In the spirit of a good cliché, how about two? While the pen is mightier than the sword, actions speak louder than words.
Roy Baker and the Penn State Interfraternity Council want the media and the Penn State community to stop the defamation of the fraternity system by calling their groups by their proper names -- fraternities.
"Frat," they say, is a derogatory term that perpetuates the images of "frat boys," instead of the "fraternity men" they wish to be seen as.
This fall semester, Baker will attempt to implement a new recruitment plan for the fraternity system -- focusing on non-drinking activities and organized events. The new plan will be aimed at boosting recruitment numbers, changing the reasons why male students join fraternities and changing the image of the organization as a whole.
We believe, however, that the problem doesn't lie in the quantity of the members, but in the quality. While there are countless fraternity members who put their time and energy into organizing philanthropic and community-oriented activities, it's never enough to overshadow the system's shady reputation.
Last year, fraternity and sorority members filled the yard of the Acacia fraternity house for a community Halloween event geared toward young children.
Only two families showed up.
The effort put forth by all of the fraternity and sorority members there that night went to waste because of the reputation that preceded them.
Who is going to bring their children to a Halloween party at a fraternity house? The loud houses, which are often neighborhood eyesores, that add to our town's party-happy reputation.
The point is: The energy is being misdirected in this quest for community redemption.
Never will people stop calling them frats -- it's shorter, easier and, frankly, "frat party" describes what they truly are. "Frat party" evokes images of loud music and lots of beer. "Fraternity social gathering" alludes to wine and cheese. Which label fits best?
Baker and the Interfraternity Council need to stop pointing the finger outward from their organization toward the media and the students who simply call it as they see it, and work toward changing their actions and changing the definition of the abbreviation they so despise.
The only people to blame for their reputations are the fraternity members themselves, and they are the only ones who can mend it -- not us.
If their actions speak louder than our words, perhaps, in time, people will hear something different when they hear the word "frat."
