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According to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts website, approximately 100 universities and colleges have opened their doors to sororities and fraternities within the past five years. The website also mentions that there are approximately 123 sororities and fraternities in the U.S. and Canada with over 9 million members. On average, these members raise over $7 million and volunteer over 850,000 hours of community service annually, thus making sororities and fraternities the largest network of volunteers in the U.S. Meanwhile, Grand View currently has nine sororities and fraternities on campus though no actual Greek houses.

Despite their good deeds, sororities and fraternities are plagued with negative stereotypes. The media often portray the organizations to be synonymous with hazing and partying, rather than the volunteer work they do in their communities.

Tanner Overton, a legacy member of Pi Kappa Alpha at Iowa State University, said he believes that fraternity membership is a necessary part of the college experience. Overton was guaranteed a membership for his fraternity due to having a previous family member in the society. He said he thought the organization would teach him how to be successful, how to dress, how to do business and how to be respectful toward women.

However, once he became a member, Overton said he realized Greek life was not for him, and he left the fraternity. He said there was constant drinking and it made him think, “Can I party … and still graduate?” Later on, the fraternity was suspended in 2017 for “misuse of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances, contempt and violation of conditions of recognition,” according to a report in the Iowa State Daily.

Overton’s former fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, is considered a social fraternity.

Many of the 850,000 hours of community service are, no doubt, the work of service organizations that are well known for their heavy involvement in community service and their strong philanthropy. There are no set requirements for members of social sororities and fraternities. Typically these members come from different background and career paths. Professional organizations, on the other hand, are more selective when accepting members and tend to focus on networking and promoting interests that are specific to their majors and professions. Membership into honor societies is commonly granted via invite-only because they require members to meet high academic standards and maintain high GPAs.

Currently, GV has eight honor societies and one social sorority called Gamma Phi Kappa. Even though Gamma Phi Kappa is a social organization, like Pi Kappa Alpha, Mariah Koch said, “When people think of the stereotypical sorority … we’re nothing like that.”

Koch is Gamma Phi Kappa’s president, and her experience as a member of a sorority has been a lot different from Overton’s.

“It’s not partying all the time,” she said. “We just hang out. We’re friends and we support each other.”

Brigid Ernst is Gamma Phi Kappa’s advisor, and she said she is aware of the negative assumptions surrounding sororities and fraternities.

“I feel like my job is, kind of, to be an ambassador and challenge those (negative assumptions),” Ernst said.

After all, there are benefits for members who join a sorority or fraternity. For example, an informative page on GV’s website said Gamma Phi Kappa’s members can benefit from, “personal enrichment, education of other cultures, encouragement, and help in pursuing scholarship, and encouragement of a moral and hospitable lifestyle.”

In addition, many of Gamma Phi Kappa’s members hold office chair positions, which can stand out to potential employers. Koch said another benefit has been meeting people she would not have met otherwise.

A widely acknowledged benefit is the brotherhood or sisterhood that is established between members of a Greek organization. Even if people aren’t from the same sorority, Koch said, there is a “connection.”

Assistant professor at GV and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s graduate chapter, A’ndrea Wilson refers to the connection as “instant love.” Zeta Phi Beta is a part of the Divine Nine, which is made up of a total of nine historically black fraternities and sororities. Zeta Phi Beta and the rest of the Divine Nine are a mixture of social and service Greek organizations.

Wilson said when she recognizes that someone is a sister or a brother “it’s instant hugs and ‘hey, how you doing?’”

The point of sororities and fraternities, she said, “is to build a lifetime networking group …(with) people all over the globe, if your fraternity or sorority is international, that may be able to help you out … or help you get a job.”

However, along with the benefits of these organizations, there are some drawbacks. One major drawback of considering involvement in a sorority or fraternity is the financial commitment. Gamma Phi Kappa is exclusive to GV, which helps them keep their annual dues minimal. But most national sororities and fraternities require members to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars in annual dues.

Some students prefer GV without Greek houses.

GV junior Jadyn Caves said she does not think anybody at GV would want to move into a sorority or fraternity house because “the housing we’ve been provided is so good.”

Bubba Rutledge, who is a senior at GV, said, “I think the cons definitely outweigh the pros,” and that students who go to other colleges and universities are jealous of GV’s L apartments.

Both agreed that the lack of sororities and fraternities on GV’s campus help keep class sizes smaller, which they both prefer.

However, both Ernst and Koch said they would like to see a fraternity on campus.

“I think there is interest for one,” Koch said. “But nobody wants to put in the work to create one.”

Either way, Overton said, “the college experience can be had in a ‘Greek life,’ or not.”