In Brussels, Belgium, fraternities are quite different from what you have in the US of A. Let's sum up the discrepancies and simmilarities (remember : in Belgium, the Flemish speak Dutch and live in the north, the Walloons speak french -exclusively- and live in the south. In Brussels they speak either and understand both):
- There is a double system for the choice of your "Circle" ("Cercle" / "Kring")
- faculty circle : when studying in a particular faculty, you can only be a member of the corresponding circle. When you choose to change majors, you have to change circles, although you keep a trace on your hat. The different circles are
- Cercle Polytechnique (CP)/ Polytechnische Kring (PK): for the engineering school
- Cercle des Sciences (CdS) / Wetenschappelijk kring (WK) : science students
- Cercle de droit (CD) / Vlaamse Rechtsgenootschap (VRG) : Law students
- Cercle Kine (CK) / Mesacosa : kinesitherapy /sports
- and more
- regional circle (cercles regionaux / regionale kringen): You can generally choose to be a member of as many regional circles as you want, based generally on where in Belgium you come from, but there is no rule. Different RKs are :
- Antverpia (A'pia) : for students from Antwerp
- Limburgia (Lia) : foooor thooooose froooomm Liiiiiiiimbuuuuuuuurg
- Oostense Ploate : for those from Ostend
- Brugse studentekring (BSK) : Bruges
- Kring der Brusselse Studenten (KBS) : Brussels
- It's not sorority vs. fraternity, it's the same club for either genders.
- It doesn't cost you much : basically, every freshman ("Les Bleus" / "De Schachten") is automatically member of his faculty's Circle ("Cercle" / "Kring") is member for free, older students ("Poils" / "Anciens") have to pay about 5€ te be. Further a drinking and singing ("Cantus") night costs about 5€, you get in a dancing party ("TD" for "Thé dansant") for 2€ and pay about 1€ per beer
- You don't have to be twenty one to get legally drunk. Not even eighteen.
- Everyone is welcome at every other circle's parties. Except for some folklorical ceremonies, where you have to be baptized (see next point)
- We don't have a pledge ceremony, we have a baptism ceremony ("Les baptemes" / "De Dopen"). The freshmen have to go on a stage and perform a play, entirely naked. The girls can and do keep their panties, although we have the occasional full monty. While they perform, the "Anciens" throw "klasj" (pronounced "clash") at them. It's a mixing of methylen blue, mashed sugar beet, and flour. It is in no way a hateful thing, as during the pause, they will throw it at each other and even fight or dry hump in the Klasj. The message we send them is thus to be understood as "Now you're part of the club". Those who volunteer (I was one) can have their head and / or pubis shaved.
- Once a freshman is baptized, he is a full member of the circle, and may wear the lab jacket ( "Tablier" / "Labojas") and the hat ("La Penne" / "De Klak"). The hat as visor of arbitrary length. It is white except for the engineers who wear a black one. One the back is the sign of the faculty. There is a ribbon around the hat that matches the faculty color :
- Black for the engineers,
- Bordeaux for law
- Purple for science
- Green for pharmacy
- Red for medicine
- Orange for applied economics
- Red for sports / kine
- and so on
When You change majors, you only change the ribbon. In the front of the hat, you put a new golden star each year, except when you have to start over, in which case it is a silver star. If you're an engineer, it's the opposite color scheme, and stars are replaced by bolts. You also add color letters, indicating clearly what circles you're members of.
About a fortnight after the last faculty baptism took place, on november 20, the whole university closes to celebrate it's founder,
Pierre Theodore Verhaegen (St-Vé). Every circle rents a truck. We fight with
methylen blue,
flour, eggs and homemade mixtures. When everything is up, we climb on the trucks and are led -under strong police escort- to the Sablon / Zavel. The richest square in Brussels, and stay there all day, drinking, singing until bored, then eventually go home happy.