<story><title>Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership</title><url>https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2763720</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Steko</author><text>Kevin Drum notes it&amp;#x27;s a weak result but if true, wonders if the authors draw the right conclusions:&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;suppose it’s true. Here’s what the authors say:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Our results indicate that college administrators face an important trade-off when they consider policies designed to limit fraternity life on campus: while such policies may significantly raise academic performance, these gains may come at a significant cost in terms of expected future income for their graduates.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;I’d argue exactly the opposite: ... Allow me to reframe the authors’ conclusion:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Our results provide empirical evidence that fraternities are just another way for social elites to keep themselves at the top regardless of actual performance. Those rejected by fraternities, even though they have higher GPAs, earn 36 percent less than those accepted by fraternities. This is further evidence, if any were needed, that college administrators face few trade-offs when they consider policies designed to limit fraternity life on campus.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.motherjones.com&amp;#x2F;kevin-drum&amp;#x2F;2017&amp;#x2F;09&amp;#x2F;new-report-fraternities-help-mediocrities-succeed&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.motherjones.com&amp;#x2F;kevin-drum&amp;#x2F;2017&amp;#x2F;09&amp;#x2F;new-report-fra...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>gshulegaard</author><text>Just an anecdote, but joining a fraternity drastically improved my social skills...and I personally believe these skills are fundamental when it comes to being successful in the work force.  Not because being in a fraternity made me a member of a elite alumni group that excludes others, but because it allows me to be a more effective team member.&lt;p&gt;I have not doubt that I would be far less successful if I was as socially self-isolating as I was in high school.  Not just successful as far as career trajectory, but just a less effective contributor.  Most jobs require team efforts...which require social skills to navigate politely and effectively.&lt;p&gt;It is from this perspective I find the original conclusion more reserved and purely based on observed correlations, while the second infers much (regarding causation).</text></comment>
<story><title>Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership</title><url>https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2763720</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Steko</author><text>Kevin Drum notes it&amp;#x27;s a weak result but if true, wonders if the authors draw the right conclusions:&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;suppose it’s true. Here’s what the authors say:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Our results indicate that college administrators face an important trade-off when they consider policies designed to limit fraternity life on campus: while such policies may significantly raise academic performance, these gains may come at a significant cost in terms of expected future income for their graduates.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;I’d argue exactly the opposite: ... Allow me to reframe the authors’ conclusion:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Our results provide empirical evidence that fraternities are just another way for social elites to keep themselves at the top regardless of actual performance. Those rejected by fraternities, even though they have higher GPAs, earn 36 percent less than those accepted by fraternities. This is further evidence, if any were needed, that college administrators face few trade-offs when they consider policies designed to limit fraternity life on campus.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.motherjones.com&amp;#x2F;kevin-drum&amp;#x2F;2017&amp;#x2F;09&amp;#x2F;new-report-fraternities-help-mediocrities-succeed&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.motherjones.com&amp;#x2F;kevin-drum&amp;#x2F;2017&amp;#x2F;09&amp;#x2F;new-report-fra...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>smsm42</author><text>Or, maybe, there&amp;#x27;s a difference between getting a good grade in the class, inside strictly controlled academic environment shaped by the college administration, and the real world where one has to deal with chaotic conditions of real life and social environments rarely covered by academic curriculum. And fraternity life improves social skills, and gives people tools that can make them successful outside of the strict conformance to the rules prescribed by the academy. And limiting access to those tools would only make future graduates less fit to meet the challenges of the open market.</text></comment>