What are the
benefits to membership in a
Greek letter organization?
A recent study completed at the University of Missouri
showed that membership in Greek
letter organizations increased
the likelihood that students
would return to college their
second year and remain through
graduation. Choosing to become
part of a Greek letter
organization also allows your
son or daughter to meet new
people and develop a support
network in their new environment
away from home. Membership gives
them the opportunity to
participate in many campus and
chapter events, volunteer
service, and to create a
"family" of friends. What does
membership in a Greek letter
organization mean for my son or
daughter academically? The
primary goal of any student
attending The University should
be to obtain a quality
education. In keeping with that
goal, all fraternities and
sororities have academic
standards their members must
maintain to stay in good
standing with the organization.
In order to help their members
succeed academically, many of
the Greek organizations will
offer scholarship opportunities,
study halls, study buddies,
and/or incentive programs for
academic achievement. At The
University of Maine, the average
fraternity and sorority GPA's
each semester are comparable to
The University's men's and
women's averages.
Are Greeks
involved in other activities on
campus?
Greek organizations help
their members to develop their
leadership skills and encourage
their members to become involved
in leadership roles in other
organizations on campus. Greeks
are currently represented among
Student Government, the Off
Campus Board, Student
Orientation Leaders, Residence
Advisors, and many others.
Do Greeks
participate in volunteer
service?
Every school year our Greek organizations complete
thousands of hours of service
and raise thousands of dollars.
Each fraternity and sorority
have national philanthropies
their organizations support
throughout the year. The
organizations at The University
of Maine also take great pride
in taking an active role in our
local community. Our
organizations frequently collect
cans for local food banks, work
with the Adopt-A-Highway
program, organize blood drives
to benefit the local Red Cross.
What does it
cost to be Greek?
There is a financial commitment required to become a
member of a Greek letter
organization. Each chapter is
supported by the dues collected
from it's undergraduate members.
The amount of dues collected
varies by organization. When a
student is looking to join a
Greek organization, they should
be sure to ask what the exact
financial obligations involved
are of the group they are
interested in. The first
semester in the fraternity or
sorority may be slightly more
expensive than latter semesters
due to one-time fees, such as
"pledge" or "initiation" fees.
Are there
long-term benefits to being a
member of a Greek letter
organization?
Joining a Greek letter
organization is a life-long
commitment. There are continued
opportunities to reap the
benefits of membership in these
organizations. Some of these
opportunities may include
scholarship opportunities for
post-graduate education,
leadership opportunities within
alumni groups locally or
nationally, and continued
interest in volunteer service.
One of the most significant
long-term benefit is the
networking possibilities
available to members of Greek
letter organizations.
Relationships within Greek
organizations extend beyond the
people met in college.
Membership opens the doors to
career networking nationally.
Following graduation, Greek
alumni have also been shown to
have significantly higher
average income levels than
students who were not affiliated
with Greek letter organizations
during college. Most Greek
letter organizations also have
alumni chapters across the
country. These alumni groups
provide an excellent way to meet
new people and find support when
a student relocates after
college. |
Greek Life at the University of Maine
