‘Barbarians’

That was what we were labeled, those of us who did not join a sorority back when I was in college at the Republic of Diliman many years ago – back in the Neanderthal age. Most of my friends joined this very popular sorority which, in my first semester, had invited me to a get-to-know-us tea party, an ostensibly genteel and civilized gathering – what can go wrong over a nice cup of tea?

But I didn’t go, since I knew that I would not be joining their sorority, having promised my parents I would not do so as a condition for my transferring to the UP (the other condition was not joining rallies and protests, but I guess it is now safe for me to admit that I didn’t fulfill this condition). Besides, a friend who I greatly admired – and who was a sorority member – had warned me not to join, since during initiation “they’ll make you eat a butiki (lizard) – with toyo or ketchup!” Well, that butiki threat was more than enough for me to make up my mind. 

Looking back, I know I made the right decision, for I don’t think I would have made a very good “sis.” Yes, perhaps I’ve missed out on many of the perks sisterhood would have offered, but the innocuous UP English Club and the UP Writers Club provided enough belonging for me during my years in Diliman.

I don’t think the move to ban all sororities and fraternities will pass into law, the current uproar over frats notwithstanding. And I don’t think banning such organizations is the answer, since they’ll just go underground and be totally unsupervised.

It’s surely a “brod” thing, the Greek letters apparently forming a bond stronger than good sense and right values, membership a badge of honor worth risking life and limb for.

Being in a such a group offers not just camaraderie but protection, help with academics and many other things. Which isn’t a bad thing in itself, really; it’s great to help tutor or mentor underclassmen, to offer sage advice gained from experience. And after graduation, brods and sis-es open doors to jobs, promotions and opportunities in the corporate world, in government and in practically all fields.

It may be unfair to zero in on the legal profession, but law students will continue to join frats when they see their brods getting plum posts in private law firms (the brod will always get picked over the non-brod or the brod from another frat, that’s for sure) and in the judiciary (my colleague rightly pointed out that you do get the perks, if you survive the hazing). And when you get in a legal fix, you hope your case goes before the judge who’s a brod. Just look at how many – how few – of those involved in hazing deaths over the past years are actually in jail for their crimes.

The list of hazing deaths is already way too long, but despite all the talk of giving more teeth to the anti-hazing law and banning fraternities and sororities and justice for all, judging by how our legislators and officials speak of – with a measure of machismo – having gone through hazing in their own frat experience, guys will continue to be paddled and girls may perhaps still be fed butiki.