Joining a Greek organization gives students a chance to create lifelong ties and friendships while building strong academic and professional foundations. However, being involved in Greek Life doesn’t come without cost, including committing a significant amount of time to the fraternity or sorority.

“Time commitment depends on the member,” Natalie Nduku, president of Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority and secretary representative of the Multicultural Greek Council, said. “What you give to the organization is what you will get out of it. The majority of members will tell you that time management is a must.”

And some students participate in Greek Life and are active in other areas on campus despite the significant time commitment.

“The time commitment can be more than just the meetings every week, but it is not so much that you can’t handle it,” Mary Williamson, Panhellenic secretary, said. “I had two jobs, an executive position on Panhellenic and 15 hours last school year, and I still managed to do very well. It is not impossible, and being Greek is truly worth every second.”

Students participate in different activities throughout the week to contribute to their chapters.

“The sororities usually have one meeting a week, but they are informational so as to keep the women up to date on what’s going on, such as upcoming events,” Williamson said.

There are usually additional activities besides the weekly meetings, however.

“The more you put into it, the more you get out of it,” Kevin Bazner, assistant director of student development and orientation, said. “It would usually include the weekly meetings, activities, and travel time.”

And despite the significant time commitment, interest in participating in the social fraternities and sororities increased significantly this fall.

“As of right now, I have about 70 women who have registered for sorority recruitment in the fall,” Williamson said. “My personal goal is to have about 120 women signed up and ready to go Greek by the first week of September.”

The interest in the multicultural sororities’ has not been as high as the Panhellenic sororities.

“Though the past few semesters—due to a lot of hard work from each chapter—the Multicultural Greek Council has improved its numbers in our chapters,” Nduku said.

After the rushing process, women have the choice whether or not they want to fully join the sorority — and other sorority members can pick which members they want to join.

“All those that applied to the process and completed all the requirements usually join,” Nduku said. “There are some rare cases where the commitment the student could give was overestimated and they do not complete the process, but we always encourage that all students consider their academics first.”

Depending on the particular chapter, the numbers of members are different in the Panhellenic sororities.

“The retention rate of how many women actually choose to join varies for each sorority,” Williamson said. “They are constantly increasing and I hope to keep it that way.”

Students usually choose their fraternity or sorority based upon their peers who have already joined.

“In my experience, women choose a sorority based on similar values, connections they have with the active members, and friendships that are built throughout the recruitment process,” Williamson said. “A sorority is your home away from home, so after the first few nights of getting to know the active members, you’ll know where you belong because you’ll walk into the chapter room and be right at home.”

While the sisterhood or brotherhood is usually the main reason for wanting to join a particular sorority, there are also other factors that influence the decision.

“Others join because they want to make a difference and have chosen a Greek organization to help them make that impact as there are many community service and leadership opportunities in Greek life,” Nduku said.

There are four Greek organizations in the Multicultural Greek Council: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Omega Delta Phi Fraternity and Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority, Inc.

There are also four sororities under the Panhellenic Council: Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, and Sigma Kappa.

The general cost after the recruitment process varies between the organizations.

“This question does come up a lot, but I don’t want it to worry potential women,” Williamson said. “All of the sororities allow monthly payments, enough extra time for the members to have jobs if they want, etc. I don’t want anybody to hesitate registering for recruitment because of money. The sororities will always work with you.”

According to Bazner, the cost goes toward many things, such as insurance cost, training, membership dues, spaces to rent for events, travel money and social events.

There are many activities scheduled during Rush Week that help potential recruits decide where they belong.

“Generally during Rush, the activities that take place give an opportunity to get to know the organization, the active members and give back to the community,” Nduku said.

While the week of formal recruitment consists of scheduled nights to get to know the organizations, there are pre-recruitment events the week before.

“I have planned for potential women to attend an ice cream social, an all Greek cookout with the sororities and fraternities, a volunteer event at the Humane Society, a campus-wide block party and a Meet the Greeks pool party at the  Wellness Center,” Williamson said. “I’m hoping this allows anyone who is interested in sorority life to get to know the members as well as learn about how beneficial it is to be a part if the Greek community.”

Being part of a fraternity or sorority isn’t all about fun and games, however.

“It helps students feel connected and make connections through mutual majors, mentors and interests,” Bazner said. “It provides structure for the student outside of the classroom and produces productive members of society.”

Bazner also emphasized that students should not make preconceived assumptions about Greek life because each student will have a different experience.

“Experience it for yourself,” he said. “Go through recruitment and create your own opinion.”