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If you haven't become a frequent visitor/participant on reddit, you're missing out. Reddit is a super active, information-rich web community. Any topic that you want to learn more about is present. I've been on reddit for 7 years, met the site's founder Alexis Ohanian a few years ago, and generally agree that reddit is indeed the "front page of the Internet."
Recently, I've been observing the r/Frat subreddit. It's a fascinating space on reddit. If you work in student affairs, especially Greek Life / Fraternity Sorority Life (FSL), I would suggest that you take a look. The comments/posts are a melange of good, bad, and ugly. Thematically, posts on r/Frat tend to be fairly consistent. Here are some recent highlights from the site:
r/Frat Post: Orlando Sentinel: Why was a UCF fraternity found guilty of hazing?
The Story: According to the Orlando Sentinel, "In February, a Sigma Chi pledge reported being screamed at and pressured to do plank exercises, holding his weight up on his elbows and toes."
r/Frat Comment: "Bows and toes? The little b*tch went crying because of bows and toes? F*cking ridiculous."
r/Frat Observation: A theme that runs throughout a lot of comments on r/Frat is that at least some degree of hazing is an accepted practice at a lot of fraternities.
r/Frat Post: Aaaaand it's gone. ATO closes its chapter at IU
The Story: Indiana Suspends Fraternity After Explicit Video Surfaces
r/Frat Comment: "You'd think after the whole Oklahoma SAE situation, these fools would stop recording sh*t on their phones..."
r/Frat Observation: There are numerous posts/comments that imply that the actions of fraternities aren't the issue. Instead, a lot of comments focus on protecting the organization as well as keeping people from knowing about what takes place at houses.
r/Frat Post: The foreign kid
The Story: A student from Greece is pledging a fraternity and he "barely speaks English."
r/Frat Comment: "The most important thing to do is to keep him immersed -- discourage him from hanging out and socializing with other Greek speakers."
r/Frat Observation: An amazingly ironic comment from a "Greek."
r/Frat Post: Starting (light) hazing at a newer chapter
The Story: How do you introduce hazing without it being, you know, "actual hazing."
r/Frat Comment: "Pledgeship should be a purposeful crucible - maximally challenging - unpleasant, both physically and emotionally. Purposeless hazing is torture."
r/Frat Observation: The last comment on this thread notes that "You appear to be on the right track, just don't call it hazing." Disguising hazing as "team building" or "character development" is a common thread throughout r/Frat.
r/Frat Post: Getting on the school's president's good side
The Story: There's a "new president on campus," he's "wary of Greek life," and the fraternity wants "to have wiggle room" so when they "eventually f*ck up, it isn't so bad."
r/Frat Comment: "Have a reception for him. Fully scrubbed and blazered Brothers, all charm cannons firing. Have the reception in a common parlor of the House if you can scrub the House of ANY contraband."
r/Frat Observation: Schmoozing a university president so that when the fraternity "inevitably" does something wrong seems like the worst kind of proactive measure to me.
r/Frat Post: Shooting at NAU Delta Chi Dorm
The Story: Four students were shot at Northern Arizona University
r/Frat Comment: "It's a f*cking tragedy, but it's going to ruin Greek life here. We just got hit with a nasty noise ordinance by the city that amplified laws and fines in place for 'nuisance' partying."
r/Frat Observation: He's right, the shooting at NAU was a tragedy.
r/Frat is a fairly active subreddit. There are new posts/comments on a daily basis and it's an interesting look (one might even say "behind-the-scenes") at fraternity life.
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