“Frats for some reason end up carrying all the negative burdens for college kids across the country that aren’t in fraternities — that’s what you get for being in a public group,” Alex Alben, Pi Kappa Alpha’s Boston University chapter president, said.

The image of the Greek god’s lifestyle as more crunking than studying, as outlined in Tucker Max’s I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, is inaccurate and insulting, BU frat presidents said.

Chi Phi President Jon Thibult said fraternities are more than just drinking clubs.

“You see the negative stereotype through movies like Animal House, and I don’t get frustrated when people think that because obviously that’s what’s known to think,” Thibult said. “I try to show them that there’s more to it than drinking.”

“The brotherhood aspect in a setting especially like BU is important,” Thibult said. “You get put into a dorm and you can’t control who your roommate is or who you’re on a floor with. A frat provides young men the ability to grow together and bonds that last a lifetime with guys they share interests with.”

Fraternity presidents, including Thibult, said they have founded and participated in various philanthropy projects.

“Basically what we do is build a brotherhood throughout life and also we try to better be a community through philanthropy,” former Sigma Chi President Mark Robins said.

Alben said Pi Kappa Alpha is also involved in community service and philanthropy.

“We try to get involved in the community outside of just the fraternity,” Alben said. “We want diverse brothers, not guys who just do fraternities and that’s it.”

Alben said brothers should not just be looked at as dudes straight out of Animal House.

“It’s problematic that people are much more interested in bad stuff that happens than good stuff that happens,” Alben said. “Frats are raising thousands of dollars a semester, and no one cares about that, and it’s a shame because we do a lot of good stuff.”

School of Hospitality junior Michelle Eng said she has encountered both decent and despicable brothers.

“Not all the boys in frats at BU define the drunken frat boy stereotype,” she said. “I know as many nice frat boys as I do jerks.”