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Hey

The beginning of the first chapter introduces the reader to Kalin, a chubby, spotty and almost blind without his owl glasses guy in comparision with Philip, the head of Phi Mu Alpha, the most popular guy on campus. He was suave, sophisticated, cool, handsome.(...) everything Kalin wasn't and desperately wanted to be.

What do you think about this theme of fraternities and sororities? Was it well portrayed in the book? Do you find the issue of desperately wanted to be realistic? Was your experience in a fraternity/sorority similar to or did you ever come across someone like Kalin of Philip?

I don't have a personal experience with any sororities now that you can get a Bachelors's Degree through community colleges. I opted to save money and just worry about getting my degree. That being said, I have nieces and nephews who are currently doing the on-campus college life and I would say the book had the situation pretty close to right. I am not saying all fraternities and sororities go as far, but some still do. It is a whole new world to college freshmen and they do feel inferior to the upperclassmen and just want to fit in. Not all are as insecure as Kalin, but there are some who fit that bill!

Having studied in England, I didn't have the experience of applying for a fraternity. I was assigned to a room by the university accommodation bureau and that was it. But I did see some Kalins and Philips around in other contexts.

I studied in South Korea and never had any experiences regarding sororities, so my opinion of the whole fraternity/sorority Greek life has never been established. I can't ever imagine desperately wanting to enter one...

Although I have never been in one. This is pretty on point to the American sororities scene. I felt it was a good representation and accurate. I do not know about other countries, but in America, kids are sick. There are so many questionable hazing practices that take place.

In college, I attended the informational meeting about joining a sorority, but the price tag quickly made me shy away from actually rushing. While on my particular campus, I don't think hazing ever went that far, there is still a definite draw to belonging to a group on campus that is so close-knit. It is an "easy" way to guarantee that you make friends.

I went to a private religious school and our fraternities and sororities were honor societies with an emphasis on academics and community service, so I can't relate to the fraternity in this story. But hazing seems wrong and inappropriate.

tjportugal wrote: ↑08 Apr 2020, 05:08 Hey

The beginning of the first chapter introduces the reader to Kalin, a chubby, spotty and almost blind without his owl glasses guy in comparision with Philip, the head of Phi Mu Alpha, the most popular guy on campus. He was suave, sophisticated, cool, handsome.(...) everything Kalin wasn't and desperately wanted to be.

What do you think about this theme of fraternities and sororities? Was it well portrayed in the book? Do you find the issue of desperately wanted to be realistic? Was your experience in a fraternity/sorority similar to or did you ever come across someone like Kalin of Philip?

I had a friend rush to be in a sorority and I think most of them tend to stay away from breaking the law in their initiation rites nowadays. At least that’s what I hear, although they don’t stay away from the underage drinking.
I do think they still haze their initiates but I think this particular one in the book was a little out there. It could be explained by the fact that later in the book, it was admitted that the task was given to Kalin to keep him out of the frat.

@B Creech @leximutia @tanner87cbs @Odette Chace @Twylla

Thank you for you comments.
It's really good to compare different experiences, especially those from around the world.

Unfortunately this is very realistic. Especially in school settings. College fraternities are a place where the most socially accepted humans congregate together and they will dislike and want to bully those that they deem outsiders or deviants.

tjportugal wrote: ↑14 Apr 2020, 13:08 @B Creech @leximutia @tanner87cbs @Odette Chace @Twylla

Thank you for you comments.
It's really good to compare different experiences, especially those from around the world.

Thank you! Yes, it is good to compare different experiences!

My small private college had fraternities and sororities for all different kinds of students -- geeks, bookworms, super social party types, athletes, artists, etc. -- nothing at all like what is portrayed in "Project Tau." Maybe that sort of thing is only found at larger universities.

Juliet+1 wrote: ↑15 Apr 2020, 18:30 My small private college had fraternities and sororities for all different kinds of students -- geeks, bookworms, super social party types, athletes, artists, etc. -- nothing at all like what is portrayed in "Project Tau." Maybe that sort of thing is only found at larger universities.

I went to a larger State University and all I remember is that there was a lot of drinking at the frats and at the sororities. If there was hazing, and I'm sure there must have been, it was not well publicized.

I think that at some level people want to be accepted by their peers especially when in a new situation like college. I also think that in some circles being a part of a Greek organization is not just a rite of passage, but membership into an exclusive club. People who do not live on a college campus or go to college in a different country might not understand that drive.

I think this scenario is not just a fraternity issue. Look at the bullying that takes place in American schools. Phillip giving Kalin an unachievable task to exclude him from being able to join the group is played out daily on every playground in this country.
Philip’s reaction when he finds out what happened to Kalin because of it is also the classic response of bullies. They don’t think about others. They don’t think about the consequences of their actions. For the most part kids like Phillip have been sheltered from having to deal with consequences.
I think the author did a great job of telling that part of this story.