🚀 go-pugleaf

Okay, I've gotten a few replies telling me that fraternities and sororities
simply don't exist down under, one even saying that they were utter
nonsense.  Well, I have to agree with them.  For one thing, I'm not a
fraternity member, so I can be somewhat objective about them.  Here's the
deal: The summer before your first year, fraternities (frats) and sororties
send you propaganda, saying how they're the best one.  In many schools,
more than half the undergraduate student population belong to frats and
sororities (Greek groups), but here at Northwestern it's about 40%.
  But before I sound TOO negative, the idea behind fraternities is somewhat
okay.  Back before the American Revolution in the 1770's, some Harvard Uni
male students decided to start a group similar to the Masons (You probably
have similiar groups like Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary.), called Phi Beta
Kappa.  You could only get in if you were a student (before the 1960's,
almost all uni students were white), had excellent grades, and had done
community service (not to mention having rich parents).  It wasn't unitl
the late 19th century that the first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was
created; along the same guidelines.
 The biggest problem was that, although there were some African-American
uni students, there was no way they could get in the Greek groups.  So
around the 1900's, the first African-American fraternity (Alpha Phi Alpha)
and sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) were created.  I would guess that just
after Sputnik went up in 1957 and Elvis first came on the scene, the Greek
groups became more socially oriented.  The common, and usually accurate,
stereotype was that the Greek groups were houses of sin, alcoholism, and
places where you could make important contacts when you started looking for
a job (the ultimate in nepotism).
  Nowadays, hazing (doing life-threatening and dangerous activites on the
way to enter the Greek groups) is officially illegal (though it's still
underground), and the unis and the law don't give the Greek groups an easy
ride.  Since the minimum drinking age in the States is 21 (19 in Canada),
uni students have to sneak around to get a bottle of beer.   All in all, I
didn't join a fraternity because of the strong group mentality, and I'm an
individual who knows when to fit in and when to stand out.
  
  On another subject, what is a "student guild"?  I'd also like to know
about the student political parties.  Thanks!

P.S.  Most uni students live on campus in North America, so Greek groups
stand a better chance here than down under.