- What are the benefits of joining a Greek Letter organization?
- Who is eligible to join?
- Are there GPA requirements for joining a Greek Letter organization?
- How many Greek Letter organizations are there at Dartmouth?
- What Greek Letter organizations exist at Dartmouth? Which are
national chapters and which are local groups?
- When is recruitment, and how does it work?
- How many students are members of Greek Letter
organizations?
- What are the financial costs of joining a Greek Letter organization?
- What type of time commitment is involved?
- How will membership affect my GPA?
- What is the Dartmouth policy regarding use of alcohol and other drugs?
- What is the Dartmouth policy regarding hazing?
- Will my D-plan affect my recruitment opportunities?
- Whom should I contact with questions or concerns about fraternities or
sororities?
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, nine 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 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 CFS, or Fouad Saleet, Associate
Director of CFS. Their contact information can be found at the link
below:
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