<p>To oheyitsmatt’s post, while i agree with you that these questions should be answered by students and not parents (although eadad and others have done a real good job, many times they dont know whats going on with the majority of greek students while it my not be their son or daughter.</p>
<p>Paddles and all that aren’t really what tv and movies paint them out to be, its a traditional thing that is used for little brothers to give to their bigs for being good mentors. Now as for the cooler thing. Most fraternities hold a beach weekend and a mountain weekend where they invite a date and have a good time with their whole fraternity. Most of the time the girls paint coolers as a token of gratitude to the guy for inviting them and the guys really love them. I wouldnt say alcohol is a very big part of our lifestyle. You make it sound like the greeks at USC are dependent on alcohol. Well that is far from true and I would say that greeks do equally as much drinking as non greeks but are just in the public eye. Soo on that note many non greeks have a bad misconception of greeks at USC and while some of its deserving through stupid people, much of it is stereotypical wash. Sooo if you have anymore questions dont be afraid to ask me or eadad or any of the others answering questions as they are doing good jobs providing facts</p>
<p>I’m not saying Greeks are more dependent on alcohol than those who aren’t in the fraternity or sorority scene, just that it’s irresponsible for parents to both think and spread the word that sorority houses at USC are places free of alcohol. I know plenty of girls who are in sororities, I consider many of them to be my friends. Nobody is a bad person for being in a sorority and joining one isn’t an unavoidable path to alcoholism. That’s not my intent.</p>
<p>i dont think anyone ever said that sororites are free of alcohol. but i know for a fact, because i’m a member, that we strictly enforce our policies. anything that is a sorority sponsored event is no-drinking unless you’re 21. that is not to say that people do not drink before-hand, but that is life as a college student (greek or non-greek), but when at a sorority sponsored event alcohol is not available to underage members. also–the paddles are more of a symbol. yes–i’m sure based off of some past history of hazing blah blah blah. i’ll be straight-forward…WE DO NOT HAZE. I am a very very VERY strong-willed and independent person and i would be the last person who would try to EARN my friendships by letting people pick on me. From the moment I joined my sorority, i was welcomed with nothing but open arms for hugs, presents, and positivity. I know it sounds cheesy, but after you spend 2 weeks straight with girls during recruitment, there is not a single one of them that i wouldnt call my friend. greeks, non-greeks, whatever…it’s college, there will be drinking regardless (sorry parents) but its completely unfair to say that we’re worse than anyone else when it’s true across the board. yes fraternity practices are slightly different than sororities because their national policies are far different, but as EAdad pointed out, the new head of Greeklife has changed quite a bit as far as risk management goes. </p>
<p>and it’s fine if your daughter or son is not greek, to each his/her own!! my best friend on the entire campus is not and i love her just as much as i love any one of my sisters. the choice to join a greek organization or any other student organization should be a personal one and should not be affected by others’ opinions or misconceptions. getting involved in ANY way is a chance to truly be a part of campus and to make the best of your short time in college. i’ll second that college is a time for exploration and self-discovery and i make no apology for the choices i’ve made the past 3 years.</p>
<p>in addition: if you think about it…parties, drinking games, and other activities are going on all over campus…at least in greek sponsored events you can find some comfort that there is some attempt to regulate it and make parties safe. We have buses to and from every function, there are people checking IDs, and at sorority functions we have sober sisters/chapter advisors there to regulate and help out. you cannot say the same for any random house party.</p>
<p>Drinking and partying on a college campus? You must be kidding! LOL From what I’ve learned from my D, drinking can and does occur at both Greek and non-greek events. However, alcohol is not permitted in her sorority house, events are often held at outside locals. For her, alcohol was not a factor during Rush week and she concurs with USCTexans comments about hazing during sorority recruitment, it just doesn’t happen (her experiences only). Actually it is just the opposite, pledges are showered with gifts and taken out for meals. Fraternities tend to be tougher on their recruits (according to D). </p>
<p>When our kids leave home and begin to spread their wings they will be confronted with new opportunities and challenges. Part of growing up is being able to make responsible decisions and to understand the consequences of poor choices. The summer before college is the time for reinforcing the lessons you wish your children to take with them, however bottom line – once they leave your home they will have the independence to do as they please. </p>
<p>Do I agree with all my D’s decisions-- no. Do I think she is developing into a mature and responsible young adult – yes. Does being Greek have anything to do with this – maybe, maybe not. I do know that her freshman year was a fulfilling one and one she will always remember. She has a huge circle of close friends, has excelled academically, gained work experience, and generally loved life. I couldn’t ask more for her college experience.</p>
<p>I’m certainly not naive enough to believe that there isn’t a fair amount of drinking in the Greek scene. I was Greek and attended a school that my first two years was ranked as the number 1 drinking and party school in the US by Playboy. My junior year they put an asterisk next to the ranking and said that many on their panel felt it was somewhat unfair to rank professionals (my school) with amateurs (everyone else)…seriously! We had a three head refrigerated tap system in our fraternity house with beer on tap 24/7 which would never be permitted anywhere today.</p>
<p>A good point was made about having chapter advisors and sober sisters at sonority events. I was surprised (pleasantly) when I learned that fact from my D who has had that role at several events in the past.</p>
<p>There is no one to monitor private drinking and often when done in secret it turns to binge drinking as schools like Pomona and others have discovered when they had large numbers of freshman being treated for alcohol poisoning after they banned any alcohol on campus (even for those of legal age) for the first two weeks of school.</p>
<p>All I was saying is that my about to be a senior D and her friends have said that the new head of Greek life has imposed much stricter rules and regs on the Greeks than at anytime in the previous two years which IS having an impact on the number of large, lavish theme parties being thrown. JRWriter having just finished his first year has only seen what things are like under the new Greek life regime. From what I’ve been told, things were far looser and had less restrictions than they do now so I was simply stating that yes, there is an attempt to control things that wasn’t there in the past and I also know that my D has said that it has definitely reduced the number of events and parties, much to her chagrin. </p>
<p>As others have said, many if not most sororities operate differently than fraternities as far as hazing or simply just treatment of pledges is concerned. Sororities tend to shower their pledges with gifts whereas fraternities make their pledges something akin to indentured servants.</p>
<p>The experience has been a good one for my D just as it has for Don Ho’s D. Is Greek life for everyone? Certainly not, and the good thing is that at USC you don’t have to be Greek nor do you feel the pressure to be Greek as you might at another “Southern” school.</p>
<p>For a female student interested in exploring it I encourage every parent to let them do so; they will figure out if it is what they are looking for during rush week. I still believe that preventing a girl from at least exploring what Greek life is all about could cause repercussions and hard feelings down the road especially if many of her early new made friends go Greek. They will be very involved in rush activities and it will require some extra work to maintain those new made (non-Greek) friendships. I will bet that both Don Ho’s D and USC Texan will attest to that.</p>
<p>the article notes that while they anticipate a larger recruitment group, the % of the student body that is Greek is only 16%. I believe this is a smaller % number than at many other campuses.</p>
<p>Actually not far off the average of many other “urban” schools its size but significantly less than other schools that are more “Southern” for sure.</p>
<p>Room for a total of 1624 sisters in the sororities (14 sororities x average of 116 per sorority) and they anticipate 1000 rushing – sounds like the odds are against getting a spot…</p>
<p>Fendrock,
Don’t be discouraged! Remember that a lot of people rush to see what Greek life is about and then may decide not to join. That average of 116 girls per sorority doesn’t remain constant either…some members may drop out or transfer. Also, there is a brand new sorority this year to accept new members. I think that Anna, the VP for recruitment they quoted in the article, said that they don’t anticipate having numbers that they can’t handle. Please encourage your daughter to consider rush if she is interested. She may decide against it, but then again, it may be a perfect fit for her.</p>
<p>There are two service sororities that I am aware of at USC - Omega Phi Alpha and Epsilon Sigma Alpha. </p>
<p>Here is the website for Omega Phi Alpha: [Omega</a> Phi Alpha - Home](<a href=“Webs.com has been shut down: Find out more”>Webs.com has been shut down: Find out more)
I wasn’t able to find a website for Epsilon Sigma Alpha, but I know their organization is bigger than Omega Phi Alpha and also very popular on campus. Both groups will hold rush after classes begin, so many people join after deciding Greek life is not for them. Also, I know a few people that are in BOTH a social sorority and a service sorority. The dues are much lower (about 70 dollars a semester) than social sororities, and its a great way to meet people while getting involved in the community. If you’re interested in a service sorority then it would be a good idea to attend the activity fair on greene street during welcome week. They will have tables set up with information about rush, etc…</p>
<p>Thanks for that info. Can you tell me if the service sororities are appropriate for Juniors? I got the impression that the other sororities are only for freshman and a few sophmores.</p>
<p>USCgirl, thank you for the link to the sorority page. While my d won’t be entering freshman year until fall 2010 we had recently been discussing sororities and she was against them because of the stereotypes. We were unaware that there were two different kinds…service and social. When I showed her the site for the service sorority she became very interested. Thanks for the very useful info!</p>
<p>carolccw - Although most people who rush are freshmen and sophomores, I know of several juniors who have joined a service sorority in the past. The only reason a higher class ranking would be a negative would be if the student were already extremely involved with other things or appeared to only be joining as a last minute “resume boost,” which does occasionally happen. In order to make sure the girl will really stay involved throughout senior year, the higher class ranking will probably be mentioned during rush and the girl may be asked about her other commitments, etc. Basically, every girl is evaluated on an individual basis, and there is no reason a higher class standing would automatically exclude anyone. Also, you are correct that is is pretty much impossible to be admitted to a social sorority as a junior.</p>
<p>My son will be a freshman at USC but I also have a daughter at UVa. After a bad experience with sororities as a sophomore she joined a co-ed service fraternity-Phi Sigma Pi. It has been a great mix of service and social and she loves it! USC also has a Phi Sigma Pi chapter, so there’s another option!</p>