Greek life at many colleges is often plagued with headline-making issues like alcohol abuse, hazing, and sexism. Fraternities and sororities around the country are struggling with dwindling enrollment, and some colleges and universities have eliminated Greek life altogether, deeming the system too problematic to fix.

That is not the Greek life that exists at Oglethorpe. Here, the fraternity and sorority system is expanding rapidly—and has, in fact, doubled from five to 10 chapters in the just the past five years. Perhaps not coincidentally, it also focuses on positive outlets and outcomes like volunteerism and service and enhancing campus community.

SERVICE & PHILANTHROPY
All national Greek organizations require community service for each chapter. While this may be seen as a burden for students elsewhere, giving back seems to be second nature to students at Oglethorpe, where service is already an integral part of the culture. All first-year Oglethorpe students participate in Orientation Day of Service and complete additional volunteer hours through Petrel Points, a system that helps to instill a cycle of giving back that carries over into Greek life. In fact, many sorority and fraternity members complete far more service hours than is required, says Ana Bravo ’16, president of Chi Omega and the Oglethorpe National Panhellenic Council. “If you look at the big service events that Oglethorpe holds, there are always a lot of Greeks participating.”

Every Greek chapter at Oglethorpe also identifies a nonprofit to support throughout the year by planning events and activities to raise funds for their chosen cause. (The added benefit is it also builds community and helps to recruit new members.) Annual favorites include Greekapalooza, a party on the quad hosted by Chi Phi with live bands and good food, with proceeds benefiting RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network). New this fall was “Trick or Trot,” a 5K race held on campus and hosted by Oglethorpe’s Panhellenic Council, with registration fees benefiting the Circle of Sisterhood, which works to “(remove) educational barriers for girls and women facing poverty and oppression.” The annual spring Greek Week brings daily activities for fraternity and sorority members, including the headliner event, Greek Sing, a song and dance competition that last year benefited the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.

In 2015, the Office of Greek Affairs is holding the first-ever Greek Awards, where chapters will be recognized for their achievements in a number of areas, including most service hours, most improved average GPA, and most funds raised for their respective organization. In addition, Dean of Students Michelle Hall will choose an organization to win the Dean’s Choice Award and crown the winner of the top prize: Chapter of the Year.

GREEKS ARE STUDENT LEADERS
Nationally, college students involved in Greek life have a higher GPA and are more likely to graduate than non-Greeks. Indeed, many of Oglethorpe’s Greek students hold leadership positions in other organizations in the OU community, including the Student Government Association, Alpha Phi Omega (a national, service-based co-ed fraternity), and athletic teams, and some members work as resident assistants or orientation leaders. “We look for guys that have potential to be a leader, in the fraternity or outside of it in extra-curricular activities,” says Alex Attebery ’16, officer of Delta Sigma Phi and president of the Interfraternity Council.

“Joining Greek life has given me the tools and skills I’ve needed to become a leader,” says Elisabeth Carter ’15, vice president of Chi Omega. “I think if it wasn’t for some of the opportunities that Greek life provided me, I wouldn’t be as prepared to take on the leadership positions that I have now. Our organizations provide opportunities for members to become leaders.”

“We all know each other and hold each other accountable to make sure that we are upholding our values and representing our organization.”

 

BUILDING COMMUNITY
So, why has Oglethorpe’s Greek life been able to flourish, while so many others are struggling to stay alive? Perhaps it’s a combination of commitment to service, creating a welcoming campus community and a good set of rules. Ask Oglethorpe Greeks this question and their answer is loud and clear: we hold each other accountable.

“I like to think that it’s just because we are smaller chapters,” says Caitlin Munroe ’16, president of Sigma Sigma Sigma. “It’s not like at big schools where a chapter may have 100 people. We all know each other and hold each other accountable to make sure that we are upholding our values and representing our organization and not doing the types of things that you hear about at other schools.”

“Since we are a small school, I think we may pay attention to and follow the rules more than people at bigger schools might,” adds Ana Bravo. “It really makes you thankful for the community that we have here at Oglethorpe.”

WHO ARE OGLETHORPE’S GREEK ORGANIZATIONS?

Once Greek, Always Greek
Oglethorpe Greek chapters strive to maintain positive relationships with their alumni. Each holds a Founder’s Day event and invites alumni chapter members back to campus to celebrate what is great about their fraternity or sorority. Each chapter also has an alumni adviser, who may be an Oglethorpe alumnus or from another university, as assigned by their national organization. Many chapters also have active alumni associations in the Atlanta area, where all former members of their national council can maintain the bonds formed during college. During Oglethorpe’s annual Alumni Weekend, each chapter holds an open house, where they enjoy meeting and visiting with alumni chapter members.

MEN’S FRATERNITIES
Kappa Sigma The mission of Kappa Sigma, founded in 2012, states that the fraternity strives to complement and enhance the educational mission of Oglethorpe University.

Chi Phi Founded in 1969 on the basis of truth, honor and personal integrity, timeless values which guide the fundamental purposes of the fraternity.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Founded in 1859, is the 11th chapter of SAE to be founded, and is one of the few fraternities founded in the Antebellum South that is still in operation.

Delta Sigma Phi Members of Delta Sigma Phi, originally founded in 1922, wrote a national song known by chapters across the country. The fraternity had closed, was re- chartered in 1985, closed again in 2008, and was revived once again in 2013.

Alpha Phi Alpha  OU’s newest Greek organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, joined the campus community just this year, and was originally founded at Cornell University as the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for African Americans.

WOMEN’S SORORITIES
Alpha Sigma Tau The official chapter animal of Alpha Sigma Tau, founded in the 1999-2000 academic year, is the frog and their open motto is “Active, self-reliant, trustworthy.”

Chi Omega The oldest Panhellenic chapter on campus, originally founded in 1924 and re-chartered in 1969.

Sigma Sigma Sigma “Ever Forward”
is the unofficial motto of Sigma Sigma Sigma, founded in 1987, and is represented by the sailboat, a testament to its continual forward motion always progressing towards its destination.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Formed in 2012, Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded on the campus of Howard University and is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-trained women.

Epsilon Iota Psi The first African American sorority on campus, Epsilon Iota Psi is a local chapter founded by students at Oglethorpe in 2012, with the motto “Empower to inspire progress.”

GREEK PEEK
Members
There are 123 fraternities and sororities in the U.S., comprised
of a total of nine million members. There are 750,000 current under- graduate members in 12,000 chapters on more than 800 campuses in the U.S. and Canada.

Network
The Greek system is the largest network of volunteers in the U.S., with members donating more than 10 million hours of volunteer service each year.

Philanthropy
As alumni, Greeks give approximately 75% of all money donated to universities nationally. More than $7 million is raised each year by Greeks nationally.