Community Chat

[songbird]

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@golding76 wrote:

PamfromCt and mominohio,

With great joy I went off to college in the early 1960s without one scintilla of desire to join a sorority.  If anything, my highly individualistic self actively wanted no part of "Greek" life.  

Not that I had any animosity toward those who chose to be part of such a band of sisters.  I clearly remember the girls on my floor who joined Kappa Delta.  They were always fun to be around but were definitely different from me in regard to their ideals and goals.

My sons were born with the same sort of "fraternity-averse" gene that was part of my identity.

I have noted over the years, however, that those who joined a sorority or fraternity very often have a coterie of old friends to return to for help, encouragement and friendship.  So, it can't be all bad.

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It does serve a function.  Certainly for practical reasons.  You have to have some kind of networking to help you in finding and getting jobs.  The university function is to educate you.  But you're on your own in finding a job your field of education is suited for. Nothing wrong with a Scholastic fraternity.  It looks good on your resume.  It helped me. A lot of our student workers were from the fraternal and sorority houses.  They were great kids.

[PamfromCT]

Hi @golding76, I don’t mean to be snarky, but many of us older folks have forever friends without the fraternity or sorority experience.  In fact, some friends go back to high school.

[golding76]

Pam,

No offense taken.  I have friends who go back to my childhood (when I was five).  Nothing like the friendships that we can trace to childhood, high school and one's hometown. 

They are our "forever friends," if we can keep the friendship alive over the decades.

Then, too, there are your close relatives who become your friends as you and they matured.  They are folks whom you met right after birth.

[Anonymous032819]

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@PreKteacher wrote:

How terrible! I'm so sorry for his family. 

I do have one problem with this report, though. I don't understand how they can report that he had no underlying conditions, when he was clearly obese. I'm not speculating on what killed him, and I certainly hope the parents will learn his cause of death and get some closure. I just don't understand why they would dismiss obesity as an underlying condition, when it's actually detrimental to one's health. 

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@PreKteacher 

Thank you for saying that, and that is not "fat shaming".

It is a fact that being obese is not healthy, and can cause all sorts of health problems.

That isn't "fat shaming", that's a fact.

Surely no one actually thinks being obese is healthy, do they? 

[Cakers3]

Drinking a whole bottle of Jack Daniels (or whatever brand of alcohol) can kill anyone, over-weight or not.

I don't think mentioning his weight is "fat-shaming" but I also do not believe it is relevant to this tragedy.

It is a sad story and unfortunately not a new topic regarding "hazing".

[KarenQVC]

It will be easier to sort out after the autopsy report comes out.

My son visited a friend one time at his fraternity.  A guy died overnight in the furnace room.  He was kind of beat up and the police questioned the guys as though they were suspects.  It turned out the dead kid had taken so many drugs he had overdosed but had basically beat himself up before he died.

You never know.  

[Lindsays Grandma]

@golding76   I read this story earlier today and it certainly touched my heart.  A young man who was looking forward to a new chapter in his life senselessly dies.  I pray for his family who are suffering the loss of their loved one.  May Adam Oakes rest in peace in the arms of the angels.  

[Snoopp]

I hope this wasn’t a hazing incident.  Tragic.

[maximillian]

Timothy Piazza, Penn State student, died in February of 2017 at a fraternity party.  He was beyond drunk.  He fell down stairs.  His fraternity fellows saw him fall down the stairs.  He was severely injured.  No one had the decency to call for Emergency Medical help for hours.  When they finally got him to the hospital, he died of his injuries.  His parents have been on a nationwide campaign to convince colleges and universities and college-age kids of the tragic results of consuming alcohol at these events.  Yes, it was a hazing event.  Yes, there were drinking games.  Several young fraternity brothers had to go through the Pennsylvania justice system, some of them on trial.  The results were pretty unsatisfactory.  There was a lot of blame, finger-pointing, regret, but no one really admitted to any wrong-doing.  None of the young men involved lost very much.  They will continue to live their lives, with college degrees.  REST IN PEACE, Timothy Piazza, along with former, current and future victims of hazing and drinking games. 

[Lucky Charm]

I make people here mad I'm sure, but Jon Hamm (and a couple of other frat brothers) were part of a horrific hazing event back in the 90's.  Moreso, physical brutality, which also included setting a pledges pants on fire.  Very graphic.  Unbelievable.