The SMU Greek community is composed of 28 national
fraternities and sororities that are a part of four different councils. Aside
from the Greek community, SMU also has over 120 student-run organizations.

At
the end of the 2013 spring semester, 38 percent of the student body was in the Greek
community, with many of those students participating in other on-campus organizations
in addition their sorority or fraternity. However, more than half of the university chooses not to
participate in recruitment, focusing on other campus-oriented activities instead.

For students curious about Greek life, here is an overview of the Greek community at SMU.