POLL: Fraternal and sororal memberships

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From Sigma Alpha Epsilon to Chi Omega, and from Rosicrucian Order to the Daughters of the American Revolution, there is an abundance of fraternal and sororal groups for individuals to join. The groups are variously professional, social, academic, religious and hereditary.

Are you a member of one or more such groups? If not, why?

If you are a member of a fraternal or sororal group (or wish you were but aren’t), do your autistic social, communication and routine behaviors or co-morbids like anxiety and obsessive compulsions keep you from joining your groups or their activities (which are usually very socialized)?

Extra credit question: Should there be separate, independent groups for autistic people?

I'm a member of Alpha Chi.

I've never derived any benefit from this membership, nor was I ever forced to show any social skills.

Having never tried to join an academic fraternity, I never knew that the honor-society frats don't socialize much.

It wasn't one of those fraternities where you had to go through some sort of initiation. I would have no idea how I could use this membership to my benefit. Prospective employers don't really care about your academic accomplishments. They mostly care about past job experience.

So an honorary-society fraternal membership would actually have little negative social effect on the life of an autistic individual. This makes me wonder if such frats are or would be quite populated by a disporportionate number of us; a kind of academic refuge.

Thanks, kraftiekortie! I learned something new about this topic.

BTW, I should mention my own memberships. I am the founder and a member of the hereditary society Bloodlines of Salem. I was a member of The Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter for five years. I was a member of the Sons of the Revolution for six years. And, I am a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Me too.

Very good! And, you live in Massachusetts! One of my seven revolutionary ancestors from Shrewsbury served in Roxbury during the Siege of Boston on the alarm of April 19.

I'm an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha, the professional men's music fraternity. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from Evansville, IN (their national office) or from Zeta Tau chapter (Indiana University of PA) in decades, even though Zeta Tau chapter uses the IUP alumni database for mailings in the distant past.

My understanding of academic fraternities and sororities is taking a beating with real-life comments like these. Hm. Of course, maybe the other kinds of social groups I mentioned are more involving for their members.