Fratonomics 101

Preparing for Rush: Things you can do to secure a bid

June 30, 2012 by Grant Sutherland 2,297 Comments

Unless you go to school in some place like Japan, you’re officially on summer break. Congrats. But now it’s time to start thinking about what you can do to help prepare yourself for rush in the fall. For starters, upgrade your wardrobe or at least start thinking of the things you should and shouldn’t take with you to college. For example, don’t even think about bringing your letterman jacket. Nobody cares that you were captain on the cross country team and were a state champion your sophomore year in underwater basket-weaving. Welcome to the big leagues, brother. Slingshot engaged.

Another thing you can do that might help you get acclimated to your future school’s fraternity’s is to look them up online. Most schools typically have Greek websites that give backgrounds on each house, as well as provide a separate website.

Also, if your school doesn’t have a bona fide Greek Row, then it might help to locate all of the frats before you hit campus. If you can, get in touch with each fraternity’s rush chair before school starts, it will definitely help you out and, assuming he isn’t a complete d-bag (in which case I recommend you promptly drop that house from your list), gets you invited to almost all rush events.

Last and certainly not least, start drinking a little bit more. Really try testing your limits and capabilities. This is no laughing matter. I’m serious. I’ve personally seen with my own two eyes a kid get completely dropped from consideration because his shotgun performance was so pitiful. Needless to say, he accepted a bid from the worst fraternity on campus. What a shame.

With this in mind, I hope I didn’t scare any of you. And if I did, then maybe becoming an R.A. is a more conventional choice for you. The most important thing for you to remember is to be yourself. Act like you’ve been there before (but don’t actually).

Try to be calm, cool, and collected. Try to keep a conversation going without sounding too awkward. And for God sake’s, do NOT tell a story about how you and some high school bro’s got too f***** up last 4th of July. We don’t want to hear that shit. We’ll have a couple more posts here in the next few weeks with some more tips and whatnot about Rush Season.

Check out this video that sums up fraternity rush in a funny way:

Filed Under: Featured, Fraternity, Fratonomics 101

Spring Fraternity Rush

June 10, 2012 by Tim Roberts 2,019 Comments

This spring’s pledge class was a stacked one. We had a handful of five star pledges and a bunch of other guys that will be great assets to the house.

Spring pledgeship is a bit different then the fall. First off it is a few weeks shorter and it is a little more relaxed/informal. The spring pledge class is also usually smaller then the fall pledge class which has its pros and cons.

The good part is you get a lot closer to your pledge class because it is easier to get to know each guy. With the size of a good fall pledge class sometimes it is difficult to get close to every one of your pledge bros.

The down side of rushing spring is that you missed half of a year of not having any fun because you were a GDI and although you might be allowed to attend a few parties as a pledge during the spring you don’t get to enjoy the full advantages of being a member in the spring.

The guys this spring stuck it out and showed they were dedicated to the house and after eight weeks they got initiated. As a spring pledge myself, it is a proud moment whenever spring pledges get initiated. Spring Initiation takes me back to my own initiation and I tend to reminisce on how this fraternity has helped me grow on become the guy I am today.

The fall guys sometimes think that they are sometimes superior to the spring members but as far as our house goes it seems that the spring guys are always the ones who tend to run the house as they get older.

Although, as a proud spring pledge myself I would ultimately recommend rushing in the Fall.

If I had this website when I was going to college I would have automatically joined a fraternity in the fall.
A spring rush is usually a guy who was hesitant about rushing during the fall because he didn’t really understand what fraternities were all about or he didn’t check out all the houses in the fall and never found one he liked. I recommend rushing in the fall and checking out all the houses to find yourself one that can see yourself having an great time hanging out with.

It’s makes me proud every time to see such a great your group of guys join our order. My hope is that the new initiates keep that same fire that they during pledgeship bring it the house next year to be a leader and bring the house to a whole other level.

Filed Under: Featured, Fraternity, Fratonomics 101, Greek Life

Fraternity Rivalries

June 1, 2012 by Grant Sutherland 1,169 Comments

Fraternity rivalries are an inevitable occurrence. Asking for all fraternities to make peace with each other is like trying to ask Kobe Bryant to not take a single shot next game; it’s going to happen. You’d have a better chance converting the Pope to Rastafarianism.

Rivalries can originate from anything, really. Even a bad look from another fratstar at a party can turn into years of warfare. Even a subtle observance of another’s frat castle can lead to conflict – “They have more parking spots than us, F*** those guys!!!” Most fratstars will accept any reason to hate on another house. It’s part of the game.

Nothing says “I hate those pricks” more than intramural sports. Never in your life will a softball game have so much riding on the table. If you botch a groundball, you might as well start looking forward to dish duty for the next week. An aggressive basketball contest against your arch-nemisis can mean more pushing and shoving than a Walmart opening on Black Friday. When bragging rights are on the line, you may even show up early for warm-ups.

