Elon University just dropped its annual Greek life achievement roundup, and honestly, it reads the way these things always read - a polished list of awards, GPA numbers, community service hours, and photo-ready moments that make the whole system look like it's running perfectly. And look, I don't say that to be cynical. Some of it is genuinely earned. But having sat on a Panhellenic council and watched how these annual reports get assembled, I have thoughts about what they actually tell us versus what they leave out.
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Elon University just handed out its Dr. Leo M. Lambert Awards, recognizing students for leadership, service, and campus impact. Good. That's the kind of thing universities should be doing. But sitting here having spent two years on Panhellenic council, watching chapters get recognition for the wrong reasons and get overlooked for the right ones, I can't just applaud and move on. These awards matter - and the way we structure recognition in Greek life tells you a lot about what we actually value versus what we say we value.
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Most of the sororities across the country hold their formal recruitment in the fall. There are many universities, although, that choose to do rush in the spring. If you haven’t already seen our rankings of the cutest pledge classes of fall recruitment 2015, check out these adorable new members from the South, West, Midwest, Northeast, and Canada. Now check out the list below of the 10 cutest pledge classes from Spring 2016....
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PNMs are constantly looking for ways to learn more about the sororities at their school, long before they actually begin the rush process. One of the most fun ways to do “research” on sororities is by checking out their tumblr pages. Sure- they don’t actually provide you with much information about the sorority , but they are cute and fun and definitely glamorous. However PNMS aren’t the only ones who love sorority tumblrs, sorority girls themselves love the feeling of being featured on their chapter’s page!...
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While there are plenty of excellent colleges without much of a Greek Life, it’s important to acknowledge the positive influence that having a strong Greek Life presence on campus offers students. From the percentage of undergraduate students involved in Greek Life to the number of chapters on each campus, the following schools have risen above the rest. Checkout the following list of colleges across the country that offer the best Greek Life experiences by the numbers:...
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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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When a national governing body suspends its own chapter and a university pulls recognition on top of that, something went seriously wrong. That's what happened to the Sigma Nu chapter at NC State, and if you've been paying any attention to Greek life news lately, you know this isn't a one-off. But I want to push past the reflexive hot takes here - because I think there's something specific worth examining in how this one played out.
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There's a version of pledging that looks like this: you do everything you're told, you never push back, you laugh at things that aren't funny, and you spend ten weeks trying to make yourself whatever you think the actives want you to be. And then you get initiated, and you look around, and you don't really know any of these people - and they don't really know you. Congratulations. You made it. Kind of.
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I've been to a lot of Greek events over the years - mixers, formals, philanthropy nights, alumni weekends - and I can say with full confidence that nothing in this world compares to watching a sorority bid day unfold. As a fraternity guy, you'd think it wouldn't hit me the same way. But it does. Every single time.
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Every few years, some outlet runs a story about how Greek life is supposedly dying - too much controversy, too much bad press, too many universities cracking down. And every time, the numbers come back and say the opposite. WOSU Public Media just reported that interest in Greek life at colleges continues to grow, even with all the negative attention the system keeps attracting. If you're surprised by that, you probably weren't in a fraternity.
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