Greeks prevalent in Southern schools

Whether it be community service projects, a home away from home, popped collars or multistory mansions, everyone has his or her perception of what being Greek is.

People know that these perceptions are sometimes wrong, even stereotypical.

But does the meaning of being Greek change depending on one's geographical location? Are fraternities and sororities at Southern schools "more" Greek than their Northern counterparts?

According to The Princeton Review's college rankings, more than half of the 20 top "Major Frat and Sorority Scene" schools land in sunnier states.

Is this just coincidence?

Chad McCracken, assistant dean of students at the University of Mississippi, says that major differences, reflecting cultural nuances, exist between Greek life at Southern and Northern schools.

"It's the difference between the North and the South," he says. "I think there's probably a lot more tradition in the South."

At UMiss., going Greek is a popular option for students. With 19 fraternities and 12 sororities, McCracken says that it dominates the social scene.

One charity football game, started by Sigma Nu fraternity to raise money for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, draws in a crowd of more than 75,000 each year.

McCracken says Greek life is huge - about 80 percent of the school's freshmen women rush.

"Students come here to be a part of Greek life," he says.

"That's their big attraction to the school."

And this attraction is because of the history of the Greek system at UMiss., McCracken says.

"It's been around for a long time," he says. "Parents and grandparents went to school here. Ole Miss is a school that has tremendous alumni loyalty."

But does Southern tradition seal the case for Southern schools' being more Greek-focused than their Northern equivalents?

No, says Jenny Levering, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at UNC.

"Overall, it's pretty similar as far as Greek communities as a whole," Levering says. "I know that a lot of my colleagues deal with the same types of issues and do the same types of programming."

While there might be more legacies and tradition in the southern system, she says it's just as popular elsewhere in the country.

But measuring popularity is tricky because numbers can be deceiving.

About 15 percent of the student body at UNC is a member of a fraternity or sorority, which Levering says is a normal percentage for a public state university.

At Ohio State University, less than 10 percent of the student body is Greek, but at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., almost 80 percent is.

Abbey Erford, coordinator of Greek life at OSU, says students have more than 800 student organization to choose from, so there's a lot to do outside the Greek system.

But she says fraternities and sororities are making efforts to increase campus activity.

"I would say the people are starting to look at the Greeks on campus as being the leaders and involved in many different things," she says.

At W&L, Margo McClinton, director of the John W. Elrod University Commons and Campus Activities, says that fraternity houses were initially one of the only housing options available to students.

"(Robert E.) Lee argued that students should learn how to live independently," she says.

"The university didn't invest in university living spaces, and fraternities were a way for men to get houses."

McClinton says the majority of students feel that being Greek is "instrumental to their college experience."

"Other populations that do not go Greek realize that it really does dominate the social scene," she says.

But having fraternities and sororities as a stronghold on the college social scene is not just part of the Southern way of life.

Paul Torrey, a sophomore applied engineering and physics major at Cornell University, is a member of the fraternity Sigma Chi.

Being in a Greek organization is a popular choice among his peers and is based on 100-plus years of tradition, he says.

Torrey says a common question to ask students is what house they're in because about a quarter of the student body is Greek.

"The houses are all over the place," Torrey says. "They're right next to freshman dorms. They're right next to academic buildings."

Although he's up North, he says Greeks still face similar stereotypes as their brothers and sisters down South.

"It's somewhat cliquish," he says. "You kind of get a reputation or a stigma about you as soon as you join one."

Not everyone feels this way.

Torrey says, "If you're taking a view from people who aren't too judgmental, it's a good social lubricant."

 

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.