The Atlantic

How Colleges Could Get Rid of Fraternities

It's not that easy to banish the Greeks.
Source: Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

According to the fraternity Alpha Delta Phi’s website, its “Brothers unite to participate in an atmosphere of energetic and concerted interaction where the moral, social, and intellectual aspects of each man’s character may grow and flourish.”

Its brothers were also the inspiration for Animal House.

Fraternities offer their members opportunities for community service, friendship, and leadership. They also create environments that seem to breed hazing, binge drinking, and sexual assault. Universities have struggled to harness fraternities’ power for good and diminish their capability for evil, but so far little has worked. So what can universities do to stem the flow of fatalities, injuries, and sexual assaults at fraternities? Instead of threatening fraternities with everything from limited rush week activities to double secret probation, some think the solution is to end the reign of fraternities on American campuses altogether. Last month,’s editors

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