By: ZORAYR KHALAPYAN
Khalzoro@yahoo.com
Frats. Frat Parties. Beer. Shots. Wine. Munchies. Girls. – black out and wake up in the green half open dumpster near Strathmore and Gayley in a wife-beater smudged with In-n-Out Spread. The usual perception of partying the night out at the frat rows in UCLA.
This ethanol-infused view sometimes takes away the true meaning of fraternities and sororities. I have always been asked to describe what it’s really like to be in a fraternity and to belong to a band of brothers. But I believe that one can truly understand the real meaning of brotherhood only after joining a fraternity and experiencing the brotherhood firsthand.
I came to UCLA from the smallest chocolate town in the United States – Hershey, Pennsylvania where life was rather calm and ordinary. I remember the most exciting occasions were seasonal hurricanes, tornadoes, and sometimes even five foot snowstorms. So… I may say I was rather an inexperienced freshman at UCLA back in 2009. After hearing all the fuss about frats, I decided to Wikipedia it and a quick research brought me to the line, “A fraternity (Latin frater : “brother”) is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization and a secret society.” Surprisingly, I didn’t see anything secret or brotherly on my first Thursday frat party – just the usual, people getting drunk and having a bit too much fun.
Putting the emphasis of my college career on education, I decided that joining a fraternity would be a bad choice and put the thought aside. This was until I received a short invitation from the pledge master of Alpha Epsilon Omega, the Armenian Fraternity in UCLA. The thought of attending an event hosted by an Armenian organization intrigued me as ever since I arrived to Los Angeles I had been looking for an outlet to Armenian culture and friends. So I chose to attend the first Rush event.
The Spot was full of hookah smoke when I met all the brothers sitting around a long table. One by one I went through a row of –ian last name introductions with even similar sounding first names. As I met them individually, getting a chance to talk about myself and ask questions about the organization, I found out that they were all UCLA Armenians from different national origins and backgrounds who were bonded together by the fraternity. They believed that all Armenians regardless of their language, their origin, their financial and social standing are equal and should be treated equally. They called this idea the Armenian Dream which one day would bring an end to the unnecessary prejudice so prevalent in the current Armenian communities.
Although all this sounded great, it was not something that I was ready to commit to. The second Rush event, nevertheless, was promising and I really didn’t want to miss it out – it was a yacht party with the Armenian Sorority, Alpha Gamma Alpha. The night was terrific. While the cool wind caressed the shores, I got to befriend some of the brothers and at the meanwhile met some of the sorority sisters.
The third Rush event was invitation only dinner so only a few of the Rushes were invited. At this last dinner, I got to learn that to become a brother and a member of Alpha Epsilon Omega one has to pass through a pledging process – a series of tasks that bond the brothers with the recruits. I also learned that pledging process starts after the brothers offer an official bid to join the organization.
Just a few days later, I received my bid and with very little hesitation I accepted it and the rest is confidential history. The friendships that I gained throughout the process are invaluable and I never regret joining AEO.
By DEANNA NIKOIAN
Dnikoian@ucla.edu
Blonde, high-maintenance, prissy princess, rich, and ditzy are just a few of the words I associated sorority girls with when I first came to UCLA. However, I am sure I’m not the only one who associated sororities with a cult of brain-dead girls running around and sleeping with any male they came across. Sororities are commonly viewed as a place for these blonde princesses of Beverly Hills to congregate and discuss fashion. The media plays a large role in propagating this stereotype. The famous movie, Legally Blonde, which is actually one of my favorites, portrays Elle Woods as a blonde, fashion-obsessed, ditzy, rich girl. Of course, Elle Woods was in a sorority. This stereotype has led many to believe that Sorority life is meant only for the rich and blonde and that if one does not meet these criteria, they cannot join. I never in all my wildest dreams thought that I would join a sorority. I never even thought I would be able to tolerate people who were a part of one. I was so wrong.
It was on a Monday evening when my cousin told me there was an informational meeting for the Armenian cultural sorority, Alpha Gamma Alpha at UCLA. I first laughed at the idea of going but I have never been the sort of person to make fun of something until I have experienced it. Despite the stereotype, I walked to that meeting and looking back on it now, it has been one of the best decisions I have made in my college life as of this point. Granted when I walked in, one of the girls did in fact have blonde hair. I didn’t hold this against her though, and I just took my place on the couch and paid attention to what the Sisters of AGA had to say. Within minutes I quickly realized that the people in the room were all very sweet and genuine. All of the sisters were intelligent and unique in their own way. Some of them were Pre-med, some were Pre-law, and some had no idea. Some dressed in trendier clothes and others dressed in simple jeans and a cute top. One was blonde, some were brunette and some had black hair. There were many differences among the sisters and I realized that they were not a cult of spoiled ditzy rich girls. Of all things, they told me that AGA has one of the top GPA’s out of all the multi-interest Greek sororities at UCLA. The stereotype simply does not apply to AGA because everyone is so unique. My closest friends are in AGA and I could not ask for a warmer and more kind-hearted group of girls to call my sisters.
Another issue often associated with sororities is the act of hazing. Hazing is to persecute or harass with meaningless, difficult, or humiliating tasks. Many do not wish to join or have anything to do with a sorority because of the humiliation they must endure if they wished to join. There have been some crude and horrible acts of hazing that have, in fact, taken place in certain sororities. One of the worst that I’ve heard is a girl having a bag over her head and being tied to a bed in a brother fraternity’s house. She was forced to stay there until all the brothers in the house had done whatever they wanted to her. After undergoing this horrific experience, the sisters did not even let her join their sorority. I cannot vouch for what some of the sororities on campus do to their pledges, but I can say with pride that the sisters of AGA never engaged in any sort of hazing when I pledged for them. I will never be able to understand how you can call a group of girls your sisters if they make you go through a hazing period. The Multi-Interest Greek Council takes a very strong anti-hazing stance in order to encourage more people to join Greek life. Hopefully by doing so, this stereotype dies down.
While many might think, “Eh, sorority life just isn’t for me. I’m not blonde and rich.” I urge those people to attend a rush event and meet the girls before throwing labels at them. Granted, I’m sure many of the sororities at UCLA do fit the stereotype of blonde, promiscuous, ditzy, rich girls. I’m sure many still conduct acts of hazing. However, many do not, one of them being Alpha Gamma Alpha.
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