Thinking about joining a fraternity or sorority this semester? The University is home to eight fraternities and eight sororities, which are all nationally recognized organizations.
When it comes to getting involved on campus, Greek life is usually something that comes to mind. Whether students come into school thinking they want to join, or if the Involvement Fair is what gets them going, students soon realize they could never have enough brothers or sisters.
Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi), Delta Tau Delta (DTD), Phi Kappa Psi (PhiPsi), Sigma Pi (SigPi), Sigma Tau Gamma (STG), Tau Delta Phi (TDPhi), Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), and Theta Xi are all fraternities with a history at the University. With TKE being the University’s first national fraternity, and PhiPsi being established in 1852, there are many reasons these fraternities have stuck around.
Each organization has their own unique way of standing out. While AKPsi, a professional business fraternity, is open to both men and women, DTD has a national partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Sororities seen around campus are Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), Alpha Omicron Pi (AOPi), Alpha Sigma Tau (AST), Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD), Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE), Lambda Theta Alpha (LTA), Phi Sigma Sigma (PhiSig), and Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA).
All sororities are extremely involved around campus. Whether it’s AST participating in Greek Week, or Phi Sig hosting their annual mother/daughter brunch, staying busy is never hard for these chapters.
On top of being involved on campus, members of Greek life also take time to work with their organization’s individual philanthropy.
“We do a lot to raise money and attention for our national philanthropy, Autism Speaks,” said Genna Moscato, the president of AXiD, and a senior psychology and criminal justice major. “We participate in the ‘Walk Now for Autism Speaks’ walk every year, and are constantly on campus tabling and having bake sales to spread awareness.”
The process of becoming a member of any Greek organization can be long, but it can also be worth it. The first steps were attending the Involvement Fair, which took place on September 5, and attending Meet the Greeks, which took place on September 9. At both of these events, students were able to get a better look at what each organization does.
Before going any further than Meet the Greeks and the Involvement Fair, potential candidates are encouraged to check out the requirements stated in the Fraternity and Sorority Life Handbook.
Some requirements students will come across will include minimum GPA, policies set by the University for Greek life, and the informal inquiry process for fraternity and sorority activities. The University also requires that students have a semester’s worth of credits before they are eligible to go through recruitment, meaning freshmen cannot “go Greek” until at least the spring semester of their first year. This is known as a “deferred recruitment model.”
“Our deferred recruitment model at Monmouth University allows first year students the opportunity to get adjusted to the lifestyle while learning about all of our options for fraternity and sorority life,” said Jon Buchalski, the Assistant Director of Student Activities for Fraternity & Sorority Life. “Joining a Greek letter organization is a lifetime commitment so we hope that students take the time to figure out which organization is the best fit for them.”
Demi Bogosian, a junior business management major, said that for her, the best part of joining Greek life is that she now has a set group of people she can go to for anything.
Some events that new Greek life members can look forward to after initiation include chapter formals, charity and philanthropy events, and brotherhood/sisterhood events, just to name a few.
Eric Anderson, sophomore said, “We are very laid back. There are always good vibes all around whenever we have social events.”
Something people get nervous about while rushing is hazing. The University has a strict anti-hazing policy, which is clearly stated in the Fraternity and Sorority Life Handbook. The University defines hazing as “any action or situation, on or off campus, which includes any mental or physical requirement, request or obligation placed upon any person (pledge, new member, associate member, member, affiliate, guest) which could cause discomfort, pain, fright, disgrace, injury, or which is personally degrading or which violates any federal, state, local statute or University policy.”
Almost all Greek organizations have social media accounts where students can keep track of what events are going on. Check out www.monmouth.edu/university/chapters-at-monmouth to learn more about the Greeks.
Image Taken from monmouth.edu
