ASPhi-Berkeley tries something new
 

Berkeley Daily Planet
Edition Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2004

Shortage of Pledges May Empty Frat House
By MATTHEW ARTZ (05-04-04)
On the otherwise gray wall of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity house is a painting of the U.S. Marines struggling to raise the American flag at Iwo Jima. Beside the painting is a testimonial to fraternity brother Colonel Harry Liversedge, who “led U.S. forces” in the famous World War II battle.

Now nearly 60 years later, the brothers of Alpha Sigma Phi are again looking for a few good men, not to save their country, but to save their fraternity and their house.

Three weeks ago the eight non-graduating brothers plastered flyers around campus offering residents of Bowles Hall—the last all-male dormitory on the UC campus with rituals not unlike a fraternity—the chance to join the Alpha Sigma Phi and take over the house.

“We want to bring a group of friends here, teach them our ways and our traditions and then let them run with it,” said Jay Lynas, a junior. When Lynas pledged the fraternity last fall, he was one of a pledge class of only four. This spring, no one pledged. Lynas loves his brothers, but in the cutthroat world of Greek life at UC Berkeley, four new brothers a year isn’t enough to keep a fraternity viable.

To survive, Alpha Sigma Phi has opened its doors to boarders—residents who live at the fraternity house but aren’t members. It’s enough to pay the rent, but ultimately it might not be enough to keep the house, which is owned by alumni and run as a nonprofit corporation.

“They have no reason to run it if no brothers are living in the house,” Lynas said.

Tasvir Patel, president of the Inter Fraternity Council, said an overflow boarder population is not unique to Alpha Sigma Phi. UC Berkeley’s Greek population has been declining at an average of 1.5 percent a year for several years, while two new fraternities have been established. “It’s survival of the fittest, to some extent,” Patel said.

The brothers of Alpha Sigma Phi didn’t always live on the edge of extinction. The fraternity was founded in 1913. Like many UC Berkeley fraternities it died in 1965 at the peak of the Free Speech Movement. A new group revived the fraternity in 1983, however. It boasted a strong membership until the early 90s, when its ranks began to dwindle and the number of boarders at the 20-room fraternity house sometimes topped the number of brothers.

Even in a friendly housing market, the Alpha Sigma Phi and other similar fraternities have always found tenants. Since their landlord doesn’t seek a profit, they offer bedrooms starting below $400 with free cable television, DSL Internet hook-up, and a cook.

Lynas, like several of the fraternity brothers, entered the house as a boarder, and chose to pledge. Still, he said, some lines were drawn between the brothers and the boarders. “We make sure they’re out of the house or in their rooms when we’re having our ceremonies or stuff,” he said.

Frank Hane, a brother who graduated last year, said some of the boarders are actually bigger partiers than the brothers. “We’ve had a few guys come in and puke all over the place. We’re not cool with that by any means,” he said.

For Hane, the house has been the centerpiece of his college life. “This place is my connection to UC,” he said. “We’ve had a great group of brothers. It’s more intense than a regular friendship.”

No member of Bowles Hall took the fraternity up on its offer, but five underclassmen from different dorms expressed an interest, and last Wednesday night they were made pledges. If all goes well, this week they will become full-fledged members.

Theo Widjaja, a fraternity brother said he had mixed feelings about the future members only having to pledge for a week, buy Lynas thought that was insignificant.

“We met them and kind of got a feeling that somehow they had that spark to carry on what we’re offering to them,” Lynas said.

Although they are offering easy membership, Lynas said the fraternity still has standards. “Despite how we’re appealing to people, we’re still selective of who we’ll allow to take over the house,” he said. “We don’t feel like we’re moving out and it’s going to nothing. We still have a few active members trying to rebuild it.”

My bf's chapter lets non-brothers board in their house if they are short brothers living in the house. They are a commutter school so it works. Right now they aren't having that problem seeing basically almost all the brothers live in the house now. In the past they've had sorority girls live in their house and random students. Those randon students didn't pledge but it helped them keep their house.

Re: ASPhi-Berkeley tries something new
 

Making them brothers in a week is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I know you want to keep your house, but these men don't know enough about ASPhi in a week to become the kind of members a struggling group needs to keep going.

I could never fathom even attempting to cram all this Sigma stuff in one week. Even in 2-3 months, it gets confusing. And the ritual isn't the same when you haven't had a chance to bond with the guys. It means nothing if you didn't have to wait and anticipate it. It's just a ceremony.

We had a sorority at my school in the early 90s literally hand out bids on campus to survive. They had more than 35 new members, and this is on a campus where total is 52, and they now are one of the largest houses on campus. I'm not saying it works all the time, but you do what is needed to survive if you love the chapter and want it to continue.

