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Being a Feminist in a Fraternity Culture

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UTRGV chapter.

Wearing your fraternity letters on campus comes with a price. That price is being subjected to a particular stereotype; that all males in a fraternity are party animals and live in a fairytale machismo world.

I don’t blame the general public for having this view of fraternities, especially with blockbuster hits such as Neighbors, Old School, and  Animal House giving us a not-so-great rap. These movies portray fraternity culture as an ignorant group of people who are only interested in drinking, fornicating, and mistreating women.

Well, I am writing this article to shed some light on fraternity culture. I am a feminist, and I am also in a fraternity and I stand up for women’s rights. I marched for Planned Parenthood when our government threatened the existence of such a fundamental organization.

Not all fraternity men are chauvinistic assholes. As a matter of fact, every semester, fraternity men have to attend a mandatory workshop on Title IX training. This training is used to help prevent sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and date rape. We as fraternity men are more than what the movies make us seem. You can be a feminist and in a fraternity, don’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover.

Ted is pursuing a degree in History at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. He holds the position of rush chair for his fraternity chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Ted works as the drumline instructor for the IDEA Quest school, and on his spare time, he is the bassist for a local band, Rogues & Renegades. Ted has hopes of one day becoming a professor and will continue to further his education as long as he can.