Organizations exist because of the sense of belonging. Everyone wanted to be affiliated with any group, formal or informal, to have friends according to their preferences. Being in a group helps boost self-confidence and create an individual identity, according to how these organizations behave in the community. One of the most common organizations is the fraternity, which is eventually classified as a male organization, and a sorority for females. Males and females can be tagged as members of a fraternity since the paternal culture prevails in the organization. These fraternities are commonly present in schools since most of the recruits are adolescents and early adults.
An instinctive knowledge of most people, fraternity is a kind of organization that does not bring good impressions to the community, to the school, and to the members themselves. These negative impressions are like a genetic sickness that is passed from one generation to the next. Parents who become aware that their kids are involved in a fraternity get furious because of the fear of being beaten, which leads to hostility and even death. However, there are fraternities whose ideology is for the betterment of the members and of the community as well. These fraternities exist in schools and are even recognized by Student’ Affairs and Services (SAS) as one of the organizations that can freely implement their programs on campus.
This impression prompted the researcher to explore a school-based fraternity about its programs, how they influence their behavior towards their schoolmates, and how the organization helps in terms of academic performance for its members. Focus group discussions among the members and individual interviews with selected officers of the organization were the means for data gathering.
The thought that fraternities are there just to recruit new members to widen their scope and grow their numbers as well is not the case with the fraternity that the researcher has chosen to be the subject of this study. It is known that one of their duties and part of their program is to provide assistance and services to the school where they are officially recognized. These assistance and services, such as manpower during school activities, acting as school marshals during parades, helping as desk staff during enrollment, and performing during programs, are acknowledged by the institution. This gives an implication that some fraternities eventually modelled programs that have an impact on the students, teachers, and the school in general. As they are given more tasks, it boosts the ego of the organization through its members. This is supported by (Tse, 2020), that volunteering is associated with improved physical and psychological well-being.
Another result shows that there is no difference between non-fraternity and fraternity members in terms of how they respect the students and teachers around the campus. They are considered friends to everyone; nonetheless, they are more disciplined in terms of how they behave on the school campus. For them, this is very important since they carry the name of the fraternity, knowing that there are members who are local officials and community-renowned people. To survive the competitive challenges or enjoy the adventures presented by college life and ensure paths to social capital and professional status (Gutierrez, 2014), everyone must act according to the values of the fraternity. Each one of them monitors members' attitudes and whereabouts to ensure that all adhere to the constitution and statutes of the organization and rules and regulations of the institution at the same time.
On the other hand, fraternity members are very conscious of their academic performance, especially if they fail during the term assessments. Probably this is because the organization has numerous professionals who set a good example for the juniors. Intellectually gifted members set time to provide tutorial sessions to those who require assistance concerning academic interests. (Kudera, et. all, 2001) mentioned that one way in which fraternity members had a positive influence on each other was peer tutoring. They posted members who are achievers both academically and in sports, and members who completed their degree program. It shows that the fraternity values the skills and achievements of the members.
With these impressions, it is hoped that this article will enlighten the parents, the students, and the community that not all fraternities do something stupid in public because of their affiliation (Hagerty 2010), but fraternities are committed to using services to better their communities and the best training ground for leadership development programs on campus and excel academically. Therefore, it is recommended that the school officials, particularly the office of the Students’ Affairs and Services (SAS), coordinate with the fraternity officers in crafting sustainable programs they can deliver for the students and the school during the entire academic year. Gradually, fraternity stereotyping will change over time. In addition, an office should also be provided to ensure that their tutorial sessions are continuous and expand this service to non-fraternity members as well. After all, the intentions of their presence in school are clear, which is all about the welfare of the students and the institution.