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奥林国际英语是一套独特教材，根据《西游记》编写而成，上册是《奥林ABC英语》属于强化记忆之法；下册是《奥林八戒英语》属于巧记妙喻速成之法。作为老师，想教好学生，要有专业性的广博的知识和专业性的丰富的独特教学经验。学习《奥林国际英语》，掌握《独门绝技》。能将题目做对的都是方法；能用简单方法代替复杂方法的便是技巧；能用独特方法出奇制胜的则是绝招。奥林国际英语奉献学者的不仅仅是方法，还有技巧，更有绝招。——能看懂“西游记”就能学会“奥林国际英语”永远不再有“死记硬背”的现象。&http://.
【转载】国内现在的留学包装真不得了
这样的情况，还是引以为戒吧。这是从（被国内屏蔽的海外留学生最集中的地方）转载来的内容：
国内现在的留学包装真不得了
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Tue Jul 10 15:53:59 2012, 美东)
家长现在都不看孩子成绩的， 要出去读书，就交给中介包装。
中介抽屉里全是各类章，成绩单，推荐信都是照摸板的来。 包装一个孩子，收费5万人民币左右。
去年老姐办公室里一同事的外甥被留学中介送到了美国一所很好的公立大学读金融专业，当时把我姐给激动的， 说那孩子，就是中学考试经常不及格的那种，会考都差点没有过（会考不是高考，是毕业考，很简单的），都能申请到这样的好学校，看起来美国大学太容易骗了。看起来我也不要太操心儿子念书怎么着了，以后申请美国大学嘛。
结果今年暑假，那孩子全线挂科，就没有一门及格的，打电话给舅舅（就是我姐同事），说，舅舅，我压力好大啊，我都想跳下去算了。把个舅舅急的，&没事啊，孩子，要想开，读书算个什么事儿啊，人生长着呢，你妈这，我去做工作，保证你没事，回来吧。&
孩子的父母，当时也很受打击，觉得这 50-60万人民币看来是打水漂了，还是回国上个职业学校吧， 去机场接孩子的路上，还商量着要给这娃一点颜色看看， 起码让他借这个机会好好反省反省。结果到机场一看到儿子，做娘的眼泪花花地，一把搂住孩子，那里还有想给他点颜色看看的意思，回家的路上，两口子反复强调就是：&孩子，无论你怎样，爸爸妈妈一定是爱你的，你可别想不开，读不好回国念职业学校没什么丢人的，这钱，爸爸妈妈就当是给你长见识了&
教育的目的达到了， 进去了出不来还不是跟自己的钱过不去？ 这种方法对弄虚作假比较有效我们大多数国人都认为大学只要进去了就万事大吉，没想到在美国，出不来的比例比较高。也是，这50-60万人民币可是打水漂了，也对我姐这样的人起到了教育作用：） 现在老姐说，哎，看来我儿子以后也留在身边老实读个职业学校好了，选个他自己感兴趣的方向，要不，钱打水漂，人也遭罪，还自信心都没了。
本人虽不了解中国国内的现况。但作为来美留学的过来人，也希望国人能比较真实的了解美国，这样才能更好的利用美国绝好的资源。把孩子教育，培育成一个对社会有用的人。而不是为了逃避国内的优良普及教育而来到美国，并希望孩子在今后的美国能轻松的胜过在国内努力过的孩子。希望在美华裔有的是遗憾而不是后悔。
其实吃亏的不是美国，也不是美国的学校。签证的时候只要有录取通知，家里有钱，就基本上能签到。人家是让你来消费来了。
吃亏的就是掏钱的家长。
从一件小事[租户和房东]看美国社会的民主细节 / 柏蔚林
四月份搬家之后，曾经写了一篇短文小记。后来有朋友评论说，搬家本是件苦差事，你竟然也能搬出不少乐趣来，倒也不易。其实哪有那么简单，人活世上，烦心的 事情天天有，哪一天少得了？！搬了新家没几个星期，新鲜感还没消失，就收到原来房东的信件，非但没有退还我的押金，反而声称我损坏了室内的地毯，扣除押 金，加上清理费等等，分文不退，除了要我再加付美元若干，还威胁说如不按期付款，就要交付讨债公司云云。在美国，很多人听见讨债公司就发怵，那种死缠烂打 的讨债方式甚是唬人，往往就是赶紧付钱了事。
我当时看了信很生气，心里清楚这就是房东有意为之，不过就是想讹诈点钱财。我向来很注意房间卫生，对于房屋内部清洁和设施保护都非常在意，临搬家之前，还 用了三天时间来清理，根本没有见到任何损毁之处。于是我当下就起草了一封回函，很有礼貌但是也态度很坚决地指出，我在搬家之前已经对室内状况做了录影和照 相，如果你要索赔，请出示实物证据，否则就请马上退款，如果不回应，我会采取法律行动。第二天一早，就去了邮局，用专递把这封信寄给了房东。但是房东一直 也没有正面回应。
说句大实话，此时此刻我也并不知道下一步具体如何是好。当时能想到的，就是上网搜索相关信息。简单地搜索了一下，竟然发现在本州的民事纠纷中，房东--房 客的各种纠纷竟然占了百分之五十以上。那么这么多的纠纷是如何解决的呢？带着这个问题，我花了几天的时间作了专题的研究，一时间硕果累累，也算长了不少见 识。首先本地有一些专门的民间组织，最大的有比如&房客联合会&和另外一家叫做&大地后盾&的组织，都可以提供房东--房客关系的法律知识咨询。根据统 计，仅&房客联合会&去年一年之内就接到了三万多个电话咨询。同时还有一些全国性的民间组织如&美国志愿者&等，可以给市民提供免费律师咨询。而当地的律 师协会也有专门的免费咨询服务时间。
于是我就随便打了其中一个联络电话，预约了与一位律师见面商谈。三天以后，我如约前往会见律师。寒暄几句之后，律师一边看我带去的材料，一边在上边勾勾画 画。几分钟下来，果然是专业水准，直接就找出了几个破绽，然后告诉我，&这样的房东太贪心，没什么好客气的，上法院去告他&。我当时一听哈哈大笑，事实上 这些规定我都已经查到了，来这里主要就是想跟律师核对一下。然后我告诉律师，除了上法庭，我还打算向市政府报告房东的若干违规问题，每项投诉都会罚款，而 且罚款都会奖励给报告人，就是我自己。简而言之，不能仅仅跟房东争论有没有损失，还要抓他的小辫子，倒过来让他出点血，这是他们唯一能听懂的语言。律师听 罢也哈哈大笑，表示严重赞赏这种策略。
