Fraternity, Sorority & Cooperatives- Greek life

Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus has been a host to Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative (FSCL) communities for over 100 years and currently boasts one of the nation’s largest memberships- with almost 6,500 students (18% of Purdue’s undergraduates) and over 90 organizations. 

Fraternities and sororities are social clubs created with the intent of bringing like-minded people together. Initially created as philosophical societies, these organizations paved the way for students to organize around a set of common values. They are generally chapters of national US organisations that provide friendship, academic support, opportunities for civic engagement, and leadership development for many college students. You can recognise them easily as they usually have names made up of Greek letters (such as Alpha Sigma & Delta). There are four councils on campus. There’s the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC- traditionally white sororities), the Interfraternity Council (IFC- traditionally white fraternities), the National Pan-Hellenic Council (traditionally black fraternities and sororities), and the Multicultural Greek Council (cultural based fraternities and sororities- currently Asian, LatinX, and LGBTQ+ interest). The first two are going to be the traditional house experience, whereas the latter two are generally much smaller and without live-in requirements. Those that have have their own houses will have students who join them typically moving into the house during their second year of membership. For those that dont have their facilities, their members do not have obligations to live in a particular place. Traditionally, FSCL houses were able to house all sophomore and junior members, but due to the increasing number of students that are joining, some houses can no longer accommodate all sophomore and junior members. Based on current policies, recruitment strategies, and Purdue enrolment trends, this trend will likely continue.

Cooperatives are unique to Purdue as they are not affiliated to any national organisations (like the frats or sororities). Additionally, members of cooperatives pitch in together to complete cooking and cleaning duties around the house.  Consequently, cooperatives are an extremely affordable type of living, as houses do not hire out any of these tasks. They offer a distinct combination of student organization, affordable living, and community. There are 11 such cooperatives at Purdue (4 male and 7 female) and all fall under the Purdue Cooperative Council (PCC). If a student joins a cooperative as a freshman at Purdue, they can live in it all of their four years. Although not Greek, cooperatives are often implicitly included in references to Greek Life at Purdue as they must follow the same rules as the frats and sororities and they also share the leadership, scholarship, philanthropic, and social motives of joining.

Any student enrolled at Purdue University may go through recruitment. This includes first-year, sophomore, junior, senior, and transfer students. While a few organizations restrict membership to students in their second semester or older, the majority of Purdue’s organizations are open to all classes. Most organizations also have GPA requirements for potential new members. Cooperative recruitment is also open to incoming first year students in the Spring before coming to campus. 

1. Social and Networking Opportunities: Greek life fosters close-knit communities and extensive alumni networks, leading to lasting friendships and career benefits. As at 2021, there were 92,699 Purdue alumni who are members of fraternities, sororities and cooperative houses and 30% of Purdue alumni that served on either the Purdue Board of Trustees, PRF Board of Directors, Purdue Alumni Foundation Board, or boards for the colleges/schools from 2009-2019 were members of FSCL organizations. The data from Purdue shows:
   
   
   
2. Academic Support: Many fraternities and sororities provide tutoring, study resources, and enforce GPA requirements, contributing to higher graduation rates among members. The Purdue FSCL community GPA has met or surpassed the general all-undergraduate GPA for the last 10 years consecutively. See how the Average FSCL GPA compares to the average Purdue GPAs as well as the 4 year Graduation rates:
   
   
3. Philanthropy: Greek organizations engage in community service and fundraising, offering members volunteer experience and leadership roles. Many Greek organizations adopt a charity. Their members work hard to support that charity and participate in fund-raising events throughout the year. This teaches them to give back to others and promotes a mindset that they carry with them after graduation. This is what they raised in 2023:
   
   
4. Leadership skills. You can serve in numerous leadership capacities in your fraternity/sorority and as part of the on-campus Greek council. This can teach you how to delegate, organize events and manage finances.

