Banned Fraternities Should Get a Fresh Start

By Ian Lares-Chacin / Contributing Writer

New fraternities are coming to campus, bringing new opportunities for students to form life-long friendships, make connections that will help them succeed after graduation and generate funds for philanthropic initiatives.

FIU’s Student Government Association, SGA, approved a $250,000 allocation to Fraternity & Sorority Life on January 24, as four new fraternities make their home at FIU, including Delta Tau Delta (DTD), Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), Pi Lambda Phi and Pi Kappa Phi (Pi Kapp).

PIKE and Pi Kapp are returning fraternities that are coming back after being suspended from the university after allegations of hazing, drug deals, and the distribution of nude pictures. 

However, PIKE and Pi Kapp were both suspended over four years ago, with most of their original FIU chapter members likely having either been expelled during the fraternity’s suspension or graduated. 

Despite the allegations that led to the suspension of PIKE and Pi Kapp, bringing these fraternities back will allow them to have a fresh start and work towards exemplifying their Greek values.

Even the Chief of FIU Police, Alexander Casas, agrees with allowing the fraternities to come back.

“I welcome it back, especially with this new self-awareness I think they’re going to have,” said Casas. 

University life has many challenges, but a significant issue students face is the lack of social interaction. This is especially a problem for out-of-state and international students who may not have any connection to people in Miami. 

Fraternities help alleviate this issue by instilling a sense of brotherhood among their members and creating a social environment where students who don’t have that many friends can gain new ones. 

For many majors, Greek organizations allow students to make a wide array of connections and networking opportunities, with members often receiving jobs or other employment opportunities from former brothers of their fraternity, regardless of whether they attended their specific chapter.

Greek Life also presents an excellent way for students to learn about the backgrounds and unique cultures of fellow members, especially considering the large international presence at FIU.

Philanthropic efforts are a primary focus of fraternities throughout the school year, with many often specializing in fundraising for a specific type of issue. 

The fraternity Theta Chi focuses on raising funds for members of the United States Armed Forces, having partnered nationally with the United Service Organizations to provide live entertainment, such as comedians, actors, musicians, social facilities, and other programs to servicemen and women. 

“Last semester, we were able to raise over $22k with our Miss Independence pageant here at FIU,” said Matthew Moran, the former Alumni Chairman of the Theta Chi chapter in FIU.

The newest fraternity to FIU, Delta Tau Delta, has nationally partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to focus on raising funds and bringing awareness to Type 1 Diabetes research. 

“Myself and my other Brothers are already planning on having great philanthropic fundraisers towards supporting JDRF and the battle against the disease,” said David Luis, one of the founding fathers of the Delta Tau Delta chapter at FIU and an SGA Senator for the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs.

Luis says bringing new organizations to Greek life is “a great opportunity to further FIU’s mission and goals. This would also allow for students to be able to directly make an impact on the FIU community and the local community as a whole.”

Historically, Fraternities & the Alumni of Greek Life also generate revenue for their respective universities. The presence of fraternities often gives alumni a reason to keep making donations to their school and engage with their Alma Mater. Alumni are sometimes encouraged to set up scholarships for students that exemplify the values and qualities of their fraternity. 

Fraternities and Greek Life overall provide our Panthers the chance to have fun and make life-long friendships while also gaining a wide range of networking opportunities that will help them succeed after graduating. It encourages students to continue to give back to the FIU community. 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community