虽然这个时候我已经很清楚，按照法律规定，如果上法庭打官司，由于直接违反本地的法律，房东已经没有赢的可能性，拿回押金不是什么问题，但我突然心中转念 一想，想要看一看美国这种民间法律援助机构如何运作。带着这个念头，我接着又预约了本地的律师协会和一家法律援助中心，试图看一看他们会如何援助一名想要 从房东手里拿回押金的房客。首先见到的是律师协会的一位律师，高高大大的，就像那种美剧里常见的形象，说起话来口若悬河。他先看了一下我带去的材料，然后 就在上边做了一些注记，然后给我逐行解释。不出我的意料之外，他的建议也是上庭控告，拿回押金不成问题。我去过法庭，但还没有自己做过原告，于是顺便问了 些上庭的问题。一看差不多谈了近一个小时，问了一下律师，是不是时间到了。律师回话说，没有时间限制，直到你没有问题为止。
最后是一家法律援助中心，专门处理这类房东&房客之间的纠纷。与前面不同之处，就是这种法律援助不仅仅提供律师咨询，而且在必要的情况下，提供免费法律代 理服务。也就是说，对于不熟悉法律的人士，可以交由这家中心来处理相关事务。进入会议室之后，我倒是被那场面吓了一跳。会议室里共计五个人在等我，一名律 师，两名法学院的学生，两名法律助理。律师在问问题的同时，把我带去的材料分发给两名学生，让他们审查有无问题。言谈间，一名学生报告说房东方面有如下问 题。律师一听，就在记录上花了个圈，直接告诉我，没什么好研究了，房东必须还钱。然后就告知等候在一旁的法律助理，&马上起草一份文件，根据州法，通知房 东两周内全款还钱，否则就起诉&。两周之后，我收到那位法律助理的电话，得知她已经把房东退还的押金支票转寄到我的住处了。
可能有人此时会表示疑惑，这也就是私人的一点小事，何以能够和民主制度挂起钩来呢？然而在我看来，这样一件看似平平淡淡的小事里，反映出的却是美国社会关 系里一些最基本的细节，而正是通过这些纷繁复杂的小节，才更能了解民主制度到底是怎么一回事，及其对于社会中每一个人的重要意义。对很多人而言，民主的高 论似乎已经听的太多了，以至于大家都能说上几大套理论，但究竟如何在现实中实施民主，基本上还都只是听说别人的家的故事了，没几个人知道到底应该如何是 好。虽然各种&顶层设计&&下层推动&的口号满天飞，&一人一票&的呼吁也已经很多年，但也实际上基本沦为纸上空谈，导致网路舆论中怀疑、反对民主的人也 非常之多，从而使&民主&成为了一个非常令人混淆的概念。
前一段时间我曾经写过一篇短文提出，美式现行民主制度的最核心之处，不是选举，而是在于提供了一个利益冲突双方（或者多方）可以进行博弈的框架。在这个框 架之内，每一方的人身都是安全的，人格都是受到尊重的。但既然是博弈，就必然有输有赢，不可能皆大欢喜。因而民主制度并不能被用来做道德上的判断。在很多 情况下，民主制度下的博弈结果也会是出人意料和违反很多人意愿的。比如美国最高法院的九位大法官，在很多人眼中似乎就是正义的化身，专门替天行道似的。但 这其实是对美国民主模式的完全误解。更确切的说，这种理解其实就是中国&青天文化&的一种移植而已。举个例子，两年前，美国最高法院就曾经判定，公司团体 可以合法资助政治选举。当时美国舆论也是非常震惊，很多人哀叹民主已死。再早一些，一位养老院的看护妇长期没有加班工资，官司打到了最高法院，索要赔偿， 最后竟然被九位大法官全票否决。这一决定也震动了美国社会。
毫无疑问，民主制度绝不是完美的，也永远不可能完美，选票也只是博弈的方式，并不能代表天堂的降临。但这绝不构成否定民主制度具有历史性进步意义的理由。 真实民主最重要的现实价值，是在于提供了一个令弱势者可以与强者博弈的平台，从而在一定程度上，可以相对地实现社会正义，使得弱势者不再那么的弱势，强势 者不再恒强，从而不至于导致社会矛盾激化，最后酿出大麻烦。目前而言，还没有任何其他社会制度能够提供类似的功能。经济学有两条基本原理，其一是资源有 限，其二是人性自利。这两点谁也无法回避。人各有不同的利益诉求，同时由于社会中个人的资源分配不均，因而绝对的公平根本是不可能的，有人总是处于优势地 位，有人总是处于劣势，这是社会现实。 而民主制度的意义就在于在承认现实不平等的条件下，提供了一个&次优&的选择。
在我所经历的这件小事中，就可以清楚地看到美式民主制度的很多细节和优势所在。先从一个国内的例子说起。昨天在网上看到国内一位知名媒体人作家关于香港的 一篇评论文章，其中这么一句话特别令我有所感触。作者说，&所谓正常社会就是&事情有人做、事情有人管&，也就是一个法治社会&。但是在我看来，这仍然是 一种古老的&青天政治&情节，与现代法治观念格格不入，甚至是在为极权主义者手里递&刀把子&。可以这么说，&管&是一种中国传统的政治哲学思维方式：有 问题，就要有一个官去管。而正是这种&官&和&管&的思维模式，导致了国内政府机构不断的膨胀。但是我的疑问是，&管&的边界在哪里？为什么就不能尝试一 种别样的思维方式呢？即放弃自上而下垂直&管&的理思维方式，而采用水平方式的民间自治？这样既可以把矛盾消解于最底层，政府也可以专心致力于必要的公民 服务。
根据我在网路上的观察，目前国内类似的房客、业主与房东、物业管理之间的矛盾也是层出不穷。大家也习惯于呼吁所谓有关部门加强管理等等，但实际上问题往往 很难妥善解决，因为并没有人在&管&，不少最后都演化成冲突事件。而在美国，这类问题是完全的民间协调行为，虽然也数量极大，但很少构成社会问题。关键之 处，首先在于民主制度之下，当事人无需把解决问题的希望寄托在所谓&有人管&上，自己就可以解决问题。作为与房东法律地位平等的一方，资源上处于劣势的房 客有着清晰的法律渠道和法律援助去解决纠纷。很多城市里都会设置民间的&调解中心&，有问题的双方可以前往寻求第三方仲裁。如果问题仍然不能解决，进一步 可以寻求法律意见，最后才是通过法院来解决。其次，很重要的一点，即在民主制度大背景下，承认矛盾是社会常态，没有人会追求所谓表面上的&和谐社会&。
如果从理论上稍微拔高总结一下，上面的论述在实质上，是关于不同社会所奉行的政治哲学的一点思考，如何解决利益主体之间冲突的不同方式，反映出的是水平型 社会关系与垂直型社会关系的重大区别。后者的基本特征是权力垄断，社会普罗大众无法发出声音，而一旦管理者不作为或者有所偏颇，则整个社会就可能会陷入混 乱，矛盾四起却无法解决。一般而言，社会本身就具有矛盾的调节能力，这一点在前者的社会关系类型之下，就特别明显，比如我所经历的那些民间法律援助组织， 在美国社会中所起到的作用。但中国社会则很不幸，正如秦晖教授的描述，在1949年之后，民间社会基本被消灭殆尽，权与利空前集中，因而社会力量自我调节 矛盾的能力就特别的微弱，弱势阶层往往在利益冲突中受害最深，导致严重的社会不公。
