Posted By Gettysburgian Staff on Apr 14, 2023 | 1 comment

By Sydney Kaplan ’22, Former President of Students Against Sexual Assault

I distinctly recall being told repeatedly during my first semester at Gettysburg College (Fall 2018) to avoid FIJI; it was commonly known as “the rapiest frat.” There were rumors of individuals being drugged and of FIJI’s jungle juice being spiked with various substances. Whether or not any of this is true I cannot say; what I can say is that while my intention is not to insult the organization or its members, I do find it necessary to establish what FIJI’s reputation was like during my time as a student.

Fast forward to August 2020, when FIJI violated Covid restrictions. The organization made a callous and rash decision to put an entire community at risk… in order to party. When put in perspective, that is no small act; it was indisputably selfish and intentionally ignorant. I’m not saying FIJI wanted to hurt people; I’m saying it didn’t stop and think before acting, and that this is not a new pattern of behavior (see The Gettysburgian articles from the past few years).

Couple FIJI’s indiscretion with its small or nonexistent current membership, and one might naturally come to the conclusion that FIJI’s tenure at Gettysburg College has run its course. Perhaps FIJI national should cut their losses and close up shop here. Besides, if students want to join a fraternity on campus, there are at least eight others to choose from. Why join the one that (rightly or wrongly) has the worst reputation?

I don’t believe that FIJI should continue to be punished for breaking Covid safety measures two and a half years ago; the organization did its time and that is more than sufficient. I’m just saying that its actions speak very, very loudly, and that those who stop to listen might not like what they hear. Regardless of the fact that classes of brothers have cycled in and out of FIJI for decades, the organization itself has maintained a subpar reputation in recent years and is repeatedly and consistently noted as problematic. At what point do we stop this vicious cycle? Now is the perfect opportunity for FIJI to disappear from campus before their resurrection gains traction. 

On the other hand, this is a great opportunity for FIJI to rebuild as a better, safer chapter on campus. Since the fraternity would be composed of all new members, they might be able to create a positive change within the organization and the community at large. But can FIJI rise to the occasion?