1. Financial Costs: Organizations collect dues and membership fees or house bills from every member. Most groups have one-time initiation fees and semester dues. Then there are event fees, and if you are housing with them, the expenses can accumulate. Most organizations offer payment plans and scholarships to help their members meet their financial obligations. This was the average cost for each type of organisation at Purdue for Fall 2023- as you can see the Cooperatives (PCC) living costs were a really low cost option for staying on-campus at Purdue as compared to the rest of the organisations.
   
   
   
2. Time Commitment: Greek life requires a significant time investment, including a 8-12 week pledging process and ongoing participation in weekly meetings, events, and volunteer activities. Fraternity and Sorority members attend mandatory events (such as recruitment, philanthropy events, and initiation ceremonies) throughout the week. They also have to maintain a certain GPA, raise philanthropy money and perform community service. Members have to learn to balance busy schedules; and frat/sorority members who try to attend every party can quickly fall behind academically. Cooperative students must contribute to their house by cleaning and cooking for everyone on a rotation. This helps keep the rents low.
   
3. Alcohol Abuse: Fraternities and sororities can’t escape the drinking and partying stereotype because it is embedded in Greek culture. It’s the reason a lot of students are attracted to, and go, Greek. But few houses party like shown in the movies. Most people in Greek-letter organizations are genuinely ashamed of the reckless drinking behaviour displayed on TV. It gives them a bad reputation and overshadows the numerous benefits of Greek life. But the truth is, for decades, fraternities and sororities have been associated with high rates of binge drinking. Drinking is common, but it doesn’t pervade all activities. All sororities are alcohol-free and some of the other organisations have also renounced alcohol on a national level. However, it has been reported that unregistered parties at these organisations sometimes do have alcohol despite their official “No-alcohol” pledge.
   
4. Hazing : Purdue has a strict anti-hazing policy and all fraternity and sorority new members must attend New Member Orientation the semester they join their organization. New Member Orientation provides education on hazing prevention, personal responsibility, and creating a positive values based experience for all members. However, the fact remains that Hazing does happen in some of these organisations at least.

Consider your college experience goals. Greek life can be rewarding for outgoing students seeking community and networking opportunities. However, Fraternities and sororities aren’t for everyone. If a student has:

• multiple time commitments, such as job, internships or being a TA;
• a problem self-monitoring and managing their time;
• who know they have a problem saying no to peers;
• who easily lose focus from academics who can’t handle communal living/ crowds or noise;;
• who are extremely reserved; or
• a history of problems with alcohol or other drugs or is recovering from addiction

then the demands may be overwhelming. They would need to think long and hard about joining a Greek organization. Or they may want wait to join until their sophomore year, by when they would have had more experience managing responsibilities.

The best way to find a fraternity or sorority that’s right for you is to do your homework. Investigate the Greek life organizations at Purdue to ensure it aligns with your values and objectives. Read through the reports published by the University FSCL office to figure out which organisation is right for you.

Some of the organisations have current and disciplinary sanctions against them- see here – for things such as Hazing, alcohol violations and endangerment. Scrolling further down this page also shows organisations which have had sanctions in the past. Join these only after researching them thoroughly.

This latest FSCL semester report here ranks all organisations on the campus by their GPA and shows many details that can help you choose such as:

• How many new members they admitted- rush for one where you have a chance of getting admitted.
• Their new member GPA- Students who have heavy course loads should choose a group that has active study groups and a high GPA requirement.
• The Service hours they completed and funds they raised- Students interested in community service should look for a fraternity or sorority with a lot of community service events on the calendar.
• The Number of Events with alcohol- the ones with more events should be avoided unless you are actively seeking out a party lifestyle. Some houses are dry so that might play a role in your decision.
• Conduct Reporting- signals violations determined during the reporting semester. This is a very important metric- Choose organisations that are compliant or at most on Level 1 violations. Those with Level 2 have sanctions on them such as: probation, educational programming, fines, and a limitation of privileges. Avoid Level 3 and 4 altogether. Also go through previous reports for each semester- Some organisation may be listed as compliant or at a lower level now, but they may have a long history of violations.