谈及民主问题，就不能不涉及到&自由&，因为在我看来，民主的终极目的，就是个人的&自由&。最近香港中文大学的周保松教授连续发表了几篇文章，论及如何 理解&自由&及其社会意义。周教授的文章浅显易懂，没有长篇大论引用名人名言，没有拗口的专业名词，令我这样的外行读者受益匪浅，也有所思考。他在文章中 认为，&什么是自由？自由就是一个人能免于束缚去做自己真正想做的事情的状态。自由的反面，是通过暴力、奴役、屈从、恐惧，以及种种有形无形和内在外在的 手段限制人的意志和行动。争取自由，就是争取从种种不合理的桎梏中解放出来。&很显然这一定义深受西方左派的观念影响，基本上是从单方向&抵抗&的角度出 发。对此定义我认为尚有欠缺之处。如果这世界上只有一个人，显然不会有&自由&两个字。因而如何界定&自由&，思考的框架就可能必须置于社会关系的交互之 下，否则就无意义。药家鑫案时，有人和我辩论死刑的意义，他认为制定法律就是要惩罚、震慑犯罪。而我认为法律的终极意义在于使好人得到保护。回到&自由& 的概念上，我的理解是类同的，即自由既是一种过程，也是终极的目的，而其最高境界是&所有人的行为免于恐惧&。
通过在美国社会中处理这样一件小小的纠纷，可以清楚地放大到民主制度下，如何通过承认矛盾的客观存在，来实现矛盾的低成本化解，从而实现一定程度上的和 谐，达到一种人与人之间&免于恐惧&的状态，也就是初步具有了&自由&社会的基本特征。可以说，和谐的前提，就是承认矛盾的普遍性与永恒的存在。作为一种 陈旧的政治哲学思维方式，中央集权体制的弊端是很明显的，一切都要有官来&管&的思维模式，只能带来更多的问题，在社会关系已经高度复杂的今天，坚持这种 自上而下垂直的治理模式，已经完全无力与水平模式的民主制度继续竞争下去，更不可能产生出代表社会进步的&自由&。当今中国社会冲突不断，比如今天的四川 什邡事件，就是一起典型的例子。市场经济正在催生一个要求基于水平社会关系的权利结构，而集权制的得利者仍在试图维护金字塔式的利益分配机制，因而二者之 间的冲突将是无可避免的。可以预见，这种新旧政治哲学之间持续不断的冲突及其带来的街头骚乱，极有可能将是未来中国社会最大的特色标志。&
有关申请美国大学/研究生的文书事宜
有关申请美国大学/研究生的文书事宜by "A叔"陈金晖&这个话题需要拿出来单独谈谈。&简而言之，写申请文书（essay/PS）目的就是要展现你的资格(qualification)。而要达到资格的水准，就要满足学校对申请者的文书要求和期望看到的内容。网上有各种很好的文书写作指导，篇幅长短不一，可以去找来领悟（我以前也贴过）。但是，看了之后，如果不明所以，还是无从下手。这里，我也没法在这个篇幅下给你指点迷津，只是想把问题指出来，供你思考的目的。&申请2013年秋季入学很快来临，哪位需要我帮忙修改文书和辅助申请，请尽快来跟我联系（QQ
或者 Email: ），因为修改文书需要很多直接的信息沟通和收集，把你的申请情况装进我的脑里，才能修改出符合你个性的文书来。每一件文书就像一件艺术品一样，我是认真对待的。&
1. 文书该怎么写？下笔写文书时，第一直觉就是要尽情地展现你是优秀的。我看到的大多数文书基本上是千篇一律的套路，罗列了做过这个那个&优秀&的事情。但是，这只是提供了事例（evidence），仍然停留在摆事实的层次上而已。甚至有的情况是含糊地(vague)叙述，这就更糟糕了。在写作时，需要考虑写作的逻辑思路是，通过你写的&优秀&事例，告诉人家你在哪方面是优秀的，你要总结并点出来，而不是让人去猜测，就跟考试做选择题似的。更重要的是，这是考验你写作的基本水平和技巧。可以形象地比喻一下，你做实验，拿到了一堆数据，整理出来，扔给教授，说这是我做出来的结果，拿去发表吧。这够了吗？你要对数据进行分析，告诉别人你的研究有什么新发现，可以下什么结论，才能让人读出你研究的&闪光点&，而不能只是一堆无用的数据。&
2. 文书该写什么？申请研究生的PS（personal statement）跟申请本科的essay要求很不一样，这里我针对申请研究生的文书要求而谈。你的文书可以（不限于）包含的内容：兴趣的产生、发展和成熟，基本的学科功底，能力的具备，未来的期望（近期，中期和远期），你的追求和要申请的学校怎么才&般配&（match），以及你对学校/社会有什么反馈/担当/责任。&
A. 兴趣兴趣是你留学的动机，是你选择专业的基础。你的兴趣有多浓厚和积淀，怎么用短短的几句话或者在整个篇幅的合适地方展现出来，给人留下印象：你的兴趣是有根据，有基础，有准备，并且是成熟的，而不是一时脑门发热或者跟风随大流。&
B. 学科功底Academic Preparation，这一方面可以从你的成绩单表现出来，专业成绩的好坏可以衡量你学科的水平。但是，光看成绩是不够的，而是要通过你的总结，用语言表现出来你对学科的认识深度，而不是简单的叙述你这门课那门课得了多少分。在这里，思想深度比成绩更能说服人，要让思想和成绩挂钩，而不是高分的成绩，幼稚不成熟的思想。&
C. 能力谈到能力，我以前写过一篇&这些能力的培养也许比你只在乎成绩单来得重要& （http://user.//blog/），能力的展现是文书的关键内容，这是展现你具备了读研的要求（requirements）。而这些要求可能是：写作水平（通过PS），科研技术经验（通过你列的事例论述），职业意识和要求（相关实习经验），解决问题的能力（面对困难和挑战时），独立性（在很少指导下，你怎么做事），团队工作（合作过的事例），领导气质（担当的责任），思想深度（通篇的论述，分析和判断思维），人际能力（合作，领导，或者协助），时间效率（做事），抗压能力（读研压力很大，具备了处理压力能力吗），创造力/新颖性（创造力和新颖性不仅仅是科研的需要，而且解决各类问题需要新思维新思路，有所创造），交流（文书写得好坏，能否让人看到真实的你，就是一个交流的明证），等等。不可能在1～2页的文书里罗列这么多内容，而是根据自己专业看重的要求，有针对性地写几个方面，以点带面，让人看出你是有备而来的。&
