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Fraternities in Management
Look closely and find fraternity influence throughout the MUS and its events
Michaela HirshDespite this difference in social cultures, there is still a large Greek presence within our faculty. What contributes to this involvement and what is it that fraternity life is really like for management students? McGill’s lack of a large Greek tradition renders their purpose and structure unclear. The Bull & Bear sat down with Phi Kappa Pi and Zeta Psi, two fraternities with large followings within the faculty, to get a better insight into this subculture.
Active members of Phi Kappa Pi, Aram Aharonian, Luis Javier Aguinaga, and Alex Mallory, and Zeta Psi brothers, Charlie DiGiulian, Adam Fagan, Joseph Feldman, and Chase Potter, explain their draw to the fraternity system as being based on friendship. McGill is not known for Greek culture, and in fact, Mallory notes, “It’s not something I ever would have thought to do coming to McGill.” So what is it that attracts so many management students to the fraternity system? “It may sound cliché, but it really is a brotherhood. It’s tough to describe, but it’s a friendship that is stronger than just that,” said Potter. Although each entered the fraternity system at a different point, they all cite the close and lasting friendships as the main incentive for joining. In such a large environment, it seems that the support system they receive from their brothers is what drives them to be involved.
The Zeta Psi brothers especially highlighted the importance of guidance from older brothers. Going through internship and job recruitment is stressful for every Desautels student, and many times we are left to do the research on our own, with minimal assistance from advisers who must guide hundreds of students. The lack of personal assistance leaves us feeling anxious and uncertain about our futures. To a certain extent, this is mitigated for those involved with fraternities. Alumni networks as well as current brothers are a major resource because they are always willing to help find extensive, specific information on different careers. Fagan notes, “I’d be much more nervous about graduating and about my career prospects if I didn’t have that support structure. I have a much clearer picture of what I need to do and where I should look.”
Especially in the 2010 to 2011 academic year, Phi Kappa Pi was heavily involved with the MUS, and overall, had a considerable presence among the faculty’s student leaders. This appears to be a conflict of interest, and alludes to the fraternity stereotype of the “Old Boys’ Club.” However, Aharonian explains that this is simply part of his fraternity’s culture: “I like to hang out with people who make big things happen and get things done, and I saw a place where there were a lot of guys like that. That’s why it may seem like we are so successful.” Phi Kappa Pi places substantial importance on being involved and it is “by virtue of being driven that we have the opportunity to get more of our brothers involved,” noted Aguinaga.
This sentiment is shared by the Zeta Psi brothers who spoke of their recent philanthropic efforts and their commitment to being involved within the faculty. It is encouraged that everyone participate in fun events like Frosh and Carnival, but they also “go for the all around…we want people to take their academics seriously and get involved to give back to the school,” stated DiGiulian.
The benefits of the fraternity system are sometimes shadowed by the negative stereotypes and culture of secrecy that shroud these exclusive clubs in mystery. One example is the top secret pledging process, known to be time consuming and rigorous. Although both fraternities declined to share the details of the process, they did explain that secrecy is important to them because it binds them together in their friendships, and because it is part of a tradition which they desire to uphold.
To the fraternity brothers, the pledging process is meant to solidify commitment and to build strong, enduring bonds with the new pledges. Aharonian noted that “the process is about bringing people together and instilling certain values which are fundamental to us.” All agreed that the process was well worth it, and that they would do it again if required.
However, others involved with Phi Kappa Pi did not entirely agree with the sentiments of the PKP brothers. One source mentioned the paradoxical nature of pledging stating that “the process is meant to bring us all together to enhance the ‘brotherhood,’ but in the end it doesn’t always work that way. Instead, there were feelings of resentment from the pledges towards the brothers because of the difficulty of the process which was meant to prove that we were worthy of brotherhood.” Being yelled at and asked to do pushups is not uncommon during the process, and there really is no exit point except quitting. Nevertheless, it was noted that the pledging process is deeply enriching as “it makes the friendships and bonds special because they have to be earned and are difficult to obtain in any other way.”
The fraternity system should not to be taken lightly and is certainly not for everyone. Feldman shared that he originally went to many recruiting events for a number of McGill fraternities. “I originally wasn’t going to join because it wasn’t appealing, but as soon as I met this group it was kind of automatic.” This exemplifies what was explained as a matter of fit. DiGiulian noted that “you really have to find your place because every fraternity is different. Each has its own culture and feel so you need to find the one that you like best because each has its own unique characteristics.”
The spirit of a fraternity was perhaps best described by Mallory: “At the end of the day, it’s just nice to have two houses to go home to.”
