Fraternities and Sororities

So one of the first things that should be covered is definitely what are sororities and fraternities anyway?

Sororities and fraternities are social organizations for undergraduate students that exist at many colleges and universities. They are sometimes also known as "Greek letter organizations" or "soros and frats." They tend to be single-sexed organizations in most cases, with sororities for women and fraternities for men.

{ The Greek alphabet which the organization names are based from }

Structure.  Each sorority and fraternity only has one national organization with the one name, but many have different chapters at different schools.  For example, Phi Sigma Sigma was born in New York but now has 107 chapters across the United States and Canada.  Other than international organizations, there are also such things as national (just one country) and local (just one location) sororities and fraternities. I am a part of a local sororitiy, only centering in Ottawa, Canada.

Members.  When one wants to join a sorority or fraternity, they participate in the rush period, and are then invited by the sorority or fraternity itself to become a member.  Each person can only be loyal to one sorority or fraternity. I'll talk more about rushing and such at another time. Once you are a member of a sorority or fraternity, you are a lifetime member. It is an honour you keep with you, even after graduation. Some members of the sorority or fraternity are elected by their sisters or brothers into positions that they hold within the organization. Some of the positions are more work than others, but they all tend to be equally as important.

Houses.  Some sororities and fraternities have a house to call their own, usually on or close by the school campus. Sometimes the houses will have the Greek letters on the front of it. Some members tend to live in the house, while a majority tend not to, but visit the house often. Many events, such as mixers and brotherhoods or sisterhoods, tend to be held at these houses.


There's a lot more to be said about each of these things, but it definitely changes depending on where you are and what organization you're talking about! I'll be back to teach more soon.

xo.Jay