Frat pledge

Like anything, I think the loud screw ups get all of the media. I was in a fraternity in college, and we didn't do any type of hazing like what caused this event. The worst thing I ever had to do as a pledge was be on call as a sober driver. I think I ended up having to pick someone up two or three times at 2am. They watched my grades, made me get teachers to sign off that I was going to class and participating. We had the highest GPA on campus, and they wanted to make sure we kept it that way. We did a solid amount of drinking, and it was encouraged like every other group of college aged males, but no one was ever forced. Seems like a waste a alcohol.

The toughest thing was always having a party Friday night, and our social services chair would sign us up to help some charity or other service at 9am on Saturday.

(Kordell Davis) "He screamed for someone to call 911, but the others shouted him down."

Um, you have a cell phone, , use it.  He should be prosecuted just like the rest of them.

Couldnt agree more. Tim was from our town and my son went to the same high school and graduated with Tim's older brother. While I believe this goes on at most colleges, Penn State seems to have a blind eye to all this, as they have "cracked down" multiple times on things like this. And the same day as the DA's announcement, the school announces that Jay Paterno has been named to the board of directors.

So, in one day, the DA announces charges against the frat and Paterno family further entrenched in the school. They either 1) dont care or 2) are totally tone deaf to the issue.

I can honestly say, my kid would not be attending this school.

I was a GDI in college. Only had one run-in with a frat.

My roommate and I lived in a trailer directly across the street from the Sigma Nu house (bunch of rich guys). One spring day after a day of drinking free beer provided by the university student union for "Spring Fling". I heard my roommate outside in an argument with a couple of frat guys on the lawn of their frat house across the street. I looked out the window just as I saw my roommate (who was like 140 lbs and 5 foot-nothing) take a swing at a guy. Three guys immediately jumped on him and started beating the hail out of him. I ran across the street, grabbed two of them around the neck, fell backwards with them and pulled them off. Before I knew it there were 5 guys on me beating the crap out of me. I knew I was in a no-win situation so I grabbed the smallest guy I could and got him in a headlock and started hammering him. He started screaming, 'get him off me, get him off me'. There were several around me kicking the crap out of me telling me to turn him loose but I hung on to this guys and kept whaling away and told them I was gonna kill him if they didn't get off of me. Finally they stopped hitting and kicking and backed off so I stopped hitting this guy. I held him and told them to let my buddy go. They did. I let the guy lose and they let me up. My face was a bloody mess as was my roommate's face.

We made our peace and went home (back across the street). The next day we each had two black eyes, busted lips and were bruised from head to two.

I don't think too highly of frat guys......

Someone came to their house, was involved in an argument, then proceeded to take a swing at someone. All of this was done, while more than likely everyone was drinking. Then his friend rushed in, and tried to take on several guys. Both individuals were beat up. Obviously living across from them you probably had more experiences which lead to your opinion, but based on this it doesn't seem like the situation would have gone any other way with any other group of college aged males.

I was in a fraternity that did some of that dumb , including branding. There were at least two nights that included drinking. I don't remember anyone being that drunk either while pledging or as a member. I do remember we almost always had people watching the overall event for safety sake. In fact the drunkest person I remember was a fellow "brother" on hell night. He tried to do something stupid to a pledge that would have really hurt him and about 4 or 5 brothers kicked his azz. My fraternity was nationally banned I believe. Our chapter was mostly athletes so we only did some of the hazing. One year we visited another chapter and they were absolutely nuts. I was the recipient of a hot foot there and was ripping pissed. We never went back. That was a long time ago. Not that it was right then either. People would be in jail today for most of the hazing I went through in HS and college. Funny thing is I was never big on hazing anyone. Outside of dumb stuff like carry my bag. I can't believe what went on in that story still takes place without someone stepping up earlier. Sad for that kid.

Yeah, IDK WTH he was thinking. He was pretty hammered and the guys he was talking to were equally hammered.

He had been over there for a while talking to these guys. They were our 'neighbors'. Everyone had spent the day in the hot sun drinking unlimited supplies of free beer. I don't know what started the fight and don't care. If I ever see 3 guys beating up 1 guy, I will jump in and try to help. That he was my roommate really didn't matter at that point. If it had been 3 frat guys beating up a 4th frat guy, I'd of jumped in just as fast. I'm not a good fighter but I am very big and I very strong I will never stand by and watch 3 people beat the crap out of some drunken fool.

But since you mentioned 'other experiences' with frats....yes, you are right.

Most of the classes in the college of engineering are graded based on the 'curve'....so it's very competitive. To give their members a competitive advantage, frats would set up filing cabinets for every class and every instructor and have on file every past test the instructor ever gave. It made it hard for non-frat members to compete.

Most of the frat guys came from wealthy families and guys like me who worked full time as a janitor to make rent/tuition/food could barely afford to live and certainly could not afford monthly frat fees. So maybe there was some jealously and resentment on my part. I was young and stupid. Now that I am a 1-percenter, I realized most wealthy people are not snobs.....and neither are their kids. Maybe just happen to work hard and smart and were wise with their money.


Looking at my PP, I should have said "I DIDN"T think too highly of frat guys......". I have nothing against them now.....but when I wrote about that
)whooping it brought up some buried resentment. Truth be known, if I could have afforded it, I'd probably have joined a frat.....maybe....maybe not. I wasn't like most college kids....