Almetris Duren Hall Dormitory

It’s not unusual for colleges for freshmen to drink too much in the first few weeks at college, but is pledging leading students to drink dangerously? This week, two young women at the University of Texas were hospitalized for alcohol poisoning after a sorority pledging event.

One girl was found foaming at the mouth in the shower by her roommate. The other was discovered unconscious on the bathroom floor of the Almetris Duren Hall dorm. Both girls were hospitalized. “When freshmen get here, they kind of go a little crazy and you often times find people passed out or stumbling drunk,” said one University of Texas senior.

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As a part of this year’s National Hazing Prevention Week taking place on September 20-24, 2010, Sigma Nu, the Interfraternity Council Member Fraternity, is spearheading a social media campaign. Over the course of 40 days, Sigma Nu will release via their Twitter channel a comprehensive list of arguments against the 40 most common heard excuses for sorority and fraternity hazing.

The project began on August 11, 2010 and since then a team of contributors have blogged, tweeted and Facebook posted a different excuse daily using the Twitter official hash tag #40Answers.

This is the first social media campaign to combat hazing in Greek Life and is slated to become a popular resource for Greeks against hazing to ensure a quality fraternity and sorority experience for organization members

Numerous organizations within Panhellenic, National-Panhellenic, Interfraternity and Diversified Greek Councils have committed to endorsing and supporting the campaign.

Here is the list of scheduled tweets:

•    August 11, 2010 Pledges must pay their dues to become a member.
•    August 12, 2010 Hazing teaches pledges to respect their elders.
•    August 13, 2010 Pledges must learn to appreciate the fraternity.
•    August 14, 2010 I don’t think _________ is hazing. Read the rest of this entry »

With some colleges already half way through their recruitment weeks, many of you have been asking what to expect at the pledge ceremony and from the pledge process for fraternities and sororities.

When a potential new member accepts a Greek bid invitation, they become a new member, formally known as a pledge. The word “pledge” has received a negative connotation and as a result, many organizations have chosen to adopt the new title of “member” for the person pledging and “new member education” for the pledge period itself. The ceremony event, however, is still usually referred to as the pledge ceremony. Read the rest of this entry »

With some schools already half-way through their recruitment weeks, many of you have been asking what to expect on Bid Day for Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment.

Bid day is the day that every girl who has been through the complete recruitment process (meaning they have attended every sorority’s recruitment party and been invited back to at least one chapter) receives their sorority bid.

The bid is an actual invitation to join the pledge period of a specific sorority. In most cases, bids are distributed in an envelope, similar to a party invitation. The potential new members open their cards and normally cry or squeal with delight and run (yes, literally run) to their new sorority house. Read the rest of this entry »

With some schools already half-way through their recruitment weeks, many of you have been asking how to stand out during sorority and fraternity recruitment.

Begin by looking at your school’s Greek life website to get an idea of what to wear. You’ll want to dress comfortably so that you can draw on all of your self-confidence. It’s harder to feel self-assured when you’re uncomfortable.

Try to subtly stand out from the crowd. Girls should choose a memorable piece of jewelry or interesting color dress and guys should choose a memorable hat or distinctive colored shirt, Don’t try too hard though, you want to fit in well with their organization.

[Also read What to Wear to Sorority Rush or What to Wear to Fraternity Rush.]

When holding conversations with the members, most are looking for key factors to ensure that you will be an active, contributing member to the organization. They want to know that you are: Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations! You made it through rush week, bid day, you’ve pledged, and got yourself to be a full-fledged member of a fraternity or sorority on your campus! At GreekForMe.com, this week’s guest blogger for EduInReview.com, we’re champions of all the benefits the Greek system offers, and are more than simply your sorority apparel and fraternity apparel headquarters – we’re your Greek go-tos! We’re Greeks ourselves, and made the transition from regular ol’ college student life to Greek life, too. It’s not always as easy as you’d think, so read on for ways to make your transition as smooth sailing as possible!

Higher Standard of Ethics

Many Greek organizations are esteemed in rich tradition and have been around for decades, if not centuries! They have a specific mission, goals, and most importantly, a code of ethics. You’ll be expected to ensure your behavior falls in line with these ethics, such as contributing positively to the community, participating in philanthropic events, and upholding high academic standards. Of course, your personality and fun spirit should still shine through; just know that your actions now reflect not only on yourself, but on your fraternity or sorority, too! Read the rest of this entry »

This guest post provided by a source who has requested anonymity as they expose one of the most secretive parts of Greek collegiate lifestyle.

After experiencing the new member process, often times fraternity and sorority pledges worry about what lies ahead at the initiation ceremony.

The purpose of initiation is to teach the new members about the significance behind all the organization’s symbols, Greek letters, motto, rituals, etc. It is an explanation of everything incorporated to the organization, followed by a pledging of the members commitment to the organization, its current, past and future members of unwavering friendship, and dedication to the organization’s social, scholastic and moral growth. After a member professes their vows (depending on the organization, vows are recited through a motto or creed, signed in a book, sung through ritual songs, or proven by an activity) the pledge becomes an active member.

The ritual ceremony is universally a huge secret (with the exception of the fraternity Delta Upsilon who has an open initiation), and therefore is different for all organizations. Nationally, however, every initiation is the same within an organization. For example, XYZ sorority at the University of Texas has the exact same initiation as XYZ at New York University, but ABC at the University of Texas does not have the same initiation as XYZ. Since each initiation is the same, the ceremony becomes the binding connection that interlocks each member to the national organization. Often times complete strangers (who find out they’re in the same national organization) will become instant friends for this reason, already having a common bond. Read the rest of this entry »

With fall sorority rush just around the corner, along with back to school shopping, many girls are wondering what to wear during the recruitment process.

Here are some college fashion tips I have found to hold tried and true throughout the years:

What TO wear to sorority recruitment

Begin by looking at your school’s Greek Life website, because sometimes the days of recruitment (especially Panhellenic) are themed and any dress codes for recruitment parties are announced on their websites. You’ll want to dress comfortably, as you’re going to need all of your internal confidence. It can be hard to feel self-assured on the inside when you’re uncomfortable on the outside.

Try to subtly stand out from the crowd. Choose a memorable piece of jewelry or interesting color, it will make the members remember you more. With so many girls, some can get lost in the shuffle. Members tend to remember “the brunette with the black bow head band” over plain Janes. Don’t try too hard though, you want want to appear to mesh well into their organization. Read the rest of this entry »

With fall fraternity rush and back to school shopping approaching, many guys are wondering what to wear during the recruitment process.

Here are some tips I have found to hold tried and true through out the years:

What TO wear to fraternity rush

Begin by looking at your school’s Greek Life website website, because sometimes the days of rush will be listed as formal, semi-formal, casual, etc. Be sure to wear comfortable outfits, you will need all of your internal confidence, and sometimes it is hard to feel self-assured on the inside when you’re uncomfortable on the outside.

Try to subtly stand out from the crowd. Choose a memorable hat or interesting colored shirt, it will make the members remember you better because sometimes there are so many guys that some get lost in the bunch. Members tend to remember “the guy with the fedora and aviators” over another guy in an American Eagle polo. Don’t over-do your outfit though, you also want to appear to blend well into their organization. Read the rest of this entry »

This guest post provided by a source who has requested anonymity as they expose one of the most secretive parts of Greek collegiate lifestyle.

Going through the process of fraternity recruitment and sorority recruitment can be intimidating enough, the idea of “selling yourself” to a group of daunting peers in hopes of social acceptance and life long, unwavering friendship is frightening, then add in the fact that you’re probably a college freshman and have just left home, your pets, your friends and your family, the situation makes me nervous just remembering it.

And yes, hazing does still happen with in the Greek community. Within any culture, traditions will evolve and intensify as the society grows; such is the case with hazing. Hazing started as a way for new members of the Greek organizations to prove their loyalty to the organization they wished to join. With exclusivity of membership, officers in the organizations could request or demand that prospective members prove that they wanted to be apart of the club so badly that they would never tell its secrets, and that they would be an active and contributing member.

Over the years, hazing turned from mere favors (such as delivering requested things on campus, washing member’s cars, baking sweets for members, serenades, etc.) to more intensified requests (buying things for members, doing homework for members, cleaning common rooms of chapter houses, etc.).

Then, eventually, hazing took a dangerous turn when members realized that belittling, embarrassing, and mentally and physically breaking down pledges was an easier way to ensure that only the mentally and physically strongest of the potential new members made it through their recruitment process.

Here is a list of some of the worst hazing cases, viewer discretion is advised: Read the rest of this entry »