I’m reading some sketchy stuff about the Greek scene at F&M? I’m not sure how recent it is? Do you have to be Greek to have a social life? Is the feeling on campus inclusive or exclusive? Thanks!
What do you mean by sketchy?
My experience as a mom of a current student is that Greek life, while certainly a part of the social scene, is not as central or as wild as it is at a lot of other places. My student has friends who are Greek and friends who are not Greek, and it’s not really an issue. Not sure what you read, but I guarantee you can find the occasional “sketchy” Greek story at every college out there.
@Mom22039 @collegemom777 wikipedia, of all places, tracked the history of the contentious relationship between the school and the frats/sors with periods of being kicked off entirely. And then on a post here at CC, albeit a couple of years ago, the culture was described as very divided with “party people” and “non-party people” as actively not getting along. I have a kid who likes to move in many circles and seeks out inclusive fun activities - so any campus that is all one way or another is less attractive to her. So I was hoping to get some first-hand input rather than relying on just one or two accounts.
There have been frats kicked off entirely or shut down for periods of time while my student has been there. That has not happened to any sororities that I know of. I have not witnessed or heard of a big division between “party” and “non-party” people either. I do think that at any school, there are some people who are very anti-Greek (not necessarily the same as non-party), and some Greeks who really don’t interact with people not in Greek life. But I wouldn’t say there are a lot of those people.
As for the contentious relationship between the administration and frats/sors, that may be true. In the wake of Penn State and other tragedies, a lot of schools, especially PA schools, are cracking down a lot more on underage drinking and illegal substances on campus, which automatically causes friction with Greek life. Honestly, I think that dynamic will be hard to avoid in the current climate. Kids want to have fun, administrations don’t want lawsuits or to be the next cover story about preventable student deaths.
What @collegemom77 said.
Greek life has been an issue at all schools of this type. It works for some and not for others. I was not Greek at a very Greek party school, comparable to F&M. It’s amazing how many are rah-rah the first two years and then Greek life involvement fades towards graduation.
I also have a D at F&M. She is in a sorority but it is not the major part of her social life. YMMV.
My son did not join Greek life and he regrets it. He had an intense course load as a first year so he did not want to rush. Sophomore year is an option to rush, but did not work with his sports schedule. He found the social life - at times - difficult as he was not a part of greek life.