Essay On Black Fraternities

Being in a minority race can affect most aspects of your life, including your college experience. A study done by sociologists Rashawn Ray and Jason Rosow proves that black and white fraternity men experience two very different college experiences. After studying fifty-two fraternity men from three white and four black fraternities, they determined this was caused by the privilege of visibility and accountability. According to the study, white fraternity men had a hyper level of invisibility, meaning that they could disassociate their actions from their fraternity. For example, when a white fraternity member is not wearing his Greek letters he cannot easily be distinguished as a member of that fraternity and is free to do as he pleases, such as vandalize campus. On the other hand, black fraternity members have a hyper level of visibility. On a white-majority campus, black fraternity members are easily picked out by other students and staff members even when not
As I am a dual-enrollment high school senior I do not participate in on-campus clubs and activities, so seeing how different groups are treated gives me an insight on what campus life will be like after I transfer to a four-year university. I do not plan on joining a sorority so this study will help in my understanding of what different types of fraternities and sororities stand for and represent. For example, in this study, it was found that black fraternities are more career oriented and concerned about racial issues while white fraternities are more concerned about “living the college life” by doing things such as partying and sleeping around. While this study may not hold true to every college and university campus it is very informative in providing information, especially to someone like me who has no previous knowledge of what actually happens on college