Ninad's RCL Blog

Responses to the RCL-specific blog prompts

Month: February 2018

RCL #2 – Deliberation Article Comparison

To expand upon the discussion of Greek life that will commence during our deliberation in a few weeks, I tried to find articles which covered both sides of the argument that forms. The first article, a Time entry titled “Why Colleges Should Get Rid of Fraternities for Good”, discuss the immoral foundations of fraternities in our country up, as well as the unfortunate fraternity-related events which have taken place in the past few years, including the death of Penn State’s own, Tim Piazza. The main point the article makes is that the problems surrounding Greek life at our university as well as those all around the nation are inherent and unsolvable. Reform, according to the author, is futile because problems continue to occur even after steps are taken at fraternities. By the end, she acknowledges that the solution will be tough, but with American victories against slavery and the like, we should have no problem abolishing fraternities.

“Why Fraternities Will Never Disappear From American College Life”, from Business Insider, indirectly refutes the first by simply showing examples of failed abolishment across the United States. It also discusses the benefits fraternities provide to surrounding neighborhoods and the means through which they lower the stress on university administration, including campus housing, offering of outside social outlets, alumni donations, and the sheer value of student rights in the entire equation.

Where the connection between the two articles lies is in the back-and-forth debate they spark. It seems that for each point the first one brings up, the second one has a rebuttal and another point to be made somewhere within. Though they contrast in purpose, they both acknowledge that there is some sort of flaw in Greek life systems throughout the United States, only disagreeing in the feasibility of a solution that involves their removal. The articles could contribute heavily to our deliberation because they together provide such a diverse outlook on Greek life issues, spanning from one end of the spectrum to the other. Because our deliberation seeks to look at the issues from a similarly wide lens, we could easily incorporate ideas and opinions from both articles into our discussions of each side. We would look to place them primarily in the second section of our deliberation, where we hone in on the issues on the university level.

 

References:

http://time.com/4784875/fraternities-timothy-piazza/

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-fraternities-will-never-disappear-from-american-college-life-2014-12

RCL #1 – Deliberation Update

Title: The Nu Era of Greek Life: Can We Make Fraternities Beta? How Should Frat Rho Be Delta With?

The deliberation will be going in depth and discussing the implications surrounding Greek life, particularly fraternities, here at Penn State as well as around the nation. We will be taking a three pronged approach, talking about them from the perspectives of the nation, university, and individual brother. In doing so, we hope to analyze and discuss all of the aspects of fraternities, both negative and positive, with hope that we’ll shine an accurate light on the issue as a whole.

My role is specifically to help contribute to research and deliberation for the second tier of our deliberation, which is fraternities from the university’s perspective. Of course, we’ll be discussing the steps Penn State has taken, will take, and should take to make steps toward progress in our Greek life’s reputation. I’ll also be examining the role of the more general university, looking at solutions which have been incorporated around the nation. I will also be contributing to the issue guide in whatever way I can to make this deliberation as effective and smooth as possible.

 

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