Fraternities And Sororities In Greek Life

Katie Couric, Aretha Franklin, Condoleezza Rice, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Rosa Parks, Kate Spade, Robert Frost, Steven Spielberg, John F. Kennedy, Harrison Ford, Eli Manning, George W. Bush. I could go on with this list for hours. These are all familiar names to us for what they have accomplished in the past or the present. If I told you that all of these individuals participated in Greek life during their times during college, would you be stunned? As college students, we are all given a commonly misconceived stereotype of fraternities and sororities as a whole.

Now let's discuss some of the disadvantages. Consider your hectic schedule, and then consider another hectic schedule on top of it. While meetings and some events, like charity and recruitment, might be mandatory, others are optional. Though, chances are, you’ll want to attend the fun, frequent social events. Let’s get into the fun stuff, housing. While not all houses are the same, many have a lot of rules and requirements in order to live there, like specific study hours or attendance policies. If you’re more of a free spirit, this may not be your thing. Do you work? Well, you might have to. Fraternities and sororities require membership fees. For example, the initiation dues of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity are about $265 in addition to the

Sororities encourage one to become involved in the community, develop leadership skills and pursue lifetime goals with passion. The sisterhood that sorority members experience helps females build confidence and lasting friendships that are beneficial throughout their lives. Sorority members are also granted special privileges on and off

In today’s society, going to college has become the norm. Freshly graduated students escape high school to become a freshman again. By August students start filing into packed cars to leave for college and try to find their place in this world. Out of the millions of students that attend each year, a percentage of them will rush a fraternity or sorority for the chance of sister or brotherhood. To some it is a sign of superior status, and others it not the right fit. Greek life is known from everything to volunteering for the community to the wild parties that somehow do not get busted by the cops every weekend. In the nation, Kimberly Brandy on Marie Claire states there are 5,975 fraternities governed by the North American Interfraternity Conference and 3,127 sororities governed by the National Panhellenic Conference. At Kansas State alone, about one in five students are a part of the greek community. K-State is also known for its diversity. We take pride in this fact here at Kansas State, but as a whole, the nation is having troubles combining these prides. It is in the combination of

When undergraduates become interested in Greek life, they have to decide if the advantages outweigh the risks. In the news, the public hears the negative side of Greek life such as the students in sororities and fraternities passing away from alcohol abuse, or colleges such as Indiana University suspending fraternities on campus for hazing and alcohol violations until March 2018. While many negative topics about Greek life are prominent in the news, not all sororities and fraternities experience hazing and illegal problems. Although both advantages and disadvantages arise on college campuses within Greek life, undergraduate students usually benefit from being a part of a sorority or fraternity and are able to create a healthy environment and community to learn, work, and live in.

When one first thinks of Greek life or a sorority the only thing that comes to mind is the social aspect. Most people don’t think of sororities as social institutions that envelop their own culture, with mannerisms, languages and customs that are unique to each individual organization. However, these institutions promote a common set of values that enable members to become connected in a way that has a more profound meaning than just social interaction. Greek organizations are good examples of how institutions can affect and be affected by social status and roles within the collegiate community. They are also a prime example of how race, class and gender can affect a social setting in both positive and negative manners.

Never in a million years did I plan on joining Greek life in college. When I got to school I quickly decided that I wanted to be more involved and help make a difference in people’s lives. I decided to rush a sorority which happened to be Delta Gamma. Delta Gamma has provided me with so many wonderful opportunities to make a difference. When the Whited family reached out to our chapter here at IUP I knew this would be something I would remember doing for years to come. The Whited family came to one of our chapter meetings and we got to meet little Lochlan who touched all of our hearts. I have had so many wonderful opportunities from this organization already and have received such great experience by joining

Sororities and fraternities are becoming more influential on college campuses and among the professional world. Over 730 schools across the United States have the Greek life system and there are several different fraternities and sororities on each college campus. Many Americans have extremely different opinions about Greek life as a whole. Although many say it is all about partying, there are many pros and cons to joining Greek life. Greek life can be a very good experience in college, it is whatever people make it.

Greek Organizations have been an influence of college life for many years. Typically there are two sections of the Greek System, social organizations and the profession organizations. Along with the parties and alcohol that is associated with Greek Organizations, they do many other more positive things. They participate in charity events, community service, and volunteering for needy people. Alongside the positives of Greek Organizations, there is always a downfall. For instance, dues and fees are required which is typically a lot of money out of your college student bank account. There are many things that take place in a fraternity or sorority that people don’t consider when they are eager to join. You are required to follow many steps in the process of being accepted into an organization. To start, you

In “Examining the Benefits of Greek Life.” Nicole Glass explains why she believes that Greek life is a great opportunity for students in public universities. Nicole gives multiple examples of famous people in history that were in sororities. Nicole explains that the Greek life system gives students opportunity to make friends that will be with for life, have fun at parties, and learn leadership skills that students will use for the rest of their lives. The author points out that the sororities/ fraternities have a very bad name in the press, but the hazing is very rare throughout the Greek system.

What previous knowledge I had about sororities was based of the experience of my older sister, who went through the recruitment process twice to find her home in Kappa Delta at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The advice my sister gave was each school is different when it came to Greek life, but the experience would be the same it would leave me experiencing so many different feelings from exhaustion to painfully awkward conversations. I wanted to see for myself if this process was for me, to see if I could see myself as being a “sorority girl.”

Concluding Remarks: Many clubs and organizations offer things such as friendship, academic support, leadership skills, etc. However, Greek life will provide you with these opportunities and so much more in one single organization. Transitioning from high school to college and college to the real world is never an easy task, but by becoming Greek you will be able to transition with ease, as well as grow as an individual.

Thus, when we (potentially) see attitudinal/behavioral differences years later between college alumni who did and did not participate in the fraternity/sorority system those differences could reflect the pre-college personalities of the two groups and not the actual experience of being in a Greek organization (Reifman, 2011 pg 2). Some students may be impacted with the best experience out of joining a fraternity or sorority while others may experience the opposite. "for every girl who emerges from a sorority with improved self-esteem, there are numerous others whose confidence has been crushed" (Robbins, 2004 p.320). “a heavy reliance on men for social validation; and enormous time and financial commitments”. In some sororities, members are officially required to attend a certain percentage of events and even when not technically required, many feel implicitly that they should attend sorority activities over important outside functions (Robbins, 2004

While deciding where one is going to attend college, one may decide to look into extracurricular activities to get involved on campus. Sometimes one may ask an adult they look up to about what they think one should get involved in, many would agree that one should go Greek. After listing to other adults, one may decide to go through the recruitment experience and find their home in Greek life. Since joining a Greek organization one can see how people see it as a way to gain many leadership skills along with a great way to network. However one understands that everything one is involved in has something negative, like Greek life have so many opportunities to party which is the only thing that many people see when they think of Greek life. While exploring how Greek life is a good thing and that the bad that comes with it is nothing compared to the good. For many people including myself Greek life is a place where someone can be oneself and learn many things about who one is along with the sisters around you that push you to be the best person you

Despite getting a bad rap from national news and many local/campus groups Greek Life has a lot to offer and the picture they may have painted is not the whole thing. I have learned so much and grown so much as a man with my time as a Greek Triangle man. I have gained skills like time management, public speaking, interpersonal communication, leadership, and the list goes