i've had this "theory" on why fraternities still exist and UP, why they are so enticing (not to mention intriguing) to some, and why do they have to involve themselves in such brutal rites.although i have good friends who are bonafide frat and soro members, i still cannot understand the initiation part (at least some parts of it). here is an article from the PDi by Michael Tan, and his point is almost similar to mine (its just that the way he presented it was clearer than mine*wink*). read and contemplate.
sabi na machismo kasi eh.ok now, just read.*wink*
Beyond the frats
By Michael Tan
Inquirer
Last updated 10:54pm
(Mla time) 09/11/2007
VISIT UP DILIMAN’S WEBSITE AND YOU WILL FIND a photograph of women students in black, carrying placards that read, “Justice for Cris.” They’re referring to Cris Anthony Mendez, the latest casualty in what is suspected to be fraternity hazing.
As we move into our centennial, people at UP are asking, “Why do we still have these frats?”
I’d suggest the problem isn’t just a matter of frats. We may have to look at the tensions, the fault lines in UP’s organizational culture and the potentially lethal combination of factors like class and gender that make the frats so explosive.
There’s no lack of research to show that Filipinos have a high need for affiliation and that we get this mainly from smaller groups and organizations. As the organizations grow and build their hierarchies, power struggles emerge and splits occur.
UP is no exception. A freshman comes in and is dazzled by the alphabet soup of organizations, with something from everyone, from animé to zoology. The organizations work hard at recruitment with each new school year, sometimes with excessive zeal. Some departments, including my own (anthropology), actually had to step in and handle our own freshmen orientation because we felt the organizations were becoming too aggressive with their membership campaigns.
Many freshmen do sign up with one or several organizations. Beyond social affiliation, the organizations are seen as a key to survival in the university. UP can be intimidating—all the more so for a young student from a middle-class background and from some small town. They’ll be quick to join an organization, usually a regional one to touch base with “kababayan” and one for the academic course they’re enrolled in. The latter is more of a knowledge network, getting tips on what might come out in exams and choosing teachers (preferably the ones who give high grades, I am told) and for borrowing lecture notes and textbooks. Some organizations will also organize tutorials and review classes, and in this high-tech age, e-groups to keep members informed about important developments.
I wouldn’t underestimate the economic angle here, especially if the student is in UP for the long haul, for courses like law and medicine. This is where the frats, and to some extent, the sororities, come in. Frats have declined in popularity among upper-class Filipinos, but are still able to ride on past glory, mainly counting the rich, the powerful, the famous and infamous among their alumni: Ferdinand Marcos for Upsilon, for example, or Juan Ponce Enrile for Sigma Rho. These are alpha male achievers held up to emulate, and for students from the underclass, they represent a world that could be theirs as well.
This is where machismo comes in. Frats represent a testosterone-driven culture that can be appealing to young males from more traditional backgrounds. The frat rituals are actually part of machismo allure; some of these students come from public high schools and communities with very brutal hazing as well (ironically, copied from the Greek-letter frats which they associated with the upper class).
Machismo turns lethal when combined with class. The wealthier fratmen are not about to beat some neophyte from their own class. (There aren’t that many joining now, and if they do, now, now, we can’t beat up the congressman’s or the general’s little boy, so hey, see that one from the province?) Fortunate are they if the initiation consists of running errands for their frat masters, or stripping down for the Oblation Run. And as the neophytes get beaten up, they’re picking up the frat’s sacred tradition: deep in their subconscious, they know they can get back the following year, by beating up new lower-class neophytes.
The frats represent an extreme in local organizational culture, with a feudal core that emphasizes conformity with organizational mates and obedience to “superiors” and that can be someone just a year ahead of you. I’ve had to deal even with students who end up taking courses they don’t want to take simply because their organization heads told them to.
“Walang iwanan” is a phrase I hear often. On the surface, it sounds noble, with its sense of solidarity and not leaving anyone behind. In reality, it smacks of a dangerous herd instinct. Throw in some Machiavellian student leaders, maybe even faculty members advising the organization, and you have a cult in the making.
The pragmatism and survival instincts are there, certainly, and some are smarter than others at maneuvering their way through the organizational minefields, but much more needs to be done by administrators and teaching staff. My anthropology faculty actually had to meet to discuss these problems late last year and we’ve made it a point now to be very explicit in telling the freshmen that they are not obliged to join any association, not even the one of anthropology.
Walk the talk though, I tell my young faculty. Be on the lookout for students from more disadvantaged backgrounds who will need part-time work to earn extra money to get the textbooks and meet living expenses. The key here is letting them know they won’t need to be forced to join an organization just for the “connections.” Internet access, which the university provides to all students, provides new opportunities here. There are e-groups for undergrads and graduate students, and each of the subjects I teach has its own website so students can access review guides and lecture summaries.
Of course, the Internet can never replace face-to-face interactions and our department undergraduate and graduate advisers have made it clear to the students that they can seek advice whenever they need, but, and this is an important but, without creating a patron-client relationship.
It’s an uphill battle. I make no claims to having all the answers, but believe it’s time to ask the right questions, too. And as we do that, educational institutions must be guided by equity, providing all students with more or less equal access to social support and networks, so they won’t need to feel obligated to join an organization. If and when they do, it should be to pursue a focused and shared interest, whether in indie films or genetics.
Finally, as teachers and parents, we will have to ask ourselves some tough questions. Do we nag too much, warning students against frats and barkada, yet leaving untouched the questions of machismo and blind conformity and all the crippling, murdering, parochial and feudal values of Philippine society? In this age of the Filipino diaspora, we need to better prepare our students for the world out there. These will be young Filipinos who can build lifelong loyalties and friendships, who will be remembered not just for an infectious sense of humor and conviviality, but also for fierce independence of mind and of spirit.
pebi talking in gibberish again around 8:40 AM
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