A fraternity (n.)- A local or national organization of male students, primarily for social purposes, usually with secret initiation and rites and a name composed of two or three Greek letters. (according to dictionary.com)

    Cal U is home to seven different fraternities, and five sororities. I am not a part of any of them.

    However, my life has been influenced by Greek life. Three members of my immediate family joined sororities at their different universities.  (Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Gamma Delta, and Delta Phi Epsilon, respectively.) At school, two of my roommates are sorority sisters. I often attend Greek events, and have interviewed a number of members of Greek Life for articles through the Cal Times. I have no issue with Greek organizations.

    One of the differences I often see, or hear, from people in a Greek organization or people who are not is the use of the terms frat and fraternity. A Tau Kappa Epsilon brother at Clarion University was the first one to tell me, years ago, the difference between a frat and a fraternity. He told me that the term “frat” was offensive, and undermined the long-standing tradition behind his Greek organization. I had learned my lesson.

   Making a big deal out of a single word seems trivial. It is just a word, right?

    When I came to Cal U, one of the common questions asked from freshman to freshman is what sorority or frat he or she would be rushing. I didn’t say a thing about the use of term.

    As I have met more and more individuals involved in Greek life, I developed a stronger opinion about the term frat.

   Some of my closest friends, and fellow staff at the Cal Times, are members of Greek life. They belong to various organizations on campus, and I do not have a problem with any one of their organizations.

    Recently, Greek organizations have received a lot of media attention. Last year, West Virginia University’s chapter of Kappa Sigma charter was pulled after Nolan Burch, a freshman who was in the process of joining the organization, was found unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. The incident was ruled as hazing, and Burch’s big brother (who gave him the bottle of liquor that led to his death) was charged.

   Last month, Oklahoma University’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon was expelled from campus after a video, featuring several members of the organization participating in a racist chant, leaked. Later, another video of OU’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity surfaced. The house mother was filmed saying n***** nine times back in 2013. While a house mother is not a part of the fraternity by any means, the media treated it as if she was.

    The morals and the ethics behind these Greek organizations were questioned. Both Kappa Sigma and Sigma Alpha Epsilon were blasted by news sites, broadcasters, social commenters, and bloggers.

   The media used the term frat when describing the organizations. They described Kappa Sigma’s big/little night as a frat party. In another case, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the ivy league Dartmouth College was still referred to as frat boy in an article by Rolling Stone.

   The term frat remains attached to the negative stigma surrounding fraternities. The stereotype of the frat brother is a binge-drinking, hazing, underachiever who has a .9 GPA. He only pledged his Greek organization to sleep with massive amounts of girls. His life is a scene from Animal House.

   And that is why it can be considered offensive to call a fraternity, a frat.

   To some people, frat is just an abbreviation of the word fraternity, and has no positive or negative connotation to it. Others opinions’ are that Greek members may use the term, but not those outside of Greek life.

    In reality, members of fraternities can choose not to drink. Members of fraternities have made it onto the Dean’s List.  Several fraternity members at Cal U are also involved the Armed Forces. There are a number of reasons that a fraternity brother can pledge their chosen organization.

   Both sorority and fraternity members are made to attend workshops, campus talks, weekly meetings, library hours, and to volunteer their time to the community. If a member does not receive the minimum GPA the Greek organization sets, he/she is not allowed to participate in Greek life events. Members are held to high standards.

   It can be demeaning to ignore all of the tradition, ritual, and time put into a Greek organization. I see it as a matter of respect. While I have chosen not to be a part of it, I still respect those individuals who are a part of it, and the organizations they are in. I respect what their letters and their organizations represent. In the same manner, I respect each of the sports’ teams for their time and effort put into practicing, traveling, and maintaining their GPA in order to play on the team.

   While there might be those fraternity members who embody the frat stereotype well, there are always going to be those exceptions. That does not mean the other members of Greek organizations should be seen in the same light, and be called frat bros.