2nd Circuit Ponders Frat Life
A federal appeals court wrote about the strange rituals of fraternity life in an opinion (PDF) that allowed a New York college to deny recognition to a frat because it admits only men.
The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a preliminary injunction that had required the College of Staten Island to recognize the frat, known as the Chi Iota Colony. The court said frats are relatively weak forms of social association and may be subject to college nondiscrimination policies, the New York Times reports.
Chi Iota had argued its First Amendment right of association entitled it to recognition.
“In its tone and language, the ruling seemed to suggest that it had probably been a while since the circuit judges last watched Animal House,” the Times wrote. The opinion discussed the Greek system with “an oddly clinical approach” that showed an unfamiliarity with fraternity rituals, according to the newspaper.
As evidence, the story cited these passages:
“The fraternity selects its members through a process called ‘rush.’ ” And: “The fraternity also holds parties and social events once or twice or month. … Women are not only allowed to attend these events but are actively encouraged to do so.”
