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Fraternities and MIT: A Winning Combination

By Drew Jaglom '74, P '05

Thirty years ago, just after I graduated from MIT, The Tech, MIT's student newspaper, ran a column I co-authored on the benefits of fraternity living at the Institute. Recently, as the parent of an MIT senior, I was asked by the MIT Parents Association to write a similar piece for the MIT parents newsletter. My comments might be of interest to alumni as well.

My son and I both joined Delta Tau Delta at MIT, and we both found it played a huge part in our successful MIT careers. When I look back at my years at MIT, I remember my fraternity experiences even more than those in the classroom, in laboratories, and on athletic fields.

A lot has changed in the last 30 years, but much is the same. MIT remains the nation's premier educational institution for science and technology. And fraternities, sororities, and other independent living groups (FSILGs) remain an integral part of the MIT campus, with just under a third of all upperclass students and nearly half of all upperclass men living in FSILGs. (While freshmen generally agree to join an FSILG soon after they arrive on campus, under current rules they initially live in an MIT dorm and may not move into the FSILG until their sophomore year.) Indeed, MIT has a higher proportion of its students in FSILGs than just about any other elite university. The groups are varied, with 27 fraternities (one is co-ed), five sororities, and five other independent living groups (four are co-ed).

This success seems at odds with the stereotypes of MIT students and fraternities. These stereotypes also have changed little from 30 years ago when I wrote, "The MIT student is supposed to be a brilliant recluse, short and skinny, wearing thick glasses and carrying a slide rule." Well, the slide rule is gone, but the image of the nose-to-the-grindstone nerd remains and is equally divorced from the reality of the well-rounded and well-adjusted students I meet for interviews as an educational counselor. The image of the stereotypical fraternity--as an elitist, hard-partying Animal House where freshman are hazed and studying is impossible--is equally inaccurate, particularly at MIT, where the membership of the FSILGs reflects the students who make up the MIT community. They are smart, serious about academic success, but with many other interests in music, sports, politics, and myriad other fields.

The FSILGs provide the perfect complement to the intensity of MIT. The academic challenges and pressures at MIT are unparalleled. MIT students do work harder than students at other schools. The freshman year can be particularly stressful. The natural support group of a fraternity, sorority, or other independent living group makes it much easier to deal with the academic rigor. Surrounded by upperclassmen who have been through the same classes and who care about their success, underclassmen in the FSILGs have an invaluable resource generally unavailable to those in the dorms. All FSILGs also have a graduate student resident advisor who is available to help with advice on academics and life.

The FSILGs also provide a release from the stress and pressures of MIT through a close-knit group of friends, a social program, and intramural athletic teams of every skill level. The ability to decompress from the MIT grind is essential, and the FSILGs make that easier to do, offering not just parties, but community service activities, group outings, intramural sports and, perhaps best of all, just the opportunity to hang out with good friends.

Living conditions at FSILGs are also enhanced. Meals are often better than the MIT food service options--the current chef at my son's fraternity previously worked at Legal Sea Foods and makes a Boston clam chowder as good as any. The cost of living in an FSILG is often less than the MIT dormitory housing costs, even with the additional social programs they offer.

In addition, only a small part of a college education comes in the classroom. Many of the most valuable lessons I learned came from my fraternity. The FSILGs are independent organizations. Their members must govern it and make it run smoothly. Most own their own houses, generally through alumni "house corporations." The members must plan and carry out all maintenance, renovations, finances, meal service, social events, and other aspects of running a living group. Most are assisted by active alumni groups, but every member must be prepared to be a contributing part of the larger group and to help make it the kind of place they want to live.

Indeed, this aspect of fraternity life remedies one weakness of the MIT education. MIT excels at creating brilliant engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs, skilled at quantitative analysis and problem-solving. However, as noted in a 1998 Task Force on Student Life and Learning, "MIT has been criticized for not providing adequate preparation in skills like teamwork, communication, and leadership." It is precisely these leadership and interpersonal skills that are honed by living in an FSILG. Surveys have found that FSILG members are more likely to ask other students for advice, better able to resolve interpersonal conflicts, and more apt to feel a closer connection to the MIT faculty than dorm residents.

As fraternity members, my son and I learned how to help run an organization, work as a team for the benefit of all, and resolve differences with a diverse group of people with backgrounds quite different from our own. With some 40 close friends, all interested in each other's well being, we also learned how to both give and receive support. That is a recipe for forming lifelong friendships. Indeed, the vast majority of my friends from MIT are those from my fraternity.

Because of the bonds formed in their living groups, FSILG alumni generally have a greater connection to MIT as well. Of the 135 MIT faculty members who were undergraduates at MIT, about half are FSILG alumni--well above the historic 30 percent of undergrads who join FSILGs. FSILG alumni also give to MIT in higher percentages than dormitory alumni, and their gifts are on average 3.5 times larger. Of the top 5 percent of alumni givers, 73 percent are FSILG alumni, as are 85 percent of those giving $100,000 or more. This reflects both a warmer view of MIT and higher incomes of FSILG alumni over alumni who lived in the dorms.

Looking back on my years at MIT, I attribute both my success and my enjoyment of that time to my fraternity. As a parent, I have seen my son have the same experience. I am convinced that belonging to an FSILG not only enhances the MIT experience, but helps ensure a college career that is both successful and fun. With 37 different FSILGs with varied approaches and differing focuses, I believe there is a good fit for every student interested in joining one. As both an alumnus and a parent, I believe the FSILG options are an integral part of the MIT experience.

Peter Jaglom '05 and alumni parent Drew Jaglom '74 About the Author Drew Jaglom practices distribution and marketing law with Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP in New York City. His practice includes software and other intellectual property licensing, the distribution of food, soft drinks, beer, wine, and spirits, as well as many other industries. Drew is the chairman of the annual American Law Institute-American Bar Association Course of Study on Product Distribution and Marketing and contributed the "Distribution Contracts" checklist in Legal Checklists published by Callaghan & Co. He is co-chair of the Privacy Committee of the International Law and Practice Section of the New York State Bar Association and a member of the Sections Executive Committee. Drew is also an advisory board member of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food. He teaches the segment on Law and the Culinary Business for the Essentials of Restaurant Management program offered by the French Culinary Institute. He lives in Bronxville, New York, with his wife, Janet Stampfl, and their daughter, Wendy, who will enter Duke University in the fall. Their son, Peter, is a senior at MIT.

Published May, 2005.

What Matters is a guest opinion column written by a different MIT alumnus or alumna each month. The views expressed in What Matters are entirely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association or of MIT. For previous columns, please see the archives. Would you like to contribute a What Matters column?
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