Parent FAQs

Benefits of Greek Life

What will my child get out of Greek life that they would not get out of any other college
organization? 
When students leave home and head to college, it can often be a rough transition. Becoming a part of Fraternity and Sorority Life will help make the transition easier. Joining a sorority will give your student opportunities to make friends and get involved, and many times these chapters become a home away from home. Sororities stand for scholarship, philanthropy, friendship and much more. Ultimately, your student will determine the level of involvement they want to have in the chapter and what kind of experience it will be for them.

How will joining a chapter benefit my student after college? 
Joining a sorority means more than just having friends in college, it means having sisters for a lifetime. Greeks have networks for its members to use for advancing careers and getting jobs. Many alumni of sororities stay active in alumnae chapters for their sorority after graduation and will even become advisors for other chapters.

Will my student's academics be compromised if they join a Greek chapter? 
When coming to college students often have trouble dealing with the adjustment from high
school to college. Greek life can help your student by offering study partners, workshops, and
study sessions. Also, your student can turn to chapter members who already know a lot about
campus and may be the same major. Last semester the all sorority GPA was higher than the all-student
GPA. Grade statistics can be found here.

Aren't fraternities and sororities just like the ones in the movies and TV? 
Unfortunately, Greek life is portrayed poorly. What is seen on television is not the correct image
of Greek Life. Only 2% of the U.S. population is Greek so a lot of individuals believe the stereotypes portrayed on TV. As Greek students, we do hold social events, but social events do not mean alcohol.
These events include intramural sports, Greek Week, Greek Sing, Family weekends and service
events. Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council have guidelines and procedures
concerning alcohol.

Commitments

How much time does a Greek chapter take up?
The first semester your student joins a sorority will be the most time-consuming. Being in a sorority is a commitment but it will give your daughter the opportunity to develop their leadership, make many new friendships, and encourage them to become involved in other organizations. Ultimately, they can put as much or as little time into the sorority as possible. The more time they put in, the more they'll get out!

Doesn't membership cost a lot of money? 
Greek organizations at Missouri S&T are very affordable. There are membership dues that go
along with being part of a sorority but they all will benefit your daughter. You can compare the
prices of Sorority houses and the prices of dorms at the respective links.

What about pledging or hazing? 
New Greeks all experience a period of orientation. During this time, your child and the other new members will participate in weekly meetings to learn about the university and the fraternity/sorority, leadership retreats, community service projects, and activities designed to build friendships among the new members and the older members. All fraternities & sororities oppose hazing and are committed to a membership education period that instills a sense of responsibility and commitment in the new members. This period will assist your student in overcoming some of their concerns about success in college. Missouri S&T's anti-hazing policy can be found here.

What is my role as a parent?
Take the time to find out more about the Fraternity and Sorority community at Missouri S&T. Once your student joins, be attentive and do not be afraid to ask questions. Here are a few recommendations to help ease your student’s transition to both Missouri S&T and their new sorority.

• • Be supportive of your student’s choice to join a sorority.
  • Encourage them to be involved with and attend programs sponsored by their new chapter and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL).
  • Know the name of the chapter’s president, new member educator, chapter advisor, and council advisor.
  • Ask for details about the financial commitment that comes with membership. Many one-time fees, often associated with initiation and ritual, are paid during the first semester of membership–expect the first few months to be the most expensive.
  • Attend Family and Friends weekend activities. 
  • Encourage your student to be a part of the Missouri S&T community and take advantage of its many resources.

Recruitment

When can my student join a sorority?
We encourage them to go through the primary recruitment process, which takes place August 25-28. Sign-ups can be found here and close on August 24th at 12PM. Joining a sorority during this period is through a mutual selection process, i.e. chapters pick members, members pick chapters, and the best match is found. Bids are then distributed to those who have been matched. However, after primary recruitment, some sororities will take part in the Continuous Open Bidding process and a bid could be distributed at that point, too. Chapters participating in this process offer bids in order to reach chapter total, which is the largest size a Panhellenic sorority can become.

Why can't my student receive a bid from a sorority over the summer?
Bids are not distributed by Panhellenic sororities any time school is not in session. A majority of bids are distributed after the primary recruitment period and then sporadically throughout the duration of the school year through continuous open bidding.

Why do the sororities recruit differently than the fraternities?
Fraternities at Missouri S&T participate in an informal recruitment process which allows them to hand out bids to students once they have been enrolled–this typically starts around February for them. Men can determine which chapters they are interested in and solely pursue those. The Panhellenic sororities (Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, and Zeta Tau Alpha) participate in primary recruitment which gives participants the opportunity to meet and have equal exposure to the entire sorority community. This ensures all potential new members have a chance to see which organizations align the most with their values.

How will my student find the organization best suited for them?
The primary recruitment process is values-based and both chapters and potential members go into recruitment with that at the forefront of their consideration. There is no “bad” sorority–all are great and have their own personalities. During primary recruitment, your student will form a close relationship with their recruitment counselor who is equipped to handle conflicting opinions about organizations and help guide your student in decision making. Trust your student to be able to make the decision of which will be best for them.

My student has accepted a bid, now what happens?
When your student first joins a Panhellenic chapter, they will go through the new member process. This has been known as “pledging” in the past, and includes education about the organization, its history, and the campus community. This process is concluded several weeks later with initiation. The first few weeks of sorority membership come with lots of information, both about chapter matters and finances. Some new members may seek out moving into the chapter house and they will certainly be spending lots of time with their new sisters.

My student wants to move into a chapter house. What does that process look like?
Students typically move into the sorority houses their 2nd or 3rd semester in the organization. If there are open spots in the house that your student joins, they will potentially have the option to move in right after joining the sorority. Please contact reslide@mst.edu for more information regarding their process for students moving out of residential and into Greek housing.

Who is actually in charge of the sororities?
Each individual chapter elects a student executive board to manage the day-to-day operations of the chapter. These students are typically supported by alumni who act as advisors. Each chapter also maintains the duty to report to their inter/national organization, which offers support and direction through professional staff and regional volunteers. Additionally, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Missouri S&T employs professional staff to advise and assist the individual chapters and each governing council.