What is a Fraternity or Sorority?

• What is expected of fraternity or sorority members?
• How will membership affect my academics?
• What leadership opportunities are available to students as both new members and initiated
  members?
• Does the chapter perform hands-on community service? If so, how often?
• Does the fraternity or sorority require members to live in the facility (if housing is
  available)? If so, for how long?
• What are the expenses associated with membership? How does this vary?
• What type of member is the chapter looking for?
• What values does this organization promote?
• Is the organization officially recognized by the university? If not, why is this the case?
• What is the time commitment?
• Describe the new member orientation process. What are the expectations of new members?
• Why should I join your fraternity or sorority?
• How well do you know the members in your chapter?
• What benefits can your chapter offer me now and after I graduate?
• How involved are your alumni members?
• How is your chapter different than the others?
• Why did you join your chapter?

Adjusting to college life can be a challenge for many students. By joining a fraternity or sorority your first semester, you can have an immediate family of friends, all willing to help you cope with the challenges of college life and experiences you’ll face.

The sooner you know more people, the more comfortable you will feel on campus. By joining your first year, you will find adjusting to life in Muncie a lot easier.

Most members who don’t join their first year wished they had.

If you don’t feel comfortable joining your first year, it is perfectly understandable. The Greek organizations are open to having upperclassmen join.

Participation in the membership intake process is required in order to join an NPHC organization.

Intake occurs at various times throughout the year at the discretion of each organization.

During intake, individuals participate in the new member orientation process and at its conclusion are initiated.

It is heavily encouraged that students do extensive research into NPHC fraternity or sorority by visiting their websites and reading historical documents about each group, prior to contacting the organization.

There are two forms of recruitment: formal and informal.

Formal recruitment is held near the beginning of the fall semester each year for Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council groups and in the spring for IFC fraternities. The formal process lasts approximately a week and requires the student to attend recruitment events to get to know the fraternities or sororities.

The Panhellenic sororities have a formal process only in the fall. During the spring, the sororities have informal recruitment (called COB or COR for short). This process is shorter and tends to be less of a time commitment but not all of the sororities participate in informal recruitment.

At the end of recruitment, bids, or invitations to membership, are distributed and the new member orientation process begins.

After completing the orientation, new members are initiated into the organization.

Chapters do not require recommendation letters from alumnae of their organizations in order to participate in recruitment.

While you are not responsible for collecting recommendations, you can request one from an alumna from any of the sororities you will be visiting during formal recruitment.

The alumna does not have to be a member of the local chapter of the sorority. If you do acquire these recommendation letters, they should be sent directly to the chapter. 

Each organization is founded on different beliefs and values.

Whether to join a large or small organization, a culturally based group or a general fraternity or sorority, a newly formed organization or one that has been around for fifty years—it is simply a matter of personal preference.

Each organization has its own advantages. Selecting a fraternity or sorority is like choosing friends—pick the group you feel most comfortable with.

All fraternities and sororities share the values of scholarship, leadership, service, and brotherhood or sisterhood.

As you attend various recruitment events, it is important that you ask the questions about things that are important to you: costs, activities, scholarship, philanthropy, etc.

Perhaps most importantly, make the decision on your own. Even though your roommate, best friend, or the group of people you attend recruitment events with has decided on a particular fraternity or sorority, you do not have to.

Your friends should always be your friends; the choice of fraternity or sorority is completely yours.

The image of Fraternity and Sorority life is often defined by individuals without complete information.

Fictional accounts from “Greeks,” “Animal House,” “Revenge of the Nerds,” “Stomp the Yard,” “Legally Blonde,” “Old School,” or “Road Trip,” as well as some stories in the news media, tend to exaggerate or distort the social aspect of Greek life and do not always show all aspects of fraternity and sorority membership.

The social aspect of Fraternity and Sorority life is one of the many reasons that students choose to join fraternities and sororities. However, alcohol and substance abuse are taken seriously and proactive measures such as educational workshops on the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse are administered on a semester basis.

Fraternities and sororities educate their members about the procedures necessary to ensure a safe environment at events, included in this education is the Greek community alcohol policy that outlines expectations on possession, use and consumption of alcohol at chapter houses and fraternity and sorority events.

We do not tolerate hazing because it has no place in organizations based on mutual respect and shared values. 

Students often find managing their time difficult when moving from the highly structured high school environment to a college campus. Fraternities and sororities assist members in overcoming these challenges by offering programs that may include study partners, study hours, and time management and study skills workshops.

Students can also use their upperclass brothers and sisters, who already know how to use campus resources such as the library, study skills center, computer labs, and academic advisors.

Nothing, however, can take the place of a disciplined and academically focused student when it comes to college academic success.

Members of the Greek community have consistently had a higher GPA than the All Campus GPA.

Like most other worthwhile extracurricular activities, how much you get out of your Greek membership is related to how much you put into it. The time commitments vary from chapter to chapter.

New members attend a variety of activities to meet other chapter members, learn about the organization’s history and values and develop leadership skills. Each chapter has a weekly chapter meeting, fundraising events, community service projects, educational programs and other events that members are expected to attend.

These events are planned in advance to allow members time for studying, involvement in other organizations, work, and other activities. Time spent at chapter events ensures you are getting the most out of the organization.

Whether it is planning a social event, a community service project, or regular weekly meetings, fraternity and sorority members have learned to balance their time with other commitments like homework, relationships, and jobs.

Commuting students specifically gain a home-away-from-home that enables them to be part of Ball State life. Be sure to ask questions regarding time commitments during recruitment.

One of the tremendous assets of affiliation with a Greek letter organization is the nationwide network of alumni members of the organization. As you prepare to enter the career world, alumni members can assist in job placement through their knowledge of where jobs are and who is hiring.

Fraternity and Sorority life will assist you in developing transferable skills that will be needed in the career world, such as management, leadership development, communications, and more!

All of the following will help you as you enter the job market in a few years:

• Fraternities and sororities provide you the opportunity to gain skills you will be able to list on a resume and speak about in an interview.
• Fraternities and sororities are families, communities, but they are also legal corporations. Many members live and learn to work within this environment.
• Officers within each chapter are elected to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. These officers are assisted by members serving on committees and by alumni who act as advisors. By being an officer, you can gain leadership experience while learning from the direction of a mentor.
• Many organizations have regional and international leadership conferences where you can learn a variety of highly demanded skills.
• You can serve on a variety of university and Greek council governance, judicial, and other Fraternity and Sorority life subcommittees.

The financial commitment of joining the Greek community is a positive return on investment in your future.

The perception that the Greek community is only an option for financially wealthy students is widespread but false.

The benefits are endless and revolve around 5 main objectives including:

• Friendship
• Scholarship
• Philanthropy
• Leadership
• Values

Each chapter is self-supported through dues paid by all members. Dues are used to sponsor social events, membership recruitment, educational programs, and philanthropic projects.

Cost of Joining

Financial obligations vary by chapter, although annual expenses in the first year of membership average approximately $900 for sororities and $800 for fraternities. Financial obligations after the first year of membership decrease and average around $500 for sororities and $475 for fraternities. The financial obligations do not include cost of living in a chapter house.

Cost of Living in a Residence

The cost of living in a fraternity house tends to be more cost-efficient compared to living in a residence hall. Monthly rates average $500 per month, although some organizations include a meal plan.

You should inquire about individual fee structures and housing costs during the recruitment process or contact the individual organizations for more information.

Since recruitment occurs during the semester, new students should secure their own housing for the fall semester.

See which organizations offer housing at Ball State.

Fraternity Houses

Typically, freshmen and sophomores who purchase the Office of Housing and Residence Life Premium Plan live on-campus in residence halls, and many move into fraternity houses their sophomore year and some stay their junior and senior years.

It is important to take into consideration whether you want to live in a fraternity house your sophomore year before signing the Office of Housing and Residence Life Premium Plan.

(For more information, please review the University’s rates and plans for on-campus housing and dining.)

When you can move into a fraternity house varies by chapter.

Freshmen are required to live in the residence halls for their first year. (For more information, please review the University’s residency requirement.)

Less than half of the members of Greek organizations live in the chapter houses in any given semester, although most members do live in the chapter house for part of their tenure at Ball State.

Most fraternities require members, except for local students who live at their parents’ home, to reside in the chapter house for a minimum of one or two years.

Sorority housing

At this time, there are no official sorority houses off-campus.

If your parents have specific questions or concerns, we can help you answer them.

There are numerous undergraduate leaders, alumni, fraternity or sorority national or international headquarters staff, University administrators, and even other parents who are more than willing to share their personal insights and experiences with your parents.

If your parents have additional questions have them contact the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

If the question is about a specific fraternity or sorority have them contact the chapter advisor for the organization.

Hazing is defined as any action taken that produces bodily harm or danger, mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, fright, or ridicule.

All national fraternal organizations and institutions of higher education have banned hazing.

Ball State University and the Greek councils rigorously enforce hazing policies and organizations that violate them are subject to serious and immediate sanctions.

Rituals vs. Hazing

It is understandable that you might be concerned if you hear that some of the things that go on during initiation are to be kept secret.

Initiation into a fraternity or sorority is an exciting, yet serious, ceremony that conveys the purposes and special values of the respective fraternity or sorority. These ceremonies often are referred to as rituals. Greek chapters pride themselves on the rituals that their chapters were founded upon.

These rituals are full of the traditions and values that make the chapters unique. However, these rituals should not be confused with hazing, and other inappropriate activities.

The rituals of Greek organizations have nothing to do with hazing; they are not scary, shameful or degrading. Fraternity and sorority initiation ceremonies are, in most cases, single day events.

Do you Suspect Hazing?

If you are not permitted to talk to friends or family for extended periods of time, hazing may be an issue, or if you suspect hazing is happening in a Greek fraternity or sorority at Ball State, you should contact the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

You can also call l-888-NOT-HAZE, or 1-888-668-4293, an anti-hazing hotline established by fraternities or sororities that anyone can use to report incidents of hazing anonymously. 

The social aspect of Fraternity and Sorority Life is one of the many reasons that students get involved in fraternities and sororities; however, alcohol and substance abuse is not tolerated.

Most organizations have mandatory educational sessions on the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse, and the precautions are taken at events to ensure a safe environment.

The governing boards for the fraternities and sororities— Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Association—developed and adopted a policy for fraternities and sororities at Ball State.

This policy simply states that the possession, sale, use, or consumption of alcoholic beverages, while on chapter premises or during a fraternity event, in any situation sponsored or endorsed by the chapter, or at any event an observer would associate with the fraternity, must be in compliance with any and all applicable laws of the State of Indiana, Delaware County, Muncie, and Ball State University, and must comply with either Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB) or Third Party Vendor Guidelines.

The policy also prohibits alcohol at:

• Open parties (parties that non-members of the fraternity may attend without invitation)
• All recruitment and rush activities associated with any chapter
• Drinking games for members, associate members, new members, or neophyte
• Any pledge/associate member/new member/neophyte program, activity, or ritual of the chapter

This includes but is not limited to:

• Activities associated with "bid night"
• "Big brother-little brother" events or activities
• "Big sister-little sister" events or activities
• "Family" events or activities and initiation

If you suspect that the alcohol policy is being violated by a Greek fraternity or sorority at Ball State, contact the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.