The Wake

The first Greek organization appeared on campus in 1874, and since then, 38 different fraternities and sororities have settled at the University of Minnesota to invite more into their fold. Today, roughly 1,500 students are members of the Greek community. This might not be significant compared to the 49,400 students who were enrolled at the University last semester, but it does show many people are interested in the Greek community.

What are the reasons for people participating in this system? Is there something in particular they are looking for? Anyone can go to the nearest BLOCKBUSTER, rent Animal House or Old School and see what Greek activities are like, right?

For some Greeks, the social draw of parties and new friends is exactly what they are looking for. Others look more toward networking and professional training. Either way, Greeks are active people, and sometimes being too active can cause problems.

“Being Greek is a big time commitment,” said junior Kim Coudron of Lambda Delta Phi sorority. “If you’re a person who puts most of their time into studying, or if you don’t like to be involved in different things, being Greek could be a big downfall.”

While each Greek organization collectively decides what activities they participate in, most houses contribute to the University’s two major social events: Homecoming and Spring Jam. A few houses even participate in the St. Paul event: Minnesota Royal. The three events allow Greeks to pair together with other houses and compete against other pairings to win awards and recognition on campus. Some houses take these events very seriously and try to influence their members to place these competitive activities above their scholastics.

One former Greek member was so discouraged by the time requirements necessary to be active that he decided to expel himself. He asked to remain anonymous due to personal preference.

“It’s like running into a brick wall,” said the student, a junior in the Carlson School of Business and Management. “Greeks are supported by the college, not the other way around. To put so much priority on activities may be important for some people, but it’s not what I have in mind.”

University events aren’t the only activities Greeks are involved in. All houses have internal activities and positions that can be equally time consuming. Coudron explained her sorority has multiple positions where people are elected to take responsibility in house affairs.

“We have offices ranging from president to computer manager,” she said.

Coudron is the sorority’s food manager and served as the house manager last year. She said her responsibilities include purchasing food for the house, as well as scheduling what meals will be prepared each week. Last year she was in charge of dealing with house upkeep – ensuring the house utilities were all working and that other members were keeping the house clean. While the experience wasn’t extremely stressful for her, she managed to juggle the house and schoolwork without much trouble, she said.

Some people believe the Greek community is merely a social order.

Jordan Stalker, a junior in journalism and studies in cinematic media culture, said the Greeks give people an easy way to socially transfer from high school to college. If a student was lacking an academic or research interest in high school and was more social, they could join a Greek organization and continue to emphasize that, he said.

He also mentioned that people who were in the Greek community traditionally only interacted with others in the same community and there was an isolation of groups.

“Someone can stop playing on the baseball team or stop playing on the football team and move on to other interests, but the Greeks don’t seem to intersperse with other cultural clubs,” he said.

While the Greek organizations don’t collectively become involved in other clubs outside the Greek system, there seems to be interest by individuals to seek other opportunities. Coudron said she is also involved in Block and Bridle, a club specializing in livestock.

“We encourage all our members to become involved in other clubs,” she said. “I’d say that 80 percent of the members in our house are involved in another campus club.”

Whether it’s being Greek or joining the marching band, many students seem to have the same kind of objectives for joining different clubs. Senior Chris Austin, a communication studies major, and freshman Dana Miller, a perspective of Lambda Delta Phi, both said meeting new friends was a major reason many people are interested in joining clubs.

“People are looking for new experiences,” Miller said. “Joining a club or a Greek house is a great way to get involved on campus.”