Note: In the Part 1 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 looked at the process of getting into a sorority or fraternity house, and what happens once a pledge becomes a member. Part 3 looks at the interest — or lack thereof — that Uni students have in Greek organizations.

AT UNI HIGH, not many people seem to even think about joining a sorority or fraternity, and as a result very few will actually go on to be a part of the Greek system.

This past fall we sent out e-mails to Uni graduates dating back to the Class of 1997 in an effort to find out how many alums from the last 10 years went on to join a sorority or fraternity.

We heard back from 12 people who had joined the Greek system (eight women, four men) — roughly 2 percent of the graduates.

A third of those respondents were from the Class of 2005, all of them girls. One of the 2005 graduates was Hillary Proctor, a former Gargoyle editor who joined Delta Zeta at Northwestern University.

“I think that joining a sorority or fraternity is a logical move for Uni students, because they're used to being involved in lots of extracurriculars,” Proctor said in an e-mail interview.

“The emphasis on ‘community’ that we all know and love about Uni definitely comes into play in the Greek setting. Especially at a larger university, where it can be overwhelming to make close friends, the Greek system is a great way to settle into a smaller community and be part of that social network.”

It’s possible that as people learn more about what sororities and fraternities are like, more Uni students will want to look into and eventually join a sister- or brotherhood.

Megan Murphy, Uni High’s assistant girls swim coach, current U of I student, and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, also encourages students to become involved in the Greek system. And for those interested in taking the plunge, she has some suggestions.

The Psi Upsilon fraternity house used a window decorated with the controversial Chief symbol to keep track of the Fighting Illini football team during the fall of 2007. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

“I think the best advice to give someone who is considering joining a sorority would be to make sure that you see yourself get along with the girls, while being true to yourself,” she said. “You'll feel most comfortable with people who are similar to you, so it’s always a good idea to consider that.”

She continued: “Also think that you will probably be living with these people and spending a lot of time with them, so consider that. During the pledging process, if you decide you don’t want to go through with initiation, it’s not a big deal. It’s completely your choice.”

Besides contacting alums, we also tried to gauge the interest of current Uni students in the Greek system. We had limited responses from those looking to join a sorority or fraternity. Freshman Claire Billingsley is one of the few students expressing enthusiasm toward being a member.

“I do think that when I’m in college I’ll want to be in a sorority,” she said. “It’s important to have a group of people who are there for support, whenever you need them. And you need to have some fun in college; you can’t just study all the time.”

Fellow freshman Adam Joseph agreed with Billingsley and is also looking to be part of the Greek system, particularly to be involved in the philanthropic aspects.

“When most people think of sororities and fraternities they think of beer and parties,” he said. “When you go into the heart of the university campus this is what you might see, but what you don’t see is some of the different aspects of sororities and fraternities. [For example] in the U of I and other campuses there are sororities and fraternities that focus on charity work.”

Phi Kappa Psi's Scott Thompson. Gargoyle photo by Deborah Ladd (click to enlarge)

In general, though, we’ve found that most Uni students have no particular intention of joining a sorority or fraternity for various reasons, such as cost, interference with academics, and negative stereotypes.

It isn’t just at Uni where interest in Greek life has been lukewarm. Throughout the last few years there has been a decline in pledging, which has only recently started to go back up.

“Today, only a small percent of college students are members of social fraternities and sororities,” according to the online encyclopedia MSN Encarta.

“About 5 percent of all college students belong to social Greek-letter societies. At four-year colleges, about 7 percent are members. The number of members varies from campus to campus. Some campuses don’t have any, while at others more than half the students are members.”

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of those schools where membership has historically been high. According to information provided by the U of I’s Public Affairs Office, the school has the “nation’s largest Greek-letter community: 60 fraternities and 36 sororities.” About 22 percent of the 30,895 undergraduates participate.

To get another perspective on Greek life, we contacted writer Alexandra Robbins, author of “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities” and “The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids.”

She had only limited time to communicate with us. “Pledged,” an in-depth look at life in the Greek system, showed many of the negative aspects of sorority houses. But Robbins said her original intention was not to make sororities look bad.

“Some girls have accused me of being rejected by a sorority when I was in college, and then going undercover, years later, as an act of revenge,” she said.

“That’s completely ridiculous. Sororities were so unknown on my college campus that I didn’t even know they existed there until I was halfway through with my time at school. I think there were only two, maybe three chapters, and they seemed to take anybody who joined. So I had no idea what I was getting into when I wrote ‘Pledged.’”

The controversy over Robbins and her book is a reminder that Greek organizations might never get the kind of attention they want, or which they think they deserve. As Scott Thompson, a U of I student and member of Phi Kappa Psi, put it:

“People really have poor ideas of fraternities, and unfortunately it’s because of a few incidents of certain fraternities, just randomly throughout the country, that give us bad names. Because when fraternities make the news, well it’s for bad things happening. When does weather make the news? Well, it’s for tragedies that happen. Same thing.”

In the end, the decision to join a sorority or fraternity will be a personal one based on an individual’s unique circumstances. And even after deciding to become part of Greek life, potential members must sort through the many different organizations available to them.

“Uni students should be especially careful [when choosing a chapter],” said 2005 alum Proctor. “Choosing based on reputation or outside pressure from other people can lead to a decision you might regret later.”

As for Proctor, she is happy with her own decision.

“I would strongly encourage Uni students to join a fraternity or sorority if it feels right for them,” she said. “I have no regrets about joining Delta Zeta, and college wouldn't be the same without my sisters.”