All the best to ASPhi at Berkeley :)

What she said. :D

A lot of houses at Berkely take on boarders.... so that shouldn't be a problem


I do wish the best to ASPHI

The Greek System in Berkeley in general is having a rough time unfortunately because of the Moratorium that was implace a year past and the restrictions that still remain to this day. :(

Furthermore, some fraternities are sucking up all the pledges as well. Our local of TKE acquired 33 pledges this semester simply because accepting the bid was pretty much a couple week -- here, learn this crap waiting period and then an instant initiation or something to that effect. I think its wonderful that they managed to bring in that many guys, but frankly -- I am disappointed that they didn't have to work as hard to "Cross Over" as I did -- especially since I spent the last half of my semester alone. I was extremely proud when I initiated for the simple fact that I had done something that was really unprecedented in the history of our chapter.

My house, Theta Delta Chi is dangerously low on guys because three brothers deactivated this semester; however, we would never do anything that drastic. Though this upcoming fall is going to be critical if we are to stay alive...

Have they tried to offer bids to the guys who are boarders at the house?

Re: Re: ASPhi-Berkeley tries something new
 

This is also one of the dumbest things I've ever read.

Sometimes things become quite drastic and chapters need to do what they have to do in order to survive. If that means making some pledges become members in a week, so be it. They will learn everything they need to know from experiencing things while being brothers.

I knew nothing as a pledge and all of my experience came to me while I was a newer member. I learned along the way and these guys could as well.

Every group is different so don't knock them for it. It's better to make an attempt like this then to simply let it die and if the chapter does go under, well they can say they went down fighting.

As an Alpha Sigma Phi member and one who has visited the Nu chapter house at Beserkeley, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the house at a reasonable occupancy level.

Back when I was an undergrad (at Alpha Alpha chapter at the University of Oklahoma), my chapter was very small for the house it occupied (only about 15 actives and pledges total); vacant apartments at the house were rented out to 'outsiders' who were welcomed at our 'open' parties; occasionally a few of the boarders would express an interest in joining and were extended a bid if they were eligible.

Unfortunately, we couldn't do what the Beserkeley guys are doing because of IFC rules.

I wish them all the best. I can see the whole gotta do what you gotta do and I really hope in this case it works out for them and they become strong again. I hate to see any Greek Organization close its doors without a fight. We need Greek Organizations.... Good Luck to them.

I guess many do not really know about U. Cal.

It is a strange place where few The New Greeks are decided to be Joiners while most of the Campus is We Do Our own Thing as individuals. Well unless it has changed in the last 5-6 years.

Berkely has always been we do it our way type of place for many years. LXA and (?) sorry slips me were one of the first to start Fraternitys there. This was in the early 1900s and were spread there from the East, the Basic Beds of Greekdom as compared to the Mid West and the West.

I am sure the school is clamping down because of some of the happenings that have gone on in the past and They Will be boss!

Of course, I have no idea of the Greek Alum Base there as far as donations to the School.

I for one wish any and ALL GREEK organizations GOOD LUCK THERE!:)

Re: Re: ASPhi-Berkeley tries something new
 

There are many reasons that I could disagree with you, but I will choose just one. I wore letters the day of my bid day, does that mean I didn't appreciate them because I didn't know what they meant? No... I just appreciated them that much more when I went through intiation. To be honest, I didn't bond with anyone in my pledge class, and it wasn't because I didn't want to, they were just on a different level than me with their life/college career. I was a 17 year old freshman, they were all 19-20. Does that mean that I didn't appreciate them? No. Yeah, I bonded...with one girl in my pledge class, and the bulk of the active members. Just because a new member doesn't spend months learning information doesn't mean he or she doesn't appreciate the fraternity/sorority they are joining.

For many people Ritual changes as they change. It has meant something different to me every single time that I have experienced it. The feeling of sisterhood and brotherhood grows with the ritual, not necessarily with the new member period. I am close with women who are AOIIs that were initiated after me, and those who were initiated long before me, and those who were not a part of my chapter.

Also what it comes down to is that many chapters will do WHATEVER it takes not to close. Don't knock people for trying something that may just work for them for a while until they get re-established. What if a girl joined your pledge class more than half way through a new member period...does that make her less of a sister when she gets initiated? Doubtful.

Re: Re: ASPhi-Berkeley tries something new
 

I would encourage you to live life as a member of a sorority that is in INCREDIBLE danger of losing their charter due to numbers, and see what you will or won't do to keep that chapter alive. It's sometimes the way it works out, but you will and should want to make those sacrifices to survive.

Didn't mean to ruffle feathers, that's just my opinion. Of course I've never been on that end before so I guess you do what you have to :)