Xavier University just announced it's welcoming three new Greek chapters to campus, and the reaction from most Greek life observers is going to be some version of "great, more chapters." But I think that response misses the more interesting question. Not whether expansion is happening - it clearly is - but what Xavier is actually setting these new chapters up for, and whether anyone there has thought seriously about what comes next.
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Funny thing about freshman year dormitory halls these days: they’re often nicer than anything you can find off-campus or in the Greek village. Which schools are worth attending just for their swanky student housing?...
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There is no better way to start a new year and a new semester than by hanging out with your sisters. Starting any semester with a sisterhood event is a fantastic idea. First, the sisters who take the responsibility to organize it had plenty of time over break to plan ahead. Second, everyone is starved to see each other after such an extended time apart. Lastly, let’s get real…its syllabus week which is the least stressful and least busy time of each semester. This perfect storm allows for early second semester sisterhood events to be some of the best of the year. Looking for some ideas for your next event? Here are three sisterhood events that started off the year the right way....
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Sororities pride themselves on displays of unity, creativity, and unforgettable memories. There is no better day of the year than bid day to for a chapter to put on a show that meets all three of those criteria. We already shared our list of the 10 Southern Chapters That Won Bid Day – Fall 2016. Here’s a list of 10 sorority chapters up north who won bid day Fall 2016 by going the extra mile to make it a special day for their new members, celebrating unparalleled sisterhoods, having the time of their lives, being comfortable in their own skin, and taking the best pics....
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Alcohol is usually not hard to come by off-campus. Some campuses are taking the approach that if they serve it themselves they can better control the alcohol consumption of their students. Do schools that serve their own alcohol have higher on-campus arrest rates than the universities that don’t? Read more to find out. Here's a list of some of the most booze-friendly campuses in the US....
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You have made one of the biggest decisions of your life to go to college. Congratulations! However, that’s not the only decision that you’ll have to make when it comes to college life. Another important decision that you’ll probably make is the decision to go Greek in college.
Greek life has lots of benefits to offer to its members – opportunities to build a network, social/community activities to participate in, a strong brotherhood bond to maintain, and many more! However, one of the biggest challenges college guys face at the beginning of their Greek life is choosing the right fraternity for themselves....
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Carthage College just opened registration for spring sorority recruitment, and I'll be honest - when I first saw this, my gut reaction was something like finally. Not because spring recruitment is some revolutionary concept, but because what it represents at a small school like Carthage is genuinely different from the fall rush circus most people picture when they think about Greek recruitment. And that difference deserves more attention than it's getting.
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I remember standing in a dark room with about fifteen other guys, wearing something ridiculous, having no idea what was about to happen next. And honestly? I thought it was gonna be mostly theater. A ritual somebody made up decades ago, preserved out of stubbornness, repeated because nobody questioned it. I figured I'd get through it, shake some hands, and that would be that. I was wrong in a way I still think about.
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Another fraternity suspension, another news cycle. That's how it usually goes, right? The story breaks, people get outraged, a statement gets issued, and then it fades. But when I saw that an NYU fraternity got suspended over allegations of sexual assault and hazing, I didn't just scroll past it - I actually stopped. Because I've been on both sides of the Greek life fence, and stories like this one are exactly why I almost didn't join in the first place.
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Every recruitment cycle, Panhellenic councils across the country put out some version of the same talking points - find your people, look for shared values, don't just pick the house with the best house tour. And every cycle, a significant chunk of PNMs ignore all of it and chase status. Then half of them end up miserable by spring semester. I've watched this happen enough times that I've stopped being surprised. But I've also watched values-based recruitment done right, and the difference is not subtle.
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