Note: In the first part of this series, reporters Deborah Ladd and Lizzy Warner introduced Gargoyle readers to local sorority and fraternity members and what life is like in the Greek system. Part 2 looks at the process of getting into a sorority or fraternity house, and what happens later.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE imagine when they first think about the Greek system is hazing. There have been many stories about tragedies as a result of hazing, and it has even caught the attention of national news on occasion.

According to the definition provided by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code, hazing is “an act that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of any person, or that defaces, destroys, or removes public or private property for the purpose of initiation into, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a group or organization” (Section 1-302).

Hazing is a violation of both the UIUC Student Code and Illinois state law. From what we found, though, fraternities and sororities are well aware of the no-hazing policy. According to Scott Thompson from Phi Kappa Psi, if caught by the U of I, hazing can result in the immediate removal of a sorority or fraternity from the University. On top of that, the University has rights to enact further punishment.

“In years past, decades before we all got here, this house and every other house used to haze, and other houses [still] do,” said Mike Smith, a member of Psi Upsilon.

“We don’t anymore, just because we saw over the years that membership started to slip, and people just got into the house and made pledges and freshmen do everything and nobody really carried their responsibilities further. So we really try not to do that. We try to integrate everyone as equal as we can.”

The Psi Upsilon basketball court made by a previous pledge class, an activity meant to replace hazing. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

Kirstin Skurka, the first semester vice-president of Alpha Phi, vehemently denied any accusations of hazing.

“I mean there’s absolutely no hazing,” she said. “[Hazing is] a huge misconception. And I know personally if someone was going to beat me up, or whatever, I would not be in a sorority. I’m here for the gifts and the good times, not to do anything like that.”

Instead, during the initiation process members try to encourage pledges to get to know each other and become closer so that they can have a better experience in the system. At Psi Upsilon, one pledge class was given the daunting task of setting up and painting the basketball court outside the house as a form of bonding. Apparently such group projects are not uncommon, and they encourage the pledges to work together as well as to accomplish a needed task for the fraternity.

“[The pledging process] varies a lot from fraternity to fraternity,” Smith elaborated. “Mainly, once we have our pledge class, the biggest thing we emphasize is education about the house, specifically the local chapter, and more broadly, the international chapter, [and] the history of the fraternity in general. Usually we try to get [the pledges] to do some sort of project to make them feel like more of a part of the house.”

We spoke with a former sorority member who’d been active in her sorority during a time when hazing was overlooked. She claimed that although there was some hazing that went on, none of it was as bad as what’s been portrayed in the media.

One example she gave was that she and other pledges were asked to stand up in front of a fraternity and sing the sorority song. While embarrassing, the event didn’t cause the pledges any physical harm.

BEFORE GETTING IN: THE PLEDGE PROCESS

When first pledging for a sorority or fraternity, there’s a process the pledges must go through. Although pledging is not restricted to any particular age group, those who typically pledge are freshmen or sophomores, occasionally juniors, and seniors rarely pledge, if ever.

For those interested in joining a sorority, there is one day when all potential sorority members tour different booths and houses. These girls are called “potential new members,” and they are able to visit each sorority for a 25-minute period. At the U of I, each girl is given a T-shirt to wear; wearing it is required during this open house period.

Like many fraternity and sorority houses, Phi Kappa Psi proudly displays its symbol. Gargoyle photo by Lizzy Warner (click to enlarge)

Then, there is a first invitational and a second invitational shortly following that. During this time, potential new members are asked to narrow down their decisions into six or fewer houses they’d like to be a part of.

During the third and final invitational you must narrow your choices down to three houses, each of which you will visit for one hour and get to know even better. At the end of the process each potential member must choose which sorority she would like to be a part of. Many girls use this time to make one last good impression by wearing semi-formal outfits.

Bid distribution day, or “Sisterhood Day,” is the final step, when potential members will or will not get an invitation to join one of the chapters that they visited. If they receive a bid, they will usually join their new chapter at the chapter house and immediately begin participating in that chapter’s activities.

“It’s not just for freshmen,” Skurka told us about recent Alpha Phi pledging. “Sophomores can do it too. We even had two juniors do it this year. People come to campus freshman year and say, ‘Hey, that’s not for me,’ then a lot of people do it sophomore year once they’re more comfortable with their surroundings.”

For fraternities, the rush period is very different from that of sororities and is much less structured. Each fraternity goes on several outings with the people that its members have met, and if they decide that they want someone to join, they give him a bid. At most fraternities, such a bid is only good for a semester or quarter, so if a pledge wants to wait, he must receive another bid.

From pledge to brother: A current Psi Upsilon member studies at his computer. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

If a pledge receives a bid, he starts attending meetings and learning about the history of the fraternity for anywhere from six weeks to three months before he is initiated.

Different fraternities set up different standards for their pledging process. Smith said Psi Upsilon, as is common in both fraternities and sororities, has a “dry house” during pledge week in which there is no alcohol present.

Scott Thompson of Phi Kappa Psi claims that the pledging process isn’t as scary and intimidating as some people make it out to be; the Greek system, in general, tends to be rather open to the newcomers, he said.

