# Frats & Greek Connection

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frats-greek-connection/84699>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 1, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frats-greek-connection/84699 "2001-10-01T02:19:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frats-greek-connection/84699/1 "2001-10-01T02:19:27Z")

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Why do the Frats pretend to have some connection to Greek life with their Greek letters, and some have pseudo-patrons Greeks, so to speak, for their respective Frat houses. Is it just because of toga parties?

I don’t get it…

- Jinx

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frats-greek-connection/84699/2 "2001-10-01T14:02:51Z")

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The culture of the Ancient Greeks, to Americans, carries a lot of emotional baggage. It is considered to represent nothing less than the roots of Western civilization, and to stand for such noble concepts as “freedom”, “democracy”, “education”, “intelligent questioning”, etc.

So when fraternities are founded on the university campuses, they are named respectfully after letters of the Greek alphabet, rather than, say, after the guy who donated the money to build the frat house.

Which fraternity would _you_ rather join–Alpha Beta Gamma, representing “democracy”, or McIntyre House, founded by Big Bob McIntyre–“For All Your Automotive Needs”, representing “filthy lucre”? 😃

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frats-greek-connection/84699/3 "2001-10-01T14:18:20Z")

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My fraternity was actually based more on teh Roman system.

–Cliffy