Since 1984, Fraternities and Sororities have served as fundamental elements of Tarleton State University Student Engagement and Success. Tarleton is home to 19 national and local Greek organizations, making the Greek community the largest membership-based community on campus. Greeks contribute largely to the campus while only numbering about 10% of the total student population at Tarleton (Stephenville campus). These small groups of students are a major factor in the daily and future operations of Tarleton State University.
Greek Values
Brotherhood/Sisterhood
One of the most enjoyable parts of joining a fraternity or sorority involves making new friends and forming bonds that will last long after college. Brotherhood and sisterhood means more than wearing Greek letters and attending meetings. It is a feeling and sense of belonging. It is the feeling of being yourself and being respected for your individuality. Sisterhood is the making of friendships that will last a lifetime. It is the feeling of knowing you can count on your brothers or sisters in good times and in challenging times.
Scholarship
Scholarship, academics and grades are the mainstays of college life. Sororities were originally founded to enhance and enrich the educational process, and with this tradition we continue to value education as one of our main priorities. All Greek organizations have a minimum GPA requirement as well as mandatory study hours to be completed every week as well as tutoring each other in classes.
Philanthropy
Fraternity and Sorority Life members all over the country volunteer more than 10 million hours annually. This makes the Fraternity and Sorority system the largest volunteer network in the country. All fraternities and sororities have philanthropies that they raise money for and also perform work for. These range from Muscular Dystrophy Association to the Stephenville Foster Home.
Leadership
By joining a fraternal organization you will have more chances to be a leader in your organization or around campus. Most organizations on campus have Social Greek Lettered Organizational members involved in them. You can be an officer or committee chair within your organization. These positions will build your skills to be used as a manager in whatever industry you decide to go to after college.
Benefits of Fraternity & Sorority Life
Greeks are a major part of University life at Tarleton State University. Greeks make up greater than 75% of Duck Camp leaders, Summer Orientation leaders, Student Government, Student Programming Association, Texan Reps, Alumni Ambassadors, and many other organizations on campus.
Greeks are also a large part of the Student Leadership Programs such as Tarleton L.E.A.D.S. Leadership Certification Program. Greeks also play an important role in the Homecoming Activities at Tarleton in the Silver Bugle Hunt, Yell Contest, and Homecoming Parade.
Did you know….
- That 85% of the Fortune 500 Executives are members of Greek Organizations
- That twenty-five U.S. Presidents belonged to Greek letter organizations
- Forty-three of fifty nation’s largest corporations are led by Greeks
- That nationally Greek organization members have a higher graduation rate than non-members
- That a study by the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity found that fraternity and sorority members were significantly more satisfied with their college experience than non-member students
- That fraternities and sororities have maintained a higher grade point average than the all undergraduate average at most universities
Greek Terminology
Active – A full member; one who has completed the New Member Education Period and has been formally initiated by the college chapter.
Alumna – (plural: alumnae) Sorority member who has graduated from college.
Alumnus – (plural: alumni) A member of a fraternity who has graduated from college.
Bid – A formal invitation to membership from a sorority or fraternity to a potential new member.
Chapter – The local group of the national organization.
Dirty Recruiting – Any violation of a rule set by the University Panhellenic Council as governed by the National Panhellenic Conference.
Fraternity – A group of men bound together by ritual ties and common goals. Also used to refer to sororities.
Hazing – Mental or physical acts strictly forbidden by Texas Law and University policies.
Initiation – The traditional ritual which brings the new member into full membership.
Legacy – A woman whose mother, sister, or grandmother is an initiated member of a sorority. A man whose father, brother, or grandfather is an initiated member of a fraternity.
North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) – A confederation of 56 men’s fraternities.
National Panhellenic Council (NPC) – Representative body governing all Greek letter sororities both locally and nationally.
New/Associate Member – A student who has accepted the bid or invitation for membership of a Greek organization, but has not yet been initiated.
Philanthropy – An activity sponsored by a sorority or fraternity designed to raise money for charity and/or to benefit the community.
Pin – (two types): the active pin (or badge), a distinctive insignia, worn on the chest, designating an active member of a particular fraternity or sorority. The new member pin is an insignia used to designate a new member of a particular fraternity or sorority.
Potential New Member– A student who has registered for formal recruitment.
Preference/Pref. card – Formal membership acceptance.