Other contributors to fraternity rivalries can be rush, girls, and any type of aggravated assault. Whatever house signs the 5-star recruits can be hated on by other houses solely out of respect and jealousy. Girls can create some of the worst hatred; one of your current hook-ups talking to some douche in another house and it’s on like Donkey Kong. Of course, no brother in any house is going to disregard a beat down on a fellow brother. A right hook to your Vice President’s dome-piece will result in 75-plus pissed off, potentially wasted adolescents who all want your head on a silver platter. I’d strongly advise not putting yourself in that situation…You’re welcome.

Unless it involves some costly property damages, messing with another fraternity’s house can be a pretty fun, friendly contributor to cross-campus rivalries. Stealing flags, painting front doors, and marking your territory on their front lawn are all fun, relatively harmless ways of getting back at those jack knobs down the street. Of course, there are tons of others that all require a little more thinking and creativity. It all depends on how bad you want to get those guys.

Hating anything that is associated with your rival fraternity can be fun and extremely entertaining i.e. praying to God for rain, lightning strikes, and multiple tsunami warnings during their annual houseboat trip. Nonetheless, it’s nothing to get bent out of shape about because at the end of the day, we’re all just a bunch of fratstars vying for one thing: Worldwide Bro Domination.

Filed Under: Featured, Fraternity, Fratonomics 101, Greek Life, Party Scene

5 Ways to Open a Beer

May 29, 2012 by Grant Sutherland 1,819 Comments

So, you’re feeling a little classy tonight. You’ve picked yourself up a six-pack of Sierra Nevada and are headed to the live-out for a casual Friday night mixer. You’re looking good and you’re about to feel even better as you indulge in those ice cold beers. However, these bad boys aren’t twist-offs, which leaves you with a little bit of a debacle. The following is a list of different ways to open your beer.

-The Bottle Opener
Self-explantory. Easy, quick, boom, done.

-The Lighter
This method needs a little bit of muscle. So far all you pansies out there, this might not be the best choice for you. Grasp your hand around the neck and with your other hand, place the lighter underneath the cap. Using your hand as leverage, press down on the other end of the lighter to pop the cap off. Might take a couple tries, but this is a relatively easy way to open a bottle.

-The Double Bottle
Difficult to describe this one, so I’ve posted a video to help you understand it. I haven’t seen too many people perfect this method, but hey, if you’re without a lighter and a bottle opener, this can be a practical technique. Just be sure to not open both beers on accident! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrKTKQVsib4

-The Dollar Bill
This one is extremely tough. Basically involves tightly folding a dollar bill (any amount will be fine) until it’s sturdy enough to pop the cap off. The same leverage maneuver is used here as in the Lighter trick above. I also included a video for this one below.

-Your Teeth
Unless you literally have no other choice, don’t try this one. Sure it’s badass, but it might result in a painful trip to the dentist.

Hope this helps you out next time you’re enjoying some quality beers. Happy Drinking!

Filed Under: Fraternity, Fratonomics 101

Getting a Jump Start on Rush

May 28, 2012 by Tim Roberts 1,309 Comments

If the college your going to has an informal Fraternity rush- which almost all that I know do- then you have an opportunity to get a head start on rush. If you don’t know any one in any houses (fraternities) at the school or you want to get to know the other houses, here is some advice on your first steps to getting a bid.

Some fraternities do a summer rush. A summer rush usually consists of putting together barbeques or retreats in a city that might not be where the university is but where some of the brothers are from. If you can get involved in these summer rush events you’ll have an edge up from the others rushes.

To clarify, a rush is a kid trying to kid a bid from a house. Talk to your friends who are heading to the same school as you to see if they are going to any of the events and try to get on the Fraternity’s Summer Rush Facebook page.

Another way to get a jumpstart on rush is during your summer orientation. After you have to do all the boring orientation stuff and listen to people speak all day, take a trip to Fraternity Row.

A lot of houses will have people living in over the summer and taking summer classes. Go up to the door and ring the door bell, you might have to wait awhile but someone should show up. Tell them you’re a high school senior who’s thinking about rushing in the fall. Ask for a tour of the house and bullshit around or ask if they have any summer rush events. The least you’ll get is a phone number and you can give him a call or text in the fall when you head to school.

These are a couple great ways to get a jumpstart on rush. If you don’t want to do any of these things you should be fine in the fall but it’s never to early to start because no one wants to be a GDI for life.

For some more info on rush check out this video:

Filed Under: Featured, Fraternity, Fratonomics 101, Greek Life, Rush

Essential Frat/Dorm Room Items

May 23, 2012 by Grant Sutherland 1,839 Comments

Your room in your respected fraternity can be used any way you like it. Most of it depends on the layout of your room, how big it is, if you’re sharing it with anybody, and where in the house it is. Regardless of whether you want it more as a sanctuary from the ridiculousness that happens down the hall or as a bro den where all your brothers come to kick it and party, there are a few items that are essential to any frat room.

