On a typical day at UT, students accumulate on Pedestrian Walkway, sprinting and dodging other students to get to their class or Southern Kitchen to get that breakfast meal swipe. Out of nowhere, a loud burst of assertive rap music breaks the sighs of tired students rushing to avoid campus life as much as possible. The music is coming from tables, set up by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities, encouraging students to purchase a ticket to see Gucci Mane. It is a thing at UT for fraternities to capitalize on performances by famous rappers, which in this case, is also used to promote the Interfraternity Council’s annual boxing weekend. From the website, boxing weekend is dubbed as “the biggest party weekend in the South.” It is not strange for UT fraternities to host amateur events but a student could wonder when did events become so offensive and staged for comical purposes. Attending Boxing Weekend, along with researching fraternity events from decades ago, I will compare how they differ in morale and class. After, I hope to have better insight on what to expect when attending future fraternity events.
Upon entering the Knoxville Expo Center, bright lights shine all around the venue, but particularly brighter on an old boxing ring that awaits to claim its first victim of 2017. The dull concrete has shades of grey and black to reveal the busy hustle and bustle of past vendors that claimed the grounds weeks before. I can see that it has been polished to give a good impression upon those attending, but remnants of sneaker skid marks bring to reality that the occasion is just another amateur fraternity event. Crowds fill up extremely quickly, with sorority girls carrying gigantic signs to support their preferred victor. The signs show rhetoric of support, friendship, and hope for those in the ring. A boxer could be near defeat and upon looking over and catching the glimpse of someone rooting for them to continue, it pushes and encourages the boxer to finish with all that he’s got. Words are continually shouted across the over-populated venue— “boo” to represent distaste and neglect, “beat him” to incite more violence and blood, and obscene profanities, which I assume, is UT’s own way of expressing a good time. Something to notice is the lack of diversity in the venue. The crowds consist of bubbly, “pretty” girls that could pass as social elites of college and red-faced boys rooting for their brother. There is a rhetoric of segregation in action. Boxing Weekend, unbeknownst to me, carried an unintentional agenda of the “popular” types only.
First to the ring is Alec Naiman, a freshman in Phi Kappa Psi, and Brendan Endlsey, a freshman in Chi Pi. Each boxer sports a head guard that won’t seem to do too much protection, loose tank top, gym shorts, and a pair of black boxing gloves. The referee asserts his authority and counts down until the boxers are granted permission to destroy one another. Immediately, determination fills each man to the core as powerful throws are succeeded and missed. Rhetoric of support are heard in the crowd’s cheers and chants. Through the fallen sweat and blood, one could see a family formed in the venue, all shouting in unison to also demonstrate a fun time.
With what seems like forever, the match is near finish. The audience can see the Vol temperament burst through each boxer, unwilling to give up and fighting until the official end. At the close of the fight, the boxers are unrecognizable, saturated in their own sweat and blood, which shows perseverance and valor. Screeching chants of support and fulfillment from the audience reach the ceiling. Within seconds, the referee raises the hand of the first winner of boxing weekend: Alec Naiman. After the call, the boxers shake hands and have an exchange of words. With this small act, honor and respect is established between the fighters. Brendan Endsley proudly accepts his earned defeat and Alec Naiman ushers around the ring, expressing his well-deserved victory.
Like past fraternal events, Boxing Weekend provides another opportunity for UT’s Greek Life students to come together and enjoy a good time. Though an attendee is not required to be a part of Greek Life to come, there is an established attitude in the atmosphere that would make someone uncomfortable if they were not involved with Greek Life. Boxing Weekend started in 1986, but it slowly became risqué, due to the bizarre after parties that are hosted once the event is over.
Initially, Boxing Weekend was hosted by SAE and a council was appointed to sell shirts, tickets, and make the event known. Money raised went to charity. Now, the fraternities do not publicize the event, most likely because it has come to acquire a negative connotation. Instead, they capitalize off of famous rappers that come to town, performing at the venue and money raised goes directly to the fraternity’s account to be used for other social gatherings.
However, fraternal events were once admirable. Looking through the Special Collections archives for past yearbooks, I recorded events from one and two decades ago to compare fraternal events then and now. In 2005-2006, the IFC hosted Trick or Treat on Greek Street. This event was a way to give back to the community by having a safe route for young teenagers to travel while enjoying Halloween festivities. Though this was four years after the September 11 attacks, the IFC most likely hosted this event to remind the community a family exists within UT and a simple act of kindness would keep reminders of the evil in the world off of minds during a holiday.
During the school year 1996-1996, the IFC hosted Greek Camp, a week-long event to introduce freshmen pledges to each fraternity’s ideals and brotherhood. Though this was exclusive to members of each fraternity, it shows how fraternities used to value concrete principles and ethics. Within the camp, upperclassman brothers would share their most memorable experience while with the fraternity and this would instill morality among pledges.
Greek Week encompassed ideals of unity, safety, and brotherhood. Rhetoric of love among strangers shined at the start and then rhetoric of lifelong friendships was established in letters written by pledges.
Though it may seem irrelevant, the advancement of technology is part responsible for the growing immaturity and socially dependent fraternal events through the decades. As iPhones became more accessible and the Internet invented new ways to share news, students slowly became detached from reality and important ideals that once embodied the fraternities were not upheld or reminded. It’s 2017 and generally, students care about who has the most views on a video or who had the best weekend. Because of this, morality is stripped from fraternal hosted events and leadership ideals no longer matter.
Fraternity affairs changed drastically in just two decades. With the growing advancement of technology, it seems almost impossible to expect the IFC to host an event that would bring together Vols of all backgrounds and organizations and engage in mature activities that would remind the brothers of what their fraternity stand for. Attending Boxing Weekend showed me how Greek Life lacks diversity and embodies a new principle of social royalty. UT is a university that appreciates different personalities and remind students of its valued. The IFC should be reminded of the true meaning of carrying the Vol title and begin planning events that would welcome all Vols.