Don’t wait until rush or recruitment week to start getting to know members. Many sorority members are forbidden from talking to potential new members outside of official recruitment events, but you should still try to learn as much as you can about the groups you’re interested in. Students should talk to their peers, and ask about the perception of the group on campus, realizing that it may be fair or unfair. A lot of orientation leaders tend to be fraternity or sorority members or students that are very involved on campus. They’re a great student resource who should be able to give you a good picture. Look up the organisation on the Purdue subreddit. Look at the quality of the men or women already in the chapter.

Questions to ask peers or active members before joining a Greek organization:

• What values does this organization promote? What type of member is the chapter looking for?
• What is expected of chapter members?
• What is the time commitment?
• What leadership opportunities are available to students as both new members and active members?
• What types of events are held during the semester?
• What are the academic requirements?
• Are study groups available?
• If I fall behind academically, will I be allowed to cut back on my Greek commitments?
• Does the chapter perform hands-on community service? If so, how often?
• What are the drinking policies at the house?
• How many parties are held at the house each week?
• Has a Greek party ever been busted or broken up? Why?
• What percentage of my membership fees goes to social events or alcohol?
• What are the penalties if members violate risk management policies?
• Are the policies enforced?

Along with other clubs, many of the FSCL organisations will have a stand at the Fall B-Involved fair that takes place during BGR. This year its on Saturday, August 17, 2024 on the Black and Gold fields from 12-3pm.

Get to know all of Purdue’s fraternities, sororities and cooperatives at Meet FSCL. This is a tabling event at the beginning of each semester where students can meet representatives from all organizations in a casual setting. This year its on August 18th, 2024 at the Memorial Mall.

If you would like to know more about what the FSCL experience is all about, check out the Prospective Member Guide! 

Also follow the official FSCL Facebook page

Most recruitment events happen within the first month of the semester. Most fraternity and sorority chapters recruit in the fall, and many also recruit in the spring. The Panhellenic sorority primary recruitment process occurs during the first three weekends of the fall semester. The Purdue Cooperative Council formal recruitment process takes place at the beginning of the spring semester. Students go through a recruitment or intake process to join a fraternity, sorority, or cooperative. This process varies by council and by organization. You can learn more here and by visiting each council’s page. There are some houses that you walk in and get a bid (the houses with 80 -100 members typically are more desperate to fill their house). There are others that unless you know people, it is harder.

For Spring 2023, these were the stats:

Joining and becoming a member is different for a sorority vis a vis a fraternity. It’s also different for organizations with and without houses. The process may also differ based on whether it is a professional and social organizations.

For a typical social fraternity at Purdue, the process is it starts with a “rush”. As a potential member, you go to all the houses one day and meet the people there. Then, on another day, you return to a smaller number of houses that request you to come back. This process repeats, until you may be chosen and receive an invitation to join a fraternity or sorority known as a “bid”. By accepting a bid, you are said to have “pledged” to, and become a non-initiated member of, that organisation. You will be assigned to a “Big Sister/Brother” to help you adjust to the house and figure the ins and outs. A trial period of learning about fraternity/sorority history, customs, and ideals then ensues and generally lasts between 8-12 weeks. This also gives them the chance to ensure you fit in with their values. If you successfully complete the pledgeship, you undergo an “Initiation”, a sacred ritual that brings you into full membership. Different houses have different conditions for pledgeship and live-in requirements, but most (if not all) do require a period where you live in the house.

Socially it is a fantastic way to meet new people. First you will start meeting and bonding with the brother/ sisters in your house. After that, your pledge class will have a “function” or a social event together with pledges from one or more other fraternity/sorority organizations. Generally this will be a gathering of more than 5 people from the same organization, and I believe the same amount from another where you will get to mix and form friendships. Again, when you’re initiated, the whole house will have similar functions with other houses on campus. Occasionally two fraternities and sororities will throw a 4-way function, of even more. You’re also likely to get invited to parties of other fraternities/sororities, if you are a member of another.