-Refrigerator
Having one of these bad boys is an absolute must. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve crawled out of bed on a Saturday morning to grab an ice cold Gatorade to help cure the hangover. It’s a life-changer.

-Speakers
Large or small, having a quality set of speakers is clutch. Your music library is bound to explode as you start listening and getting introduced to all of your brothers favorite bands. Having a subwoofer is a nice touch if you can afford it.

-Posters
Decking out your walls with mass posters is pretty standard for a fraternity bedroom. Repping your hometown sports teams, your own school team, favorite bands/artists, and even throwing an American flag up are all good choices. And if you can, find a couple street signs to nail on the wall. It’s a cool idea and gives your room kind of a vintage feel. Definitely check out AllPosters.com for the best selection and prices.

-TV
Not as important maybe as the previous items, but if you can afford it, definitely snag a television to mount on the wall. No need to get in the specifics here, we all know what these things are and how we use them.

-Xbox/Nintendo 64
Yeah, I said it. N64 is still very much a playmaker in the video game world. Classics such as Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Mario Tennis, and Starfox are commonly played in frat houses all across America. Plus, they make for great drinking games!

-Large Dirty Clothes Hamper
Emphasis on the “Large”. You’re living in a frat house now, youngblood. Mommy isn’t here to do your laundry any more. You’re going to dirty your clothes up….a lot. Frat houses can be among the dirtiest, most grimy establishments in America but hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

-No more twin mattresses
Assuming your spent your freshman year in the dorms, it’s time to upgrade from that shi*** twin bed frame you had to deal with. Going with anything less than a double is absolutely foolish. Unless your name is Shaquille O’Neal, a double or a queen will be just fine. Make sure it’s comfortable, too.

-Febreeze or Scented Candles
I’m a huge fan of scented candles. Seriously, they smell great and the girls seem to love ‘em. But really anything works. Your room is bound to get pretty raunchy in the smell category. If you’re not feeling the “girly” smell of these two things, then the occasional Axe bomb can always do the trick.

-Futon/Sofa
These can be nice only if you have the room for them and if you’re looking to share your bedroom with 10 homies that are constantly chilling in your room. Seating for 3-4 extra is always a nice touch. It makes those late-night FIFA battles always much more comfortable.

I can’t think of anything else really worth mentioning. I will update this post in the future if I think of anything else but this pretty much sums it up. Any way you want your room to look, just make sure it’s comfortable and roomy – space is quite a luxury in most of the rooms I’ve been in.

(Photo by Merrimack College under Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0)

Filed Under: Dorm Room, Dorms, Featured, Fraternity, Fratonomics 101

’30 for 30′ is Back

May 18, 2012 by Tim Roberts 1,237 Comments

If you haven’t heard yet Espn is bringing back the 30 for 30 series this fall for another season. These last series of films were some of the most amazing sports stories that have never been told. 30 for 30 tell short stories about anything involving the great world of sport. Espn did a fantastic job by finding unknown stories about athletes that were sometimes unknown to the public and making an inspirational film about the story. My favorite film from the first series was “The U”. “The U” was a film on the history of the rise of the Miami dynasty. The film highlighted the swagger and overall badass attitude of the Miami Hurricane football players.

The new 30 for 30 season is to air sometime this fall. I can’t wait to see what stories Espn sheds light on this season. Every guy out there should see this as fantastic news. If you live in a Fraternity, Espn is problem the most watched channel so when you have your girlfriend over and she wants to watch some dumb reality show you better hope that there is and Espn 30 for 30 on to bail you’re ass out. But in all truth these films an intriguing and fantastic pieces of film work. Can’t wait to see what stories Espn brings us this fall.

Last Season Trailer:

Filed Under: Fratonomics 101

The Rollercoaster Called Life

May 15, 2012 by Tim Roberts 1,019 Comments

Life is a roller coaster, you never know when the ups and downs will be and you can never expect the twists and turns.

This past week in school has been scary amusement ride. College is a fantastic experience and I hope everyone is given the opportunity to experience it. Being in a Fraternity you can expect to be partying and having an awesome time in college but there is also times when it is not all sunshine and butterflies.

You will remember all the times you raged with your brothers and sometimes crossed the line but although partying with your bros will be a fond memory, the times when take time to sit back, talk and dwell about life are the times that will really stick with you.

A fraternity is a brotherhood and we will always have eachother’s backs no matter what. If you aren’t a guy who enjoys being with your family you won’t enjoy fraternity life. Just as important as the partying is the reflecting and understanding your fellow brothers.

Sometimes life can throw you a curve ball and your brothers are the ones the help you keep your weight back, sit and wait to drive the ball to right field. None can’t expected the unexpected craziness that comes with life but I am thankful that I have my Fraternity brothers to get my through it when the expected comes. Being there for you friends and family is one of the most important things in life because life is fragile.

So make sure everyday you go out and hold yourself accountable for making someone else’s day.

(Photo by chb1848 under Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0)

Filed Under: Fraternity, Fratonomics 101