D. 期望读书是有目的的，你要交待清楚，不是给人一种不知道为何申请。要把你的读书期望点出来，让人家知道他们是否能满足你的求学目的，未来的职业期望值。&
E. 合拍（般配）这个方面有个要点隐含着，你是追求成为行业的佼佼者，还是只是为了一份稳定的工作，如果看不到这个层次，那么你想去那些名校，基本上就没指望。不要以为你要求不高啊，人家学校不缺这样的人才，而且培养一般人才不是名校的目标。那是会让学校掉价，长远来看影响学校声誉。名校期望自己的毕业生以后在社会上能够独当一面，成为行业的领头羊，大款，富翁，政治家，科学家，社会活动家，等等，这是学校的招牌，也是光环。那么，请问，你想吗？你具备了吗？想进名校，只看重成绩，而没有足够深度的思想和能力准备，即使进去了，也会在名校竞争环境下沦为&次品&，除非一下子醒悟过滤，奋起直追（这种情况很多）。而要进得去，就得先具备要求，而不是让学校冒险招了不合格的人（也很多招进去不合格的，所以学校选人很谨慎）。&
3. 怎么写出个性的文书？在网上可以搜索到各类文书的范文，有的写得确实不错。问题来了，你去套，去模仿可以吗？在网申年头，不可以。因为学校可以通过跟防止抄袭剽窃的公司网站合作，把申请人的文书先过滤一遍，把那些抄袭剽窃相似度较高的先刷掉。即使不需要这么做，小蜜或者教授看过那么多文书，也会经常碰到似曾相识的文书来，这样的文书基本上就被毙掉了。&说到这点，找中介公司的同学需要注意了。那些流水线作业的公司，他们的申请程序套路包含着文书怎么尽快拿出来，是copy & paste，还是找google translation，就看你是否好运。我碰到找了中介不满意又来找我的例子有限，但这些中介给我印象是：没有能力修改文书；用类似google翻译的软件翻译你给的中文文本；copy & paste内容；造假。当然，在这里，我仅限说我了解的情况；优秀的中介很多，只是我没接触到而已。之所以指出这些问题，只是提醒一下申请人。&
4. 结语这篇文章只能蜻蜓点水的写几个方面，行文比较潦草，思考不够深入，有瑕痣，只能看看，不要跟我较真，因为我看到的问题，都会跟申请人直接沟通，而不能在这里写得太具体，那样对人是不尊重的。对于那些我曾经给过文书的申请人，希望你不要模仿套路，太个性化的文书对你的申请只能做参考用。总之，文书的写作和修改需要长时间的酝酿和反复推敲，才能写出一篇只适合自己的内容来。&上了这么多年的学，投入无数的金钱和时间，忙了考试，就剩下文书和申请，要挺住，继续努力过好这一关。无论如何，祝你2013年申请成功，获得梦想学校的录取和奖学金。
15 Frightening Facts about Sororities and Fraternities
不时地，碰到有人问我要不要加入兄弟会/姊妹会。这种组织有其两面性，认识人和建立人际交往的networking。但是，在当今这个时代，还有必要加入这类组织吗？也许，但对大多数人，可能未必。出门在外，总是需要找&组织&，大学里有各种学生社团，自由参加。而这类兄弟会/姊妹会的情况有所不同，网上的言论各异。在考虑是否要参加之前，要认清可能潜在的问题，是否你能承受得了，总结几点：豪饮、潜在的性侵、虐待、甚至嗑药。以下这篇总结了15个可怕的实事：&15 Frightening Facts about Sororities and Fraternities
We know that Greek-letter organizations are built upon age-old traditions and secrets that have strengthened the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood for more than a hundred years. We also know that some of the biggest names in American history have belonged to a fraternity or sorority, and the Greek GPA is higher than the overall undergraduate GPA at most universities. Yet, despite these positive aspects of Greek life, sororities and fraternities can't seem to shake the stereotypes and reputations for hazing and buying their friends. Regardless of what you think you know about Greek-letter organizations, these 15 frightening facts prove there's more to fraternities and sororities than meets the eye.
Women in sororities are more likely to have body image issues and judge themselves on physical appearances than those who did not join a sorority. According to a study in the journal&Sex Roles, research showed that first-year students who went through rush had greater signs of dysfunctional eating behavior than those who did not rush, and the body image issues continued for many new members.
