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| 06-14-2004 | Previous edition: 06-11-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Greek life offers many different possibilitiesBy Morgan LeamingSummer Reporter Greek life is a big part of college for some students. The parties, contacts and instant friendships that one might attain through being involved in a Greek organization are often a draw to join. "Purdue has the third largest Greek system in the country," said Andrew Robison, assistant dean of students. Those interested in joining a fraternity or sorority must go through a formal or informal recruitment process. This year the sororities on campus are holding their formal recruitment during the fall semester. Registration for fall recruitment runs from June 7 through Sept. 1. An open house for the 15 participating houses will be held on Sept. 4. Each sorority has a minimum GPA requirement potential members must meet. "The sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process," said Robison. "The sororities rank the women on grades, personality and the woman’s potential fit with the chapter." The potential new members also rank the sororities and then a computer merges the data and compiles the matches, said Robison. Once matches have been made, the potential sorority members go through three invitation rounds. After each round the number of matches becomes smaller. "There are no forced bids," said Robison. "We don’t send anyone to a house they don’t want to bid." Some sororities do not participate in the formal recruitment process. Those sororities hold an informal recruitment that begins after the formal process is complete. "Seventy percent of the people who join in formal recruitment are freshmen," said Robison. "Thirty percent are sophomore, juniors or transfer students." According to the Office of the Dean of Students, the average annual room and board cost for sororities is $5,344.31. Most sororities require members to live in the house for their sophomore, junior and senior years, said Robison. There are, however, some informal and smaller formal sororities that allow members to live outside the house. During the first weeks of school, group meetings will be held in the residence halls for those interested in joining a sorority. The recruitment process for fraternities is more informal than sororities. Robison said fraternity recruitment often occurs through word of mouth. He suggests potential members narrow their list down to about 12 fraternities. Once a list of choices has been made, prospective members should call or e-mail those on their list to let the fraternities know they are interested in joining. Robison said students should do their homework and compare the cost and features of the fraternities. According to the Office of the Dean of Students, the average cost of room and board for a fraternity is $5,436.98. Fraternity members are required to live in the house for two years, said Robison. Like sororities, fraternities have certain GPA requirements potential members must meet. Most fraternities have meetings two times a week through the recruitment process. During these meetings prospective pledges take tours through the houses and hear talks on different subjects, said Robison. More information regarding individual sororities and fraternities can be found on www.purduegreeks.com. Printer-friendly version |
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