PRESENTER (American): Good
afternoon, everyone. My name is Mike Rogers and I’m a senior here at the
University of California. I’m also the Greek life representative for the
university and a proud member of a fraternity. Today, I’m going to tell you a
little about Greek life on campus. Now, it’s only August, and I know that
you’ve just started your first semester of college, so there’s probably a lot
of new stuff going on for you. Still, I want to encourage you to look into
joining one of the fraternities on campus.
To give you a brief
introduction, Greek life is the fraternity and sorority community on our
campus. Women, of course, join sororities and men join fraternities. Both
organizations participate in social activities, but there’s a lot more to them
as well. They are referred to as Greek chapters because they have taken on
names according to the Greek alphabet.
Fraternities are
highly successful organizations. Across the United States, there are 123
fraternities and sororities, totaling over 9 million members. That’s a lot,
right? You
definitely won’t
be alone if you decide to join. Each
year, members of Greek organizations contribute over 10 million hours of
volunteer service. Recently, a government-funded study reported that over 70%
of all those who join a fraternity graduate, while less than 50% of students
who aren’t in fraternities graduate. Also, over 85% of student leaders on
campus are involved in either a fraternity or sorority. Another interesting fact is that almost every U.S. President and
Vice President that was born after the beginning of fraternities in 1825 had been members of a
fraternity. In other words, a lot of successful people participate in
fraternities and they’re a great source of community for men who’d like to be
successful.
Joining a fraternity
can be an involved
process, but completely worth it. You have the option of applying to any of the
fraternities on campus. The first step is to rush a fraternity. This involves
attending different events at the fraternity houses during what we call Rush
Week. This year, Rush Week will be Sept 10th to September 16th.
You’ll have a chance to socialize with members of a fraternity and try to
narrow down which ones you’ll apply to. There are eight different fraternities
on our campus, so you have a lot of options. Each one has its own identity and
character, so you should find one that matches with your own personal
ideals.
The next step after
rushing is to put a bid for a fraternity. If the members decide that you’re a
good fit, they will then offer you the opportunity to become a member. If you
accept that offer, you become a pledge. Pledging requires mandatory study
hours, weekly meetings, as well as projects and assignments that need to be
completed for the fraternity. The purpose of pledging is to get a feel for what
life in a particular fraternity will be like so that you can determine if it’s
the right environment for you. Pledging usually lasts six weeks long.
Finally, I just
want to mention the cost of joining a fraternity. Becoming a member involves
paying dues and the cost for each fraternity varies, but in general it is about
$3,000 per year. Scholarships and loans are available for students who can’t
afford the dues on their own. Need-based aid can save members 50% on dues each
year.
Of course,
there’s a lot more to Greek life than what I’ve mentioned. I just wanted to
give you a quick overview of what it’s all about and I hope I’ve sparked your
interest. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them. Thank you.