We are in a new millenium. Why is it that a quote from a 30-year-old movie about the way fraternities never were over 40 years ago is still used as the stereotype?
Editor's Note: This is the first of a three-part series examining the absence of fraternities and sororities at Notre Dame.Rebuttal, anyone? Who wants to take on the Jesuits? Here is a start - That quote sounds a lot like the "Balanced Man" Principle. Better read the full article first.
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
Fraternities and sororities have long been a staple on college campuses across America - even before becoming a cult phenomenon with the release of "Animal House" in 1978 - but never at Notre Dame. Indeed, a visitor would be hard-pressed to find a Victorian-style mansion proudly donning a set of Greek letters among the University's grandiose buildings, colossal stadium, prominent monuments and lush quads.
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Though many social fraternities and sororities engage in altruistic endeavors and service projects - which do correlate with Jesuit ideals - there are other aspects of Greek organizations which are not aligned with such standards, Steck said.
"The Jesuit ideal of cura personalis, or care for the person, refers to two ideas: educating the whole person in body, mind and spirit, and educating each person in his or her unique individuality," he said in the column. "Can the kind of social cohesion that fraternities require … really allow the individual person, as an individual, to flourish?"
Absent at ND, Greek system thrives elsewhere - News
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