At Purdue, White, Black and Latinos join quite regularly but Asians are under-represented. Very few international students join Greek life- only 2% of FSCL students are international students despite making up 11% of Purdue’s undergraduate population. Here are the stats:

if you do decide to join, ensure you are joining an organisation which has no reports of racism or discrimination.

You should review this report which shows the ethnic breakup of each organisation. Although from 2021, it should give you an idea of which organisations are more receptive of your ethnicity.

Many parents have a predetermined positive or negative opinion of Greek life based on their own experience. If you have reservations, influenced by stories you have heard and read about partying, drinking, hooking up and more, those concerns are understandable! As a parent, be open-minded if your child wants to join. Learn more about the organizations that they are thinking about joining, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Explore Purdue’s Purdue Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life website for more information, and check out the websites of the local, international organizations your child is considering joining.

• Encourage your student to keep an open mind about Greek Life. Students may have different stereotypes about certain organizations or fraternities/sororities in general. However, each chapter was uniquely founded on Purdue’s campus. It is important for your kid to discover if a particular chapter is something they would like to be a part of. 
• Students need your support throughout the process of recruitment and New Member Education. Be supportive and learn as much as you can about the community by asking questions of your student as they meet members in these organizations. 
• Have a conversation about the financial obligations of fraternity & sorority life before your student joins an organization. Each organization should provide that information to potential members in advance so that you can consider the financial requirements in making a decision about which organization to join. 
• Support your student in making their own decision about which organization to join. Legacy connections, the opinion of friends & family, and external reputation can be important factors to consider when students make a choice. However, the most important part is that the student feels a strong connection and fit with that organization, even if that is different from all of those other factors.
• All the cooperatives (and some of the chapters) will allow parents to visit physically or via a Zoom meeting- you can get involved and visit to get a feel. If your student joins, many fraternities and sororities have activities throughout the school year such as during family weekend, homecoming, service projects, and philanthropies where you can join.
  
  My student will make friends in their residence hall and classes. What would be different about fraternity/sorority friends?
  Membership in a fraternity or sorority is a living and learning experience with shared values and objectives. Members learn to work together to develop and accomplish group goals. A common bond of brotherhood, sisterhood, or siblinghood is developed among chapter members – a bond that extends to all who share the same heritage, traditions and rituals, and who wear the same badge. These friendships last beyond the college years and are nurtured by alumni activities and networking programs that provide opportunities for continued camaraderie, service, and personal development.
  
  Who is actually in charge of the fraternities and sororities?
  Fraternities and sororities are self-governing student organizations; this is a key element in each member’s personal development and learning to function as part of a team. Students serve as officers of the organization, develop the standards under which they operate, and hold members accountable to reaching chapter goals and objectives. That being said, fraternities and sororities at Purdue are directly advised by the Dean of Students staff, in coordination with chapter advisors, support and advise activities and programs of recognized organizations. Chapters are also accountable to state and local laws in addition to the policies of the university and their own chapter.
  
  My son is a freshman this year and is telling me that if he doesn’t get into a fraternity that basically his social life is dead. Is this true?
  As a guy, it can be pretty hard to get into frat parties if you’re not in that fraternity. If you’re really good friends with a brother, you may get into a frat party but its unusual. Simply knowing a guy from class isn’t enough most of the time. The reason it’s so hard for guys to get in is because fraternities want to keep a good “ratio” meaning a high girl to guy ratio. On the other hand girls, even non-members, get invited to many Greek parties. Having said all that, your son’s social life isn’t completely ruined by not being in a fraternity, as it’s definitely not the only way to party. There are plenty of people throwing house parties just off-campus and smaller parties in their apartments. Your son just needs to meet people. He’ll find people interested in partying eventually. But if he’s dead-set on the frat party style then he’s mostly right.

Greek life offers numerous benefits but also comes with significant responsibilities and potential risks. Carefully weigh these factors to decide if joining a fraternity or sorority is right for you. Assess your personal goals, financial situation, and campus culture before making a decision. Greek life can enhance your college experience if it aligns with your lifestyle and aspirations, but it’s not the only path to a fulfilling college life.