Joining a Greek organization helps you adjust to living away from home. The bond you will have with your fellow brothers and sisters will last a lifetime and it will provide an easy way to network.
Each fraternity and sorority provides some form of scholastic assistance, such as, study areas, tutoring, awards, study sessions and incentives such as scholarships, to challenge members to reach their full academic potential. Fraternity and sorority members usually maintain a higher grade point average than their non-Greek counterparts.
New members live and learn to work within these their chapter and officers within each chapter are elected to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. Fraternities and sororities provide a solid foundation in leadership training that prepares members for the demands and responsibilities needed for the future.
It is safe to say that no other segment of the student population has dedicated more time and resources, or has raised more money for charity than the members of our Greek community. From volunteering in elementary schools, to giving bloods, to raising money for charities such as the American Heart Association, or the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, UCF’s fraternities and sororities are lending a helping hand by performing various community service projects.
For many students, the Greek social life helps to make college a more fulfilling experience. Greek organizations provide a calendar of social activities including formals, homecoming, skit nights, mixers, singing competitions, and other special events. Sororities and fraternities can offer more of a family atmosphere and go beyond ordinary friendships – often lasting a lifetime.
Greek organizations sponsor teams to participate in various intramural sports and in other fraternity and sorority philanthropy tournaments. Some of these sports include flag football, soccer, basketball, tennis, softball, and floor hockey. Fraternities and sororities also have members that are varsity athletes. Members of fraternities and sororities provide the majority of school spirit at UCF.
The role of the alumni as advisor or national Greek officers and consultants is substantial. Lifetime friendships expand beyond individual chapters to include all members of the national and international Greek Life community. Alumni organizations help students network for potential employment opportunities after graduation, and keep in touch through newsletters, correspondence, meetings, and special alumni events.
For another perspective read: 5 Pervasive Myths About Greek Life and How You Can Debunk Them on Your Campus
Since joining a fraternity or sorority is a lifelong commitment, and there is an expense associated with membership, it should be a joint decision between student and parent. Consider sitting down with your son or daughter and research all of the organizations that are available to join. Utilizing local chapter and national websites are a great, convenient way to gather information. You may also want to review our Chapter Statuses page, including the Community Scorecard, to learn more about chapters' current status with the university. Feel free to contact students who are currently involved and their parents and ask them about their experience. In most cases, both students and parents will speak candidly about their Greek involvement.
Dues vary from chapter to chapter but average around $300 for fraternities and $400 for sororities per semester. This money typically covers dues to your national organization; the chapter's operating budget for the semester; and sometimes extra things like social events and t-shirts.
Housing arrangements vary greatly, and not all chapters have houses. Some fraternity chapters live in apartment style "quadraplexes" off campus and some fraternities and sororities have houses on Greek Park on campus, which are owned and operated by the chapter's alumni houses corporations or by UCF Housing and Residence Life. Chapters who don't have houses may have other informal ways of living together, like members signing leases at the same apartment complex or renting a house off campus together.
Living arrangements in fraternity and sorority houses differ from chapter to chapter according to the number of residents and the make-up of the facility. Some chapters with houses on Greek Park have meal plans and cooks; others employ caterers to serve periodic meals. Rent in a fraternity or sorority house is between $1500 and $3300 a semester, depending on the organization, as opposed to the residence hall cost. Living in one of the Greek Park chapter houses in most cases in less expensive than living in the residence halls. Chapters decide internally who gets to live in the house each year and what gives you priority.
When interested in joining one of our chapters, please discuss and ask the chapter what the costs are for their organization.
Being a Greek member can be a substantial time commitment. Some students put all of their time into their fraternity/sorority, while others divide their time between their chapter and experiencing other things on campus. There are some required events, but you can always choose which events you want to be a part of. And remember, scholarship is one of the shared values of all fraternities and sororities, so activities will not take away from the student’s academic career, as long as the student plans ahead. Greek students learn quickly how to manage their busy schedules, which will help them scholastically, as well as after graduation as they move into the workforce. The more time members spend with their fraternity brothers or sorority sisters at chapter activities, the more they will get out of their Greek experience.
Chapters on UCF's campus practice either recruitment or intake. There are two forms of recruitment: primary and informal.
Interfraternity Council (IFC) holds informal recruitment at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. IFC manages the marketing but each chapter holds their own events.
Panhellenic usually holds primary recruitment prior to the beginning of the fall semester each year. This formal processes allows you to explore the full range of student organizations and activities within the council. Some Panhellenic chapters may also take part in informal recruitment in the spring semesters.
The membership intake process for National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Diversified Greek Council (DGC) organizations occurs throughout the year at the discretion of each organization.
If you’re interested in joining a NPHC or DGC organizations, visit their web sites and read historical documents about each group prior to contacting the respected organization.
New members of a fraternity and sorority undergo a new member orientation (may also be referred to as associate member education or being on line). This period will last up to seven weeks and will assist you in overcoming some of the concerns about success in college.
All fraternity and sorority policies forbid hazing. We are committed to a membership education period that instills a sense of responsibility and commitment in new members.
It can be perceived that fraternity or sorority membership may compromise a student's safety and well-being. At UCF, we are committed to having this not be the case. In order to be recognized by the University, all Greek organizations are required to follow fairly strict alcohol and risk management policies. The policies are in accordance with the state law of Florida, and are enforced by both UCF administrators and members of fraternities and sororities themselves. In addition, all organizations should have at least one alumni adviser and university faculty or staff advisor to assist and ensure that the chapter is promoting a safe environment for its members (both on and off campus.) Hazing is both against university policy as well as state law.
All fraternities and sororities share the values of scholarship, leadership, service, and brotherhood/sisterhood. The UCF fraternity/sorority community is very strong, and all of the chapters fulfill their duties to achieve excellence in these areas. Each chapter has its own personality, and the student will sense in what chapter he or she would feel the most comfortable during the recruitment/intake process.
The FSL chapter Scorecards can be good resources to review when making a decision about which organization you may want to join.
If you see the chapter you want to join among suspended or unrecognized organizations on the chapter statuses page that means the fraternity or sorority will not be accepting new members until they regain good standing.
Individual chapters elect officers to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. These officers are assisted by alumni who act as advisers.
Each chapter is also responsible for reporting to their inter/national organization, which offers support, advice, and direction through paid professional staff and regional volunteers.
At UCF, the Fraternity and Sorority Life staff serves as the primary contacts for the Greek community.
Websites to take a closer look at:
You may hear the words “recruitment”, “intake”, or “rush” when you want to join a fraternity or sorority at UCF. It simply means the type of recruitment process that each organization uses. After you are chosen by an organization during the intake process, you will go through a new member program that is specific to each fraternity and sorority. After that process, which normally takes a majority of a semester, you can be initiated as a brother or sister of your organization.
Membership in a fraternity and sorority chapter is limited to any student who is paying activity and service fees and is currently or continuously enrolled with the University of Central Florida. Incoming members must also have a GPA of at least 2.5 to join. Certain other requirements must also be satisfied for some councils or chapters and will be shared during the recruitment sign up process.
Joining a fraternity or sorority requires making an educated decision about the organization of which you will be a life-long member. Please utilize both local chapter and national websites, as well as asking the following seven questions to the current members:
To view Council-specific recruitment information, visit the council pages and their social media pages to learn more!