From Boys to Men? A Review of Alexandra Robbins’ ‘Fraternity’

Wars are rarely kind to the wide-ranging pursuit of the truth. The same goes for culture wars, including the war over fraternities. Harvard University’s recent decision to penalize students who join “final clubs” and other single-sex social organizations is one front in that war. In sober moments, opponents of all-male social organizations concede that they have “positive qualities.” But they demonize them anyway: “the influence of these organizations on campus life and in shaping mindsets,” says one Harvard committee, “is impossible to escape.” No time for nuance when one seeks to break and control the violence of frat boys.

Similarly, defenders of fraternities acknowledge their deficiencies. But because Harvard and others have been so ham-fisted, so hostile to the freedom of association of their students, and so wedded to a hyper-partisan understanding of “diversity,” it has been easy to dwell instead on the political correctness monster that seeks to crush fraternities’ valuable aspects along with the harmful ones.

I’m on record against Harvard’s policy. But after we’ve rehearsed the arguments that colleges and universities are properly homes of free inquiry, that they shouldn’t stifle the associational freedom of their students, and that they shouldn’t practice doctrinaire gender politics, what’s next?

Those who care about colleges and universities can’t be indifferent to the ideas of masculinity and femininity that prevail on their campuses. Consider that colleges are essentially Socratic institutions, in that the search for truth is their foundational principle. Socrates, who, unusually, swears by a female god and draws men away from public life toward the seemingly softer occupation of philosophizing, isn’t a typical male. Even if being a “college man” means something as untraditional as being more like Socrates, colleges do seek to shape men.

Socrates, who, unusually, swears by a female god and draws men away from public life toward the seemingly softer occupation of philosophizing, isn’t a typical male.
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WHOAH!!! Socrates was a WARRIOR, serving as a foot soldier he served in three campaigns and saved the life of a famous general during the Peloponnesian War. He was BOTH a warrior and a man of learning. He was no wimp as is implied in this article!!!!!

In one of my favorite reversals of the trend to crush the fraternity system, I graduated from Cornell University in 1975 and was a member of the Chi Psi fraternity during that period. At that time, fraternities were considered an attractive alternative to University housing. But the University coveted the extensive real estate holdings that the 65 or so fraternities occupied in close proximity to the Ithaca campus, so the University systematically brought discrimination and building code violations against the privately organized fraternities and effectively took over the properties, including Chi Psi. In the University’s eyes, Chi Psi was the crown jewel of their campaign of conquest as the fraternity controlled an extensive property (multiple acres) at the same elevation as the rest of the University. Under pressure from the University, the chapter was eventually forced to abandon its charter and leave the Chi Psi national system.

All was well in Cornell-land until the scion of the Johnson Wax fortune (and a Chi Psi alumnus in the late 1970’s) was determined to provide the University the largest single gift in University history - something on the order of $150 million. However, tied to the gift was the stipulation that the University return the control of the former Chi Psi fraternity property to the national organization and local chapter in perpetuity and pledge to never, ever try to retake the Chis Psi Lodge. Like all good Universities, Cornell agreed and took the cash.

I do not know how many active fraternities remain on the Cornell campus, but for sure there is one.

IMHO, fraternities need only report to the college administrators that only 51% of the fraternity’s members now “self-identify” as “male”. The rest of the members “self-identify” as “female” or “other”.

The fraternity should also remind the administrators that anyone who seeks to “out” the anonymous non-males is violating Title IX, which protects that information.

Game. Set. Match.

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