said that at Lambeau Field, she would have gotten slapped. Another time, one sorority girl had a fit that I took her Sprite she was going to use for vodka. I'm sorry, I didn't realize it wasn't for everybody. One of the frat boys was nice enough to explain why I should not have done that. I appreciated it, but was humiliated to the point I had to go home. Personally, I don't recommend Greeks to AS people.
AS_Interlocking
Snowy Owl
Joined: 26 May 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 157
Location: Somewhere near the AS/NT Border...
Like I said, I don't reccommend traditional social fraternities/sororities, but there are lots of other kinds (service fraternities, like the one I'm in, as well as greek letter organizations for specific majors--at my school, for example, there is Phi Chi Theta for business, Kappa Delta Pi for Education, Alpha Chi Sigma for chemistry, etc.) that have more context to them than the traditional ones...and hey, if you're majoring in your area of interest, a frat that's based on your major might not be all that bad after all.
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"So when they rolled their eyes at me and told me 'I ain't normal,' I always took it as a compliment"--Katrina Elam
When I was in college, I didn't have many sororities to choose from being as the ones with white members unofficially wouldn't let black girls into their sorority. I could pledge but good luck in getting an actual offer. The five or six African-American sororities didn't favor girls not fitting the stereotype of the loud, outgoing and partying sister and some of them were plain stuck up. Plus because of some archain state law, sororities weren't allowed to have houses due to them being possible "bordellos". So I didn't see too many benefits to paying 350-500 dollars a semester just to socialize.
I remembered when the AKAs had a step show and I sat down in the only empty spot I could find. Turns out it was reserved for one of their members and they told me to move. I could overhear them saying, "Did you see that girl, what she think she doing?" I dislike Greek organizations as a whole. They're just another form of separating the in-crowd from the lower caste.
I remembered when the AKAs had a step show and I sat down in the only empty spot I could find. Turns out it was reserved for one of their members and they told me to move. I could overhear them saying, "Did you see that girl, what she think she doing?" I dislike Greek organizations as a whole. They're just another form of separating the in-crowd from the lower caste.
I've been in a similar situation. That's why I'm not too wild with Greeks. Which school do you go to? I know Auburn University has the same rule where no sororities houses are allowed for fear they may be used as prostitute houses.