“We have [the pledges] come over twice a week for a meeting,” he noted. “We have them learn the history of the house and the traditions, and stuff like that. They have to throw a party. It’s not anything too complex.”

Thompson continued: “We understand that they’re here mainly for academics, and if they have something going on academically, you know, they have to be there for a review session; we’re completely lenient on that. You’re paying $30,000 a year, all said and done, to be here for academics, not for social stuff.”

If you miss the formal pledging process, some fraternities and sororities will still have a “continuous open bid” process, where you can join if the house has not gotten all the members it can accommodate.

AFTER GETTING IN: GOOD WORKS AND SOCIALIZING

The social aspect of a sorority or fraternity is what most people usually associate with the Greek system. To some extent this may be true. They establish certain times when they can all go out, host parties and other social activities amongst each other, etc.

Although social events and activities are a big part of the fraternity/sorority life, the Greek houses were originally built to help create a feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood as well as to be able to give back to their community.

A collection bin for Alpha Phi's philanthropy. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

“You can put in what you want to get out,” commented Alpha Phi's Skurka. “So if you want to become involved you’ll just get that much more out of it. And not everyone becomes involved, but I know that I took the opportunity to get involved, and to learn some leadership skills, and to get to know [the girls in my sorority], and I think it’s really going to help me in the long run.”

Today, fraternities and sororities try to maintain this sense of giving back to the community by focusing on philanthropy. Each house tends to focus on one specific idea or organization it can promote and does a series of collections and fundraisers to obtain money for its cause.

For example, Alpha Phi is currently focusing on kidney cancer research and development funding. This particular fundraising is in response to one of its alums who had kidney cancer. The sorority planned a night out in which people paid to participate. In one case, the organizers provided hot chocolate and other refreshments as well as free T-shirts. According to Skurka, all the proceeds the sorority obtains during a particular fundraiser goes to its cause.

“I think a really big misconception of sororities is that it’s all social, and if you came to any of our meetings you would find out that social is 5 percent of the sorority,” claimed Skurka (though later she said that it’s probably more around 20 percent). “The majority of it is philanthropy, and service, and improvements for your national sorority.”

The awards case at Phi Kappa Psi honoring members' accomplishments in and out of the classroom. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

On the other hand, Tri Delt — another local sorority house — focuses nationally on children’s cancer charities, especially St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The work varies between chapters, but each focuses on roughly the same cause. Again, the sorority hosts various activities in which members collect proceeds for their cause and will sometimes volunteer their time at a hospital as well.

In general, fraternity and sorority members say that the activities they host are primarily geared toward and attract other Greek members, but are not limited in that sense. People from outside the Greek system are typically allowed to donate or participate in the fundraisers, though it’s not as common.

“The Greeks have an extraordinary amount of power for change,” Phi Kappa Psi's Thompson told us. “I work with a group called the Fraternity Peer Rape Education Program, and we help to educate and prevent sexual assault and rape on campus.”

According to a U.S. Department of Justice study released in 2000 titled “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” about 3 percent of college women experienced a completed and/or attempted rape during a typical college year. Of completed rapes, according to the study, 10 percent occurred at a fraternity.

“[W]e have a huge stigma there,” Thompson said. “Part of it’s the atmosphere, part of it’s the habits that happen. By in large, though, most of the fraternities are working to make campus a better place.”

Sometimes through common philanthropic work, sororities and fraternities form alliances. Sororities and fraternities often have a buddying-up system in which a certain fraternity and sorority house do social events with each other, which can include fundraising for their philanthropy or purely social activities. This way they help each other with fundraisers and support each other’s causes; they also establish friendship between Greek members of the opposite sex.

Wristbands for the sorority's night out. Gargoyle photo by Lizzy Warner (click to enlarge)

“A big part of the Greek system is exchanges,” said Psi Upsilon's Smith. “You’ll set up exchanges with different sororities to come over to the house and either have dinner or go to Joe’s [Joe’s Brewery, a bar located in Campustown] and have dinner and a drink or something.”

Skurka, of Alpha Phi, added that although some events do include drinking, there are events that don’t, such as visits to Curtis Orchard and “barn dances” in which people dress up like cowboys.

“There’s a bigger group of girls that do not drink [than those that do], and they’re all about 19 or 20,” she said. “You have to be 19 to get into a bar, so some of our freshmen can’t get into the bars right away, but we have other events besides just the bar events, so it hasn’t been a problem. … There’s a bunch of girls that don’t drink, and there are even girls that are 21 and up that don’t drink, and that’s what’s so nice about our house: There’s a lot of variety.”

Although sororities and fraternities establish friendships, there are often rivalries as well. Just as certain groups of people in high school don’t mesh well with each other, certain houses have a particular dislike for other houses.

In some cases these dislikes will be between a sorority and fraternity, but usually it is the case that these rivalries exist between either two sororities or two fraternities. In some instances these supposed rivalries have existed in previous years and have just carried on to present day.

In general, though, the sororities and fraternities claim that there is nothing really harmful that comes as a result, and on some campuses there are no real rivalries — especially in fraternity houses that claim this is more prevalent among sororities.

Note: The final part of this series, looking at how Uni graduates fit into the Greek system, will be published this weekend.