Modern culture pays a lot of attention to demographics. Everywhere you turn, people are classified, arranged into groups according to characteristics and factors they largely don’t choose for themselves. Stereotypes, no matter how untrue or unfair, are a common part of our everyday lives.
I’m a first-generation American born to working class Mexican immigrants. I’m the first in my family to attend college away from home, debt-free thanks to Pell Grants and scholarships. I’m openly gay. Evaluating all these criteria, a person may believe they know enough of my life to make judgments. One such judgment? It’s unlikely they would assume I’d be a member of a fraternity.
Popular movies and mainstream media often portray so-called “frat guys” in a particularly unflattering fashion—affluent young white men engaged in boorish party behavior, and often hazing their peers. That oversimplification misses the true purpose and values of many involved in Greek life.
For me, like millions of young men before me, that’s the pursuit of genuine, lifelong friendships with other men. And not only am I a proud member of a fraternity, but I have also served as president of the University of Missouri’s Interfraternity Council (IFC), which shares with administrators the governance of all fraternity life at the school.
When I first arrived at Mizzou, my parents and I drove past the Greek houses on campus. My mom, who had never encountered fraternities growing up in Mexico, asked if I planned to participate in Greek life. “Absolutely not,” I responded reflexively.
My perspective changed, however, when a high school acquaintance got in touch to discuss his efforts to recharter a fraternity at Mizzou. The organization, Phi Kappa Theta, was returning to campus after having their charter revoked in 2016 for several issues; its new leaders wanted to create a culture centered upon empowerment and accountability. And they saw something in me. When I discovered that fraternity alumni provided scholarships to active members who maintained a 4.0 GPA, I knew that not only was it a great opportunity, but it an important indicator of the values fraternity men possess that are all too often overlooked.
