Fraternities and sororities at Dartmouth provide members with programming and social events, study groups, and alumni networks as well as opportunities for service, leadership, and friendship. In addition, each Greek Letter organization has its own set of values and ideals that it shares with its members.
Any student who has completed three terms of classes and has sophomore status. Many of the National Greek Letter organizations have minimum GPA requirements.
Many of the National Greek Letter organizations have minimum GPA requirements. None of the local Greek Letter organizations at Dartmouth have GPA requirements.
There are sixteen fraternities, ten sororities, and three co-ed organizations.
National Fraternities:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Psi Upsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Nu
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Theta Delta Chi
Local Fraternities:
Alpha Chi Alpha
Alpha Delta
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Bones Gate
Chi Gamma Epsilon
Chi Heorot
Gamma Delta Chi
Kappa Kappa Kappa
Phi Delta Alpha
National Sororities:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Phi
Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Xi Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc.
Local Sororities:
Epsilon Kappa Theta
Kappa Delta Epsilon
Sigma Delta
Co-Eds (All Local):
Alpha Theta
Phi Tau
The Tabard
The sub councils (NALFO, NPHC, Panhellenic Council, IFC, and Co-Ed Council) have recruitment processes that are very different from one another.
Panhellenic recruitment is a formal process that occurs near the beginning of every Fall and Winter term. Prior to going through recruitment, a potential new member (PNM) must attend an informational meeting as well as register for the process. The Panhellenic Council’s website describes the recruitment process.
“During Round one, a PNM will attend a 45-minute party at each of the seven Panhellenic chapters. Following Round One, PNMs will be invited to Round Two. During Round Two, women will be eligible to return to 45-minute parties at up to four chapters. Following Round Two, PNMs will be invited to Preference night, the final round of recruitment. Preference Night allows PNMs to visit up to two houses. After attending both parties, women will meet with their Recruitment Counselors to rank the chapters they attended that night. The next day, PNMs will be notified of the chapter from which they have received a bid, an invitation to become a member of that chapter. Later that night, new members will be welcomed at their new sorority during Bid Night festivities.”
The Interfraternity Council’s recruitment process occurs over three nights, with the third night reserved for call-backs. On the first and second nights of recruitment, potential new members can visit the fraternities that they are possibly interested in joining. A PNM is allowed to “shake-out” at one fraternity at the end of the evening, indicating his top choice. Fraternities give out bids any time after the formal recruitment process starts, and a potential new member may receive bids from more than one organization. A PNM may only accept a bid from one fraternity, which indicates his desire to become a member.
Recruitment is different for each NALFO organization.
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. has informational sessions and recruitment events throughout the year, but only conducts its Leadership Development Process during the national spring semester (which can be either Winter or Spring term at Dartmouth). The minimum GPA requirement to go through recruitment is set nationally at 2.7.
Due to national regulations, Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. is not allowed to share recruitment information. The sorority does hold informational sessions for interested women to learn more about the process. In order to go through recruitment, a potential new member must attend a mandatory informational session called the “Formal Tea” and complete an application. There is also a nationally-set minimum GPA requirement.
Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc. does not make its recruitment information known to the public, as it is a private experience for the women who go through it.
Recruitment is different for each Co-ed and NPHC organization.
For more information on recruitment processes, please contact a specific council or organization.
Around 60% of eligible students are members of Greek Letter organizations.
Financial costs differ from organization to organization. Fraternities and sororities are entities that need membership dues in order to have social and programming events, deal with the upkeep of the physical plant if applicable, and support the recruitment of new members. In addition, members of a national organization must pay national dues as well as local chapter dues.
Many organizations have multiple payment plan options or ways for its members to receive needs-based scholarship for their dues. If you are worried about the financial commitment of joining a Greek Letter organization, speak to the organization’s treasurer for more specific information.
Time commitment varies from organization to organization, and is also based on how extensively a member wants to get involved. Some members become very involved in their Greek Letter organizations and make it a priority in their lives, holding officer positions and attending most programs, events, and meetings. Other members vary significantly in the extent of their involvement.
The following resources may be helpful for those who feel stressed or overwhelmed by their commitments to their Greek Letter organization:
The AcademicSkillsCenter
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/
Career Services
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~csrc/
Counseling and Human Development
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chd/
Joining a Greek Letter organization is often a large time commitment, but all organizations at Dartmouth have dedicated themselves to the principle of scholarship. Many organizations recognize their members for academic achievements and hold events such as study sessions to emphasize academics as a priority. In addition, the average GPA of members of Greek Letter organizations is actually higher than the average GPA of the campus as a whole.
The section on Alcohol and Other Drugs in the most recent edition of the student handbook states that “the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students on College property or as any part of a College-sponsored activity is strictly prohibited.” That being said, “the primary concern of the alcohol policy is the health and safety of members of the College community. As part of Dartmouth’s overall alcohol education efforts the alcohol policy aims to deepen student awareness of the problems that the abuse of alcohol can create, and to involve the College and the members of the College community in helping to alleviate these problems whenever possible.”
To learn more about college policy and New Hampshire law regarding the use of alcohol and other drugs, please visit the student handbook at the following website:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~deancoll/documents/handbook/rules-regs/alc-drugs.html
The section on Hazing in the most recent edition of the student handbook states that “hazing is strictly prohibited at Dartmouth College, by both College policy and New Hampshire law. Violation of the student hazing policy may subject an individual or recognized organization to disciplinary action.”
To learn more about college policy and New Hampshire law regarding hazing, please visit the student handbook at the following website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~deancoll/documents/handbook/rules-regs/hazing.html
At Dartmouth a variety of organizations are represented by five different councils. Each council organizes its recruitment process differently. The Panhellenic Council runs formal recruitment in both the Fall and Winter terms. The IFC and Coed Council have recruitment processes each term. NALFO and NPHC groups run on a different timeline. If you are interested in a particular organization, please contact it directly to learn more about its specific recruitment process.
Students who are abroad or otherwise off-campus for their Sophomore Fall will often go through recruitment during Winter or Spring Terms or even sometime during their junior year.
Please contact Deb Carney, Director of GLOS, or Fouad Saleet, Associate Director of GLOS. Their contact information can be found at the link below:
