<p>Can anyone tell me about fraternity life at cornell? My son is interested. Any major differences between them?</p>
<p>With 45 Fraternities at Cornell there is a wide varitey of Houses to choose from.</p>
<p>There's Lots of Info on Cornell's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Web Page
<a href="http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/default.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/default.html</a></p>
<p>Links to Fraternity & Sorority Chapters at Cornell
<a href="http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/fslist.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/fslist.html</a></p>
<p>Info for students
<a href="http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/fso/fso_about.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/fso/fso_about.html</a></p>
<p>I dont know about individual frats. But the party scene revolves around frats. They're like 30% of students I think. They used to be bigger when housing was in tighter supply and less good. The new dorms are like hotels I hear.</p>
<p>First Year Students (- who are first semester Freshmen - not Transfers) are not allowed to join untill the Rush Period in January. At that time there is a week of activities and tours that gives the prospective members a chance to learn about the various Fraternities and Sororities ( some Fraternity Houses are Coed, most are all male, the Sororities are all female.) </p>
<p>Some houses are owned by the University
Some houses are owned by the Local Alumni House Corporation of the Fraternity
Some may be owned / mortagaged by the National Fraternity
Some are Local Fraternities where this is the Only Chapter.</p>
<p>The Buildings are in varing states of Repair.
Some are Mansions - some are Just Large Houses</p>
<p>There are Fraternities and Sororities that do not have houses.</p>
<p>Regarding Alcohol Some are dry/ some are dry in name only / some are wet but supposed to be wet only for those members over 21.
There are sanctions for holding parties not sanctioned by the Dean of Students Office. They must use a caterer with a liquor licence if they serve alcohol and under age students are not supposed to be served. ( In reality, there have been numerous sanctions for unregistered parties, because of a shortage of Caterers with licences. - Maybe a business opportunity for someone willing to relocate to Ithaca!!!) Although the 2003-2004 Annual Report notes that there was a reduction in Social Sanctions compared to 2002-2003 due to Better training of the Social Chairs and a BYOB Policy.
(See the Annual Report Link Below)
Safety comes first regarding Alcohol Use: and the University has a Medical Amnesty Protocol to encourage Studnets to seek help for anyone who has abused alcohol and is in need of medical attention.
<a href="http://www.medical-amnesty.cornell.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.medical-amnesty.cornell.edu/</a></p>
<p>The University prohibits hazing. And there are serious sanctions.
Pledging is now known as New Member Education</p>
<p>If your son is interested he should go sign up and go thru rush, so he can learn about the houses</p>
<p>You should read the Annual Report to get a feeling for what is trying to be accomplished.
<a href="http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/PDFs/OFSA%20Annual%20Report04.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/FSA/PDFs/OFSA%20Annual%20Report04.pdf</a></p>
<p>Yeah i just got done with rush week...it was this week. Its a lot of fun and also very informative and it really helps you get a feel for specific houses.</p>
<p>And yes of course there are major differences between the frats....racial, social, financial, geographic, religious, etc. There are jewish frats, rich frats, black frats, houses with lots of engineers, and so on. However a lot of the houses have a good mix of guys and a lot of diversity. Almost anyone can find a place where they fit, it just takes a bit of looking.</p>
<p>If you have any specific questions about fraternities or rushing, i'd be happy to answer.</p>
<p>What are some of the most popular fraternities and their stereotypes? I've heard there's one that looks like a castle. No pledge hazing? So I guess there aren't any grueling 8 week pledgeships.</p>
<p>Hi Thanks for all your info on fraternities at Cornell. My son did participate in rush week and was asked to join a fraternity. He was very happy when I spoke with him .This is all new to me.I guess he wanted my approval because there are extra fees involved. I did look at the chapters but they are all pretty general. Are there any in particular to avoid for any reason? Also do you have to live in the house and if not can you participate in the meal plan? Thanks for all the information.</p>
<p>You arent required to live in...well, maybe sophomores are. Its almost always cheaper than living on campus and getting a campus mealplan though!</p>
<p>Chapters to avoid? Not really. Well, maybe theta drug....</p>
<p>Tonic, ill try for some stereotypes:</p>
<p>DKE: aforementioned castle house
Theta Delta Chi: known as theta drug because of all the potheads.
Psi U: rich kids from mass
Sig Nu and Phi Psi: football
ATO: lacrosse players
ZBT, Pike, and SAM: jewish kids
Beta: big partiers
SAE: rich arrogant egotistical *******s
SigEp: cokeheads and big scary guys
AGR: aggies (duh)</p>
<p>ehh thats pretty much it; these things are just what is most commonly said about places; of course they are overgeneralized.</p>
<p>Do you know anything about DU , Figi, Phi or fidelt ,alpha delt, and Kisi. Those were some I heard mentioned. I think I got the names right but not sure.</p>
<p>Yes, actually, i have been to all of those houses except alpha delt.</p>
<p>DU: house was shut down a few years ago and recently re-opened like last year i think. Very nice house. Good guys. I have a friend who is pledging there. I was considering pledging there till they told me they didnt want me lol. A lot of athletes in the houses, but not a majority. Despite its recent re colonization, DU has picked up a good reputation and is a well-liked and popular house.</p>
<p>Fiji: The house itself is pretty run down. Its a bit of a dump. They guys are nice but the house isnt renowned for anything other than throwing huge open parties. Kinda sketchy.</p>
<p>Phidelt (Phi Delta Theta): This is a great house; it was my 2nd choice and i got a bid from them. The guys are great and are all really involved on campus. The house is immaculate because no parties are ever held in it (phidelt runs a dry house...well at least supposedly). Its one of the cleanest on campus. The house is held in pretty high regard, although not as much as the big name west campus frats. Its also a good social house; they throw a lot of open parties in addition to brothers-only events and sorority mixers. </p>
<p>Alpha Delt: No clue really.</p>
<p>Chi Psi: Dont really know too much about either. Its a big house, but it doesnt have a very well-publicized reputation; that is, theres no stereotype that i know of.</p>
<p>What was your first choice? Do you let them know you want to pledge first and then they give you a bid? Can you get multiple bids? What is the process on giving bids out? Do they vote? How involved do you have to be in the faternity once you are in?Can you keep up with all your work in school? Sorry so many questions.. The real important question What about pledging ? How long is the process? When is it finished and what exactly is involved? I think parents need an informational meeting.</p>
<p>My first choice was Phi Sigma Kappa, and thats one of the two places i got bids from. In order to get a bid you basically come to their rush week events, act nice to them, and if they like you and you invest a lot of time you might get a bid. Some places are selective and some places give away a ton of them. Yes, in most places the brothers vote on which kids they want to join. As for all the stuff involving pledging, etc, i really dont know bc i havent done it yet. The process is 6-8 weeks long and most places promise that it wont affect your grades. Oh, and there was a parents informational meeting, back during family weekend....my parents liked it...</p>
<p>Any info on the sororities??</p>
<p>Hmmm....just had friends go thru sorority rush. Basically the chicks get all dressed up and walk around in big packs to all of the houses. You can see them, all wearing miniskirts with sweats under them, walking around in the freezing cold. Then as the days go on there are cuts, and the number of houses they can go to decreases. By the end they are down to three, and on bid day one of these gives them a bid. Then, the girl accepts her bid, goes over to the house, and gets a really cool t-shirt (you think im kidding). Then the pledging begins, which is really like nothing major at all.</p>
<p>haha thanks for the info... sounds like a blast for girls! Do you have any idea what kind of reputation different sororities have or which ones are the best?</p>
<p>Um, DG and Tri-Delt are pretty hot, as are KD and Kappa. I havent actually seen that many of the sororities collectively, so i cant really judge them well except on reputation and stereotype. That will change once we start having sorority mixers this week ;)</p>
<p>ok, by popular demand on the sorority thread.. a few frat stereotypes:</p>
<p>phi psi/sig nu: football
ato: lacrosse, always do Great afterhours parties
chi phi: rugby, sprint football, golf
beta: apparently used to be big, but has had huge problems getting people to join last year.
zbt, pike, sammy: jewish frats, pike is the jappiest, sammy is on north campus, dont know much about it.
sae: thought to be cocky *<strong><em>s, but i know a bunch of cool guys in there. pretty jocky/preppy, throw great parties (white/green in the fall) rumored to roofie but prob not close to being true.
chi psi: good house, jocky guys that are pretty fun. were on probation last year for a while so they werent as well known to new people.
psi u: "preppy rich *</em></strong>s", actually has a ton of really cool guys, so the rep isnt really deserved but is prob because they are preppy.
*a bunch of kids cross rush sae, psi u, and chi psi
alpha delt: low key, a lot of smoking, but a good house with smart preppy kids
sig phi: a bunch of swimmers, dont really know the rep but they seem nice.
sig pi: another preppy house, they throw good dance parties in the fall. i think theyre starting to get better pledge classes, but a lot of kids used to be taken by chi psi, psi u, sae.
theta delta chi: "theta drug" enough said.
delta chi: just got reinstated on campus, apparently got a pretty cool pledge class. mostly crew guys. </p>
<p>there is a pretty good synopsis of a lot of frats, i dont know much else about the others. </p>
<p>-DG, KKG and Theta are the hottest sororites. alpha phi is getting good pledge classes the last two years and looks pretty good. SDT is a hot sorority if you like jappy girls. all sororities have really cool girls, really good looking girls, as well as the opposite. i think alpha phi and theta girls are some of the more down to earth, pretty girls.</p>
<p>Both my girlfriend and I are coming to Cornell. During RUSH do guys look down on other guys because they have a girlfriend? Is it bad to have a girlfriend while being a frat?</p>
<p>I don't think you would be looked down on during rush. I mean the guys in the house wouldnt even know you had a girlfriend anyhow unless you made it really apparent, right? And as far as being "bad", well no its not bad lol. I mean it is limiting to your options; if your house is throwing parties, etc you are going to have to turn down a lot of possibilities of course. That said, high school relationships usually run their course when the parties involved get to college anyhow. You kinda realize that the world is a bigger place and you need to get around, at least from what i've seen. That sounded kinda mean, i'm not telling you to break up or anything...</p>
<p>can you tell me anything about Kappa Sigma? or more about DU?</p>