Show Why Greek-Centered Chieftain Defends System Editor's It appears appropriate during Greek Week to present for the consideration of the student bod of the good points and advantages of fraternities as seen by their For that purpose Richard M. possibly the campus's most experienced and articulate spokesman for the fm has been A second year law Dick served for a year as president of PJ Kappa Al i is currently president of By RICHARD M. WILLIAMS Council President The difficulties in describing the advantages of belonging to a fraternity arise from the fact that many of the advantages can be adequately described only to a person who has experienced and understands This is so because fraternities are based upon fundamental ideals and principles which have defied description for The basic principles of and character are not measurable in accurate units of feet and Although it is true that some of the activities in which fraternities such as community school and scholastic improvements are these can serve only as manifestations of the deeper values of a This is not to say that these things are for it is comes a man can 1 himself as j were their truly close and RICHARD M. WILLIAMS lasting friendships were made from among their fraternity brothers while in while in A man's fraternal associations can be of value to him in many In a fraternity a man will learn to accept and appreciate ideas different from his he must learn to compromise his demands without compromising his There is also the broadening experience of being intimately associated with men of diverse As our campus becomes more complex and our studies become more we find fewer and fewer opportunities for association with people from different fields of This creates a danger of an ingrown type of The fraternity system is one of the last institutions on this campus which can so effectively cross these elements of social The spontaneous discussions which often take place in a fraternity house are invariably enriched by the contributions of the brothers from various backgrounds and fields of study Another great advantage of fraternity membership arises from the autonomous school and the national or- give stance when islin Problems which arise in chapter operation are of a type that Al i the men of the chapter must solve These experiences in handling actual v lems which affect the prosperity th ter are a valuable addition to a academic It would seem that th experiences gained in chapter ing and management may be partially sible for the unusually large number of men who are leaders in school aff as and in business and government al affairs after leaving Membership in a national fraternity is another very real advantage of The chapters at Utah represent some of the oldest and largest national some dating as far back as 1839 and others having as many as chapters on an international A fraternity man feels a great deal of pride in the his-tory and traditions which have become a part of his There are two popular misconceptions concerning the fraternity The first concerns an assumed exclusiveness in the fraternity which probably arises from the fact that fraternities reserve the right to choose whom they would like to have as When one considers the nature of fraternity brotherhood he can understand why it is necessary to require this mutual selection between the fraternity and the man before the necessary bonds can be as a fraternity we feel that we have an obligation to maintain a system that affords every desirous man an op to join a As a case in at the end of this fall's pre-rush every single man had an opportunity to choose from at least three men of any race or creed may and have been pledged in our fraternity system within the last The question of seeming preoccupation with social affairs is the second of these misconceptions about A fraternity's social activity is nothing more than the normal result of fraternity brothers' being close personal friends who find pleasure in spending much of their time and the fact that fraternities believe that an educated man should possess social grace in addition to academic Special activities occupy no more of a fraternity man's time or money than those of any other In any discussion of this type it must be pointed out that fraternities are well aware of the criticisms leveled against both justified and Fraternities do not claim to be divinely inspired and no one is more aware than we are when we fall short of our no no no not even this University can defend itself if j is to be judged by its failings rather than j. by its J |