Many fraternities craft activities to help their pledges do better on their school work and learn study skills. One such activity is organized study time or library hours where pledges must spend a designated amount of time each day doing homework. During these periods, senior brothers help out the pledges. Most fraternities maintain a minimum grade point average that their members must meet. If the number dips below that minimum, they will be asked to leave the fraternity.
Most fraternities have been around for decades and part of the pledging process is learning about the history surrounding the organization and the house. Some fraternities have scheduled history lessons where the pledges learn about the origin of the house and its history. Many fraternities have songs and even secret handshakes that only its members know. Some houses even bring in guest speakers such as alumni and past brothers to talk about the house.
Being assigned a big brother is a common activity in most fraternities. This big brother serves as your guide and helps you through the rush period. He is responsible to make sure you attend all of your fraternity activities and study halls. Since drinking alcohol is invariably part of the college experience, many fraternities also have a rotation of designated drivers and escorts to help out rushes and brothers who imbibe a little too much.
It would be impossible to write about fraternity pledges without mentioning the dark side of the process, also known as hazing. During hazing, pledges are often subjecting to humiliating and sometimes dangerous activities. One of the more common ones is the fraternity paddle where the big brother spanks his little brother. Some other hazing activities are even more humiliating, such as drinking a lot of alcohol and other things. In 2005, a young man died during hazing activities at Chico State University.