Response to ‘Adaptions like “Fratagonia” take group conformity too far’

By Kyrie Hill, senior member of Kappa Alpha Theta
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Once again Fraternity and Sorority Life is being highlighted for something not too flattering. We do something great that benefits our community or one of our chapters has a philanthropy event going on during the week and neither of these get highlighted or announced. Something bad happens or a chapter is getting removed from campus and it’s a hot topic with a full page article.

Unfortunately, thats how our society is. We highlight the bad and ignore the good, and not just in FS Life. One thing that is not bad or even good but just inappropriate and caddy is to judge a group of individuals about what they wear and why they wear it.

During Colorado’s winter months we have temperatures that sit in the negatives for days at a time. What do people do? Wear their jackets. Some maybe be Patagonia, The North Face, Colombia, or they could be store brands like Target. Is there really nothing else for people to care about then what others wear? My question: is who the heck cares?

Just because an individual wears these brands does not mean that they need to be spending their Saturday afternoons hiking a 14er. All people from all different walks a life have a right to wear a brand if they so choose whether they use it for the intended purpose or not.

However, many individuals in FS Life wear these brands for their intended purpose. One of my best friends in a fraternity has hiked every 14er in Colorado. Does he have Patagonia apparel? You bet he does. One of my sisters goes skiing every weekend. Her brand of choice: The North Face.

One of my friends outside of FS Life has a closet full of outdoor brands who has hiked twice in her life. Of course there are people in FS Life that are the same thing. Again my same question arises though is: Who cares?

The main reason for this article is the shirts around campus that say “Fratagonia”. This apparel is sold by a fraternity on campus to go towards ALS research. To be honest with you, I think this is one of the most clever philanthropies around. They took a brand that is very popular not just among outdoor lovers and greeks, but college students in general and associated it with their organization. The best part about this is that it also goes to a good cause. I know this is something difficult for someone outside of a Greek organization to find out, but isn’t the first step of investigative journalism to ask? Although, this is a major aspect that this article lacks. Also it says on the bag it supports ALS.

One thing this writer and all of the FS Life needs to remember is that since the beginning of our existence we have faced oppression, rejection, and attempts to end our organizations. Look at where we are at now. Decades later we still have a large presence on campus, we contribute to charities across the world, we strive for the highest in academic excellence, and we do it all in Patagonia and croakies. P.S. don’t forget the Sperry’s.

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