Sororities and fraternities drink more often and in greater amounts than their peers. According to the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center, 75% of fraternity members engaged in heavy drinking, compared with 49% of other male students. Likewise, 62% of sorority members engaged in binge drinking versus 41% of non-sorority members.
Research has shown that fraternity men are at greater risk for committing sexual assault due to their alcohol consumption, sexual outlook and group attitudes toward women. Although fraternity members also have a higher risk for committing rape than other college men, most of them don't rape.
More students engaged in drinking at fraternity and sorority houses than any other on-campus venue or residence hall. According to the Harvard School of Public Health's College Alcohol Study, 75% of students living in fraternity and sorority houses were heavy drinkers, compared to 45% of students who lived in non-Greek housing and 35% of the overall student population.
Fraternity and sorority members are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin or Dexedrine than the rest of the student population. According to a 2004 article published in the journal&Addiction, white fraternity members and sorority members had the highest rate of abusing non-medical prescription stimulants.
Even though paddling is an illegal and practically antiquated hazing ritual, there are still sororities and fraternities that continue to break this law. These Greek organizations often beat the new members with wooden paddles as a form of hazing or punishment. Paddling often leaves cuts, bloody bruises and scars on victims and has even led to some being killed by lethal blows to the head and chest.
Sorority members have a greater risk of being sexually assaulted in college than non-members. According to the National Institute of Justice, nearly a quarter of sexual assault victims are sorority members. These women also face a higher risk for violence in dating relationships than other female students.
Fraternity and sorority parties see more cases of heavy drinking than any other off-campus party or bar in college. According to the Harvard School of Public Health's College Alcohol Study, 32% of students who drink had attended a fraternity or sorority party during the year, and 13% of the students who attended these parties had at least five drinks in one sitting.
It's a frightening fact that six states (Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming) do not have an anti-hazing law, compared to the 44 states that do. The good thing is that some of these states do have statutes that address assault and reckless endangerment cases and the prosecution of these individuals. These anti-hazing laws are set in place to protect victims and punish those who are responsible.
Although there is not a firm count on the number of fraternities and sororities that engage in hazing in the U.S., there has been record of at least one hazing-related death on a college campus each year since 1970. And while hazing exists in many sports teams, military units and gangs, fraternities garner the most attention for their ritualistic and sometimes deadly hazing with alcohol, violence and reckless endangerment.
According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, fraternities and sororities are more likely to suffer alcohol-related consequences than non-Greek students because they drink more. These consequences range from poor test performance, alcohol-related injuries, arguments, assault, property damage and sexual assault. In fact, Greek leaders and those living in a sorority or fraternity house experience the most negative consequences because of their own drinking habits and those of other students.
Hazing is seen in all types of fraternities and sororities. Historically, white fraternities are known for using alcohol in hazing rituals and black fraternities typically use physical violence. Both forms of hazing are extremely dangerous and have taken the lives of new members every year. Although many white and black fraternities have adopted a zero tolerance for hazing, it continues to happen in many chapters across the nation.
It's rather alarming that nine out of 10 students who experienced hazing behavior in college do not consider themselves to have been hazed. Some students view hazing as harmless pranks, and others don't consider themselves to have been hazed because they were never physically harmed. But the truth remains that when students are expected to engage in any activity that humiliates, abuses or endangers them is considered hazing.
Despite what you may have heard about the abolishment of fraternity Hell Week, the hazing tradition is still in full force at many college campuses. Hell Week is the seven-day period before new members are initiated as active members of the fraternity. This longstanding ritual varies from one fraternity chapter to the next, but has been known to involve a great deal of hazing, humiliation and exhaustion. This is also the time in which many fraternity members have fallen to their death because of the dangerous activities they are forced to do before initiation.
Research suggests that fraternity house environments contribute to the problem of rape. Fraternities' group norms and attitudes toward women and sex have led to this rape culture environment. According to research from the journal&Sex Roles, individual fraternity men are more likely to display objectifying images of women in their rooms, have supportive attitudes about rape and believe women want to engage in rough sexual acts even if they act disinterested.
Betches Love This College: University of Southern California
by The Betches on September 19, 2012&For our next college installment, we bring you the University of Southern California.&Found deep in the asshole of&&lies an elite private school that continues to piss off the rest of the country as it rises in superiority in academics, athletics, aesthetics, and arrogance -- arrogance being key. We won&t even bother listing the famous alumni of this school, just pick your favorite celeb and guess what, they went here. And at the end of the day, regardless of where in Los Angeles it&s located, it&s still in Los Angeles, which any true betch would take over a &college town& any day.Due to all of these fine qualities in a school, SC attracts the betchiest of betches from across the country & majority from California, a large amount from Texas, but pretty much all the good states are accounted for (yes, you are excluded New Mexico). Being located in a city of 70-degree year-round weather, USC betches take their bikini bodies, tans, and waxes very seriously, never knowing when she&ll find herself by the pool at some mansion in Malibu being a part of Usher&s new music video.
Greek Life
The Row:&Anyone who doesn&t say that The Row is the social center of the school is lying.& From the first week betches cross the street for Rush with the&&camped out in lawn chairs in their yards until you&re &shotgun& pinned by that same asshole sitting in that chair your senior year, The Row is a betch&s runway. If you&ve ever seen a movie or TV show about Greek life and wondered what it was based on, look no further.. it&s based on Frat Row at USC (if you don&t believe it, check credits.. 99% of these movies were made by USC alums). Fratty Fridays on The Row combine everything The Row holds most precious: bikinis, beer, beach volleyball, and drugs if you know where to find them&. If you signed up for a Friday class&nevermind, no need to finish this sentence,&
Wardrobe:&The best part about USC is that whether you are an incoming freshman wanting to rush or are a sophomore/junior/senior in a house, you are guaranteed a whole new wardrobe right off the bat. You are also gifted (kidding, you obviously prepay for these) with about 12 shirts/tanks that in some way have &INSERT SORORITY HERE Love& written on it in 12 different ways. No one ever throws any of these away. I mean what else would you wear to the&&other than a shirt that says&&It doesn&t matter that I&m either on an elliptical not sweating or have been sitting here doing &crunches& for 25 minutes&I&m in a top house"?
Sororities:You&ll find the truest betches rivaling their way into one of the &Top 4& houses. However, the significance and dominance of Greek Life has caused the number of PNMs to double, while the small number of hou therefore the number of quality betches that &slip through the cracks& and are forced to become Alpha Betch among the wannabes is increasing, causing the other houses to close the gap in the ranks. Unfortunately, the reverse also holds true, and leaves the top houses with the occasional &slider&&. A term from the glory days when hazing still existed.. but yes, it means what you think it does. Don&t worry though, they keep these sliders locked up in the kitchen &timing& during Rush as not to scare off the prospective betches.
DG & Often voted best DG chapter in the country, these girls are almost as obsessed with themselves as they are with winning the photo contest they are contracted into upon joining.& The competition is to take the most photos of yourself and any combination of the following: &anchors, DG Greek letters, sailor-themed anything, fellow DGs in bikinis, beaches, making hand signals of Greek letters, fake-sailor salute, fellow DG&s boyfriends, spelling out Greek letters with their bodies (bonus points if in bikinis, bonus&bonus&points if you dress like Popeye).KAPPA & These betches don&t come to USC for their MRS degrees, because they&ll always have their dad's&credit cards and their seven-figure trust funds. Be warned, they vet their girls by quality of&&memberships.&PI PHI & Regardless of any actual evidence, this house can&t quite escape its reputation from early 2000s as being the pretty, fake, alleged cokeheads from Orange County/LA. It&s interesting they can&t escape this as in recent years, it&s become fairly diverse and home to the few&&that venture out of their northeastern bubble. However don&t be mistaken, Newport st and it&s no secret those betches know how to party& some better than others (others being the ones you see being escorted home by DPS or passed out on the lawn).THETA & These are your closet sluts, who hide behind pearls, fake glasses, and super chic &study wear.& Some are actually smart, most just pretend, but impressively their greatest pride is having the highest GPA on the Row& as is evidenced by the &Study with Theta& shirts to lamely rival the &Party with Pi Phi& tanks (while equally embarrassing, at least the alliteration is aesthetically pleasing, and doesn&t make guys wearing them look like a huge tool.)
Fraternities:Due to the fraternities& hardcore ability to party (i.e. setting their own house on fire, advertising a 4/20 party, or stupidly letting girls drink communal jungle juice), and therefore the resulting suspensions, the ranking of top houses fluctuates from year to year. Here is a general overview.SAE & Tries its hardest to live up to nation-wide SAE standards, you&ll find your Texas boys obsessed with&&and country music&in jorts&ironically?
SIGMA CHI & Must be either a) from Southern California, b) play beach volleyball, or c) have recently bought out American Apparel&s neon collection.AEPI & Your go-to house for LA Jewish boys who surprisingly have a hard time meeting their Andy Samberg quota, due to somehow convincing goyim to join their house. Nonetheless, the amount of betches that love a good highlighter party and &just want to dance& keeps this house as one of the Row&s favs.PHI PSI & Kings of the ultimate comeback& suspension after suspension after suspension... These guys definitely know how to party and tend to attract the football players and now also proudly claim The Hunger Games& very own Alexander Ludwig.LAMBDA CHI & Formerly referred to as a "social club," this house of douchey Harvard Westlake, Euros, and volleyball stars are the losers of the ultimate comeback. Sooo..not really sure where this one stands.Specifically not mentioning Pike, for those of you who are wondering about Rob Kardashian&s fraternity&off the Row, off the radar.
GDIs:&They can be divided into 2 categories: actual GDIs, and people who either missed out on rushing or didn&t get into a house, and now, pretend it was by choice and call themselves GDIs.
At Night You ShouldDespite popular stereotypes of USC betches, most tend to stick close to home unless it is a special occasion warranting a visit into Hollywood. These occasions include but are not limited to, birthday parties, a USC function at a Hollywood club, or a call from a promoter desperate for hot girls to attend a club opening.There are two options at night (well, three if you&re old enough/brave enough to venture downtown&)OPTION 1: The 901 Bar and Grill (affectionately known as: the 90, the 9Hole, and/or literally the only bar within walking distance) is a true college bar in that it&s absolutely intolerable unless you are blacked out.&And every good betch knows it doesn&t really close at two.OPTION 2: Frat Parties& while the larger parties are reserved for Tuesday and Thursday nights, you can pretty much find at least one group of frat bros partying either in upper class off-the-Row housing and/or just hidden inside of the frats (due to USC regulations). The popular betches are also the first to know about any given fraternity&s &Date Dash& & usually held somewhere off campus and almost always involving sake bombing, karaoke, and at some point, a game of Edward 40hands.OPTION 3:& Downtown is slowly building itself up to have a decent amount of fun dinner restaurants and bars. Some USC favorites include but are not limited to: Standard Rooftop, El Cholo, Bottega Louie, Seven and Grand, Casey&s, Library Bar, Edison (when you feel like putting on your fancy shoes& no really, you can&t get in without nice shoes)... &and also LA Live can provide can provide a few kicks now and then.
Special Events
Game Days:&In a school full of people who proudly display their superiority in all areas of life, football game days are their shining moment. Current students and alumni alike, and anyone who happens to have any connections to anyone who likes USC, bring a whole new meaning to&&on campus. What other occasion does a betch have to show how good she looks with a USC bow in her hair and stickers all over her face?
Weekender:&When everyone travels to San Francisco for either the Stanford or Berkeley vs. USC game (whichever happens to be away that year). This is really just an occasion for a betch to go to a new location that warrants pictures in the few pieces of winter chic clothes she owns and is never able to wear.&
Frat Formals:&&Spring. Vegas. Bros. Blow.
Before you graduate, you should:- Fountain Run- Jump off the high dive at the pool- take a picture riding the DPS segways- drink enough AMFs at the 90 that you wake up to pictures of yourself sticking out your blue tongue
Food:Here&s the thing about food & USC betches don&t eat&in public. Then again, why would you need to when all of the sorority houses each have their own personal chefs serving every meal? Oh, and did we mention those chefs have been employed by actual celebrities. For the occasions that warrant a betch&s dinner out&by the time this post goes up, the coolest restaurants to find a betch at will have already changed. That&s just LA.And if you do happen to be on campus not eating, make sure to be seen on the steps in front of Tutor with a group of girls and your&&bag propped up right with letters in plain sight. &Disclaimer:&&is acceptable if and only if you didn&t have time to go back to the Row in between your classes.
Abroad:People go during spring semester junior year, but there are just as many betches diversifying themselves&&as there are staking out the territory back home.&
Spring Break:Cabo, Cabo, or you could go to Cabo.
Drawbacks:-Shitty neighborhood-Being so obsessed with your school that you can't come up with any
Betches Love This College: Syracuse University
by The Betches on September 11, 2012&For our next college installment, we bring you Syracuse University. While this upstate New York private school is located in a city that actually prides itself on being diverse (gross) it's a place where betches and bros alike flock for parties, lacrosse, and general douchiness. Famous alum like Aaron Sorkin, Vanessa Williams, Joe Biden, and one of the black guys from&&have come here for its academics, business shit, and its conveniently close proximity to nothing except other rando areas of western New York.&&&
Greek Life
Sororities: First semester freshmen year is the only time during your college career when you can actually hang out with whomever you want, but after that you're locked into your stereotype and brainwashed to make fun of other houses. Dry pledging consists of not drinking for an entire 8 weeks. Oh that's possible?ALPHA PHI - Tries to be again, diverse, which essentially just means some girls are not from Long Island or New Jersey.KAPPA - &Fun blondes who party hard and love a good ski tripSDT - Jappiest of JABs. Consists of 90% Jericho/Timerblake/Hewlett/Lokanda stock. If you're from Long Island and your idea of branching out involves eating at a different froyo venue, this is the house for you. And hey, just because their parking lot looks more like it should be in East Hampton than upstate New York that doesn't mean they're sheltered.AEPHI - also JABs but more nicegirls, only shadily&&Tri Delt &- Pulitzer, pearls, pastels.
Fraternities:PIKE - The prequisite for joining is a penchant for rehab and/or jail. They're not exactly a real frat so they're low in numbers and have no frat houseZBT - Your standard Jewish frat boys (Zero Bitches Tonight, "zbcheese" as Pike says). Go here if you're craving some strong jungle juice mixed with Xanax (allegedly). The last time they cleaned the house was in a previous century so if you're into the hobo-tie-dye look, lean against the walls.&Also beware of the Pike/ZBT rivalry.
SAMMY - Kinda "guido" Sammy+Kappa = BFF. Fun if you're into shit like muscles and hair gel.DKE - Pretentious and wear khakis and polos think they're hot because their frat house looks like a castle.AEPI - Nice Jewish boys who coudln't handle ZBT pledging, not the coolest guys but probably least likely to cheat on their girlfriends
At Night You ShouldWhen you're not attending a prebar or a closed party you must go to one of these four places:
1. Harry's&- Where you can pay cover to get into the basement of CVS. It is an SDT/PIKE sanctuary. Stand on the couches and hit the ceiling. The more you like the song, the bigger the bump on your head. The walls are covered in signatures from past Senior Sundays. Stop by ZJ's pizza before you leave if you're drunk enough to eat. The other side of the bar is Sammy/Kappa/Lax boys territory. Harry's is the place to go for hot lax bro sightings. Bouncers/people that work at the door usually are in Sammy. John the owner is kind of creepy and probably a shady drug dealer and everyone thinks they are his bestie. However, if you're his real bff he hooks you up with free shots of his fav, orange grey goose.Whenever basketball players go out on Marshall St they go to Harry's so it becomes every small Jewish girl's mission to get a picture with one of them.&
2. Lucy's -&Songs you'll hear every night: Shout, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, etc. They have fishbowls and a shady smoking room. The actual name is "Lucy's Retired Surf Bar" and it's decorated with surf things. Go here to sweat, dance, and sweat.*If you're not tagged in a picture drinking a Lucy&s fishbowl then you probably never went.&** The smoking room in the back of the bar is decorated with neon paintings with an under the sea theme. If you want to pretend you're a badass you should take a picture in here surrounded by cigarette smoke. Classy as fuck.
3. Chuck's&- No one really goes until senior year. Check this place out if you want to pretend to branch out or to sign the walls. It's fun for happy hour during your first few weeks as a senior. This place is a GDI Mecca.
4. Faegans&- They have pretty good food and people typically go here on Wednesdays for Flip Night. And no this doesn't mean nights when gays turn straights gay.&
During the Day You ShouldGet a&&at Miracle Nails on Thursdays so you'll have it for the weekend.Sit on the Whitman Streps and people watch.&Go to Garbos, a tanning salon where you can get a blowout before a&&and be hit on by a large potential pedophile who will greet you as if he has plans to eat you for dinner.
Special Events
ZBTahiti&- Sand/herpes all over the frat house. Three-night party with whichever sororites are most likely to whore out.&
Mayfest&- Used to be cooler on Eurcleid but still an excuse for the entire campus to get wasted all day. You meet&people&GDIs who you never knew existed.
Where to Live
208&is the the SDT/Pike kingdom. People will pay anything to live in these apartments on the border of scary-ass downtown Syracuse. Here you'll learn to be grounded and down to earth after the mirror of your&&is slashed off with a bat. There is one parking lot where all the drama goes down, so you better hope you get a room with a window that faces the lot. The 208 parking lot is notorious for being the shittiest looking apartments with the nicest looking cars so if you don't have a Range Rover, BMW, or a Lexus you should find somewhere else to live.Side Note: 208 was cooler circa 2011 and now is pretty lame.&
Castle court&is down the street from 208 area. It is a ZBT annex with mostly Alpha Phi girls.
South campus&hosts your athletes, GDIs, and randos. It's a solid seven minute drive from the main campus.
Tokyo Seoul&- The original best sushi/hibachi house on Erie Blvd. Chill balls with Mrs. Kim (old asian lady who runs the show with Mr. Kim. If she likes you you'll get extra gumballs.) Be sure to wave at all the awkward run-ins you have as you pass the other hibachi tables and plan on smelling like shit after you leave.
Koto&- A more modern sushi/hibachi place closer to campus
Chuck's&- This is what SU betches call beast mode. Anything you get there is amazing so if you're eating this week you should go.Chucks is also a bar with a happy hour on Friday for seniors (the big black bouncer doesn't take shit from underclassmen, even if you just want to pick up food so stay the fuck away.) The whole place is covered in graffiti so you know it's legit.&
Acropolis&- A salad place where the token hunchback 80-year-old delivery guy, "Mr. Acropolis" delivers your food. Although he's really fucking weird and old with white hair and glasses, he's a town sweetheart.
Cosmos (said with a Syracuse accent "CAAZMOWS") - It is the dirtiest/best diner in the world. This diner is old as fuck and famous for the toasted honey bun. You should get that if a 6000 calorie lunch is your jam.&Whatever, I'm getting cheese fries.
Syrajuice&- CRACK. Really good food and balsamic dressing in Marshall Square Mall*Marshall street - basically the central part of 'campus' where most food is, try to avoid all the bums on Marshall Street. If you want to feel good about yourself walk past the most famous hobo, the guy in the wheelchair, who will say "Hey pretty lady"... to you and all of your friends' friends.&
Brueggers Bagels&is the closest thing to a bagel place on the SU campus. Bagels are tiny and like 600 calories. It's always a good place to see morning afters or awkward run-ins.&
Abroad:Second semester, same places as every other school.&
Most cultural thing you'll experience:More diversity, homeless people.&
Drawbacks:It's cold but fear not, you can still dress like a slut to the bar because some guy will give you his jacket before you go back to his frat/apt and do things you'll regret in the morning.&
Betches Love This College: University of Arizona
by The Betches on September 26, 2012&If you're hot,&, and love to get fucked up while getting a&&you're a betch who goes to University of Arizona. Now we know you don't have to be a Mensa scholar to attend this school, nor do you really have to get anything higher than a 1200 on your SATs (out of 2400), but this college is a breeding ground for betchiness. It's a place where having too many parties to attend is a valid excuse for an extension on a paper and not having enough Xanax to get through a class is a real reason not to go. And we're fairly certain this school's budget for 'pools and miscellaneous activities' is bigger than for classroom supplies. So if you're not going to an Ivy, a&, or a&, or even an&, you'll go to Arizona, and even though it'll take you a little extra time to graduate, you'll at least have had a fucking amazing time doing it.
Greek Life:
Sororities:&The majority of the sororities at Zona are made up of girls from Cali/Scottsdale and very few from the East Coast. Each pledge class is made up of a close knit group of about 60-80 betches who come together for chapter meetings to discuss important things like sisterhood and who's the blondest senior this year. Actually, the most productive thing that comes out of a any chapter meeting is a t-shirt design because they will make a shirt for everything. If someone blew their nose during an event there's a good chance that a t-shirt will be made.We would do a breakdown of the sororities but bascially either your sorority gets really fucked up or they don't go out. Oh and everyone's hair matches the color of their cocaine, except DG they're brunettes. &
Fraternities:&Good for&&and date-dashes. And if you were ever wondering what a meth lab looks like, check out the basement of any fraternity, because it used to be one.Every frat is basically kicked off ...that said, we're still not doing a frat breakdown because if you can't figure out how to have fun at this school then you're a huge fugly loser.&
During the Day You Should:Tan until your skin is as leathery as the pleather bags in the only store in the Tucson mall, Forever 21.Shopping on University is cool too if you want to be in the same unique outfit as everyone else. If you're in the mood to lose all sense of fashion Tucson is the perfect place to go.OMG is that a Donni Charm trunk show at your sorority house?&Scarves are SO necessary for Zona students, where the temperature is rarely below 90 degrees.Bong rips before class are highly encouraged.&Getting a spot at Frog & Firkin for game-days is key, especially now that they take catcard.Attend a pool party at Casino de Sol, the Indian Casino.Purchase&&from any of the 1 in 5 people who sell it.
At Night You Should:If it's Friday and you're not drowning in a sugary fish bowl at Fuku then you might as well have not starved yourself all week.Every good night ends at Dirtbags, where the bouncers allegedly accept drugs and money from minors. Their speciality shots include "scooby snacks" and "rubber duckies." The bartenders will never reveal the actual contents of a "rubber duckie" but we know half-n-half is somewhere in the mix. It's really good until you vomit. Dirtbags is an irresistible place to go despite its locker room stench and that it plays the same four songs on repeat. If your name is Caroline you better expect to be pointed at every time Sweet Caroline comes on.If you want to be taken on a date, don't go to Arizona. If you want to&, limit your drunk texts to&, there is a lot of competition.
Where to Live:East Coast betches flock to The Standard. It's like low-income housing for&, but the pool is pretty sweet. Just make sure to get tested after going in for a refreshing dip.If you're a sorority girl and live in a sleeping porch that just sucks.District apartments are good.North Point is more like gun point, and The Seasons is not much better, and both are really far. The village is really nice, but that professor who lives across the street will call the cops within minutes of any party.And if you live in a dorm after freshman year you should keep that to your fucking self.
Special Events:Date dashes, bar golf, Fuku fridays, Zenrock Thursdays, game-days, homecoming, Fiji Islander, 4th ave street fair (Turkey legs yay, but ew!), 9fest concerts,&&or&&for every long weekend especially&or Memorial Day, and last but not least SAE's Jungle Party. &
&obvi. People who go to Zona don't go anywhere cold. It's not uncommon to not go abroad though, because your school is pretty much in&.
Spring Break:Cabo,&, Rocky point
Sports:It's cool to be an IceCat groupie because the players throw fun parties and are generous with their drugs. It's the only sports team where the players have money and a house in the foothills, so it will pay off to root for them and pretend like you care.
Food:Guac, guac, and uh guac.&"We may not look like Mexicans, but we will sure as hell eat like one,"&might as well be the Zona motto. However guac all day everyday is not the best way to stay thin for the year-long-season of pool parties so eating it as a side to your&will suffice. Also,&&is on your meal plan.&
Things To Do Before You Graduate:Photo shoots in the mountains, Dirtbags, and on campus. Get all your besties together and perfect the elbow-out-skinny-arm pose.Take advantage of Bursars. Load up on Ray Bans, Toms, and Clinique products.
Most Cultural Thing You'll Experience:Cali weed, the occasional appearance of Border Patrol on campus, the bus signs that say,&"Meth: It's Our Problem,"&and physically dying during&.&
Drawbacks:Tucson is sketchy and a pain in the ass to get to.You have a 50% chance of graduating on time and a 50% chance of gaining a roxy addiction.