Description

Ites 1961 on the campus of a New England university. Sam Katz, a freshman student, aspiring football player, and a Jew is being rushed by Delta Phi Delta, one of the oldest national fraternities in the country (with its origin in the Deep South). Sam is told by Don Curtis, the fraternityes president, that the brotherhood wants to challenge the fraternityes anti-Semitic traditions and needs Sames commitment to pledge in order to set the challenge in motion. By doing so Don is putting himself in direct conflict with the national organization and the venerable chapter advisor, Noel Richards, who is intent upon maintaining the Delt status quo as a Christian fraternity. Sames roommate, Eddie Solomon, is appalled that Sam would consider joining and argues that Sam is just being used as a etoken Jewe so the Delts can appear in compliance with the universityes growing anti-discriminatory policies toward fraternities. Betsy, Sames new love interest, who herself may have a problem with being Jewish, is considering running for class president to improve the treatment of women on campus. Sames growing guilt and confusion concerning his own identity as a Jew causes him to rethink his decision to pledge. But his continued attraction to the fraternity, especially after the Delt brotherhood unanimously votes him in, leads Sam finally to join. With Betsyes encouragement and Dones ultimate success in convincing Noel that the Delts must change in order to survive, Sam, in a historical moment, is initiated into the fraternity. In 1961, John F. Kennedyes influence on the youth of America triggered an activism that inspired college students to believe that they could truly make a difference. The college campus served as a laboratory for questioning the efficacy of prevailing social, cultural and political thought. It is against this backdrop of activism and the beginning of momentous change in America that Fraternity, inspired by real events, takes place. Unit set. Approximate running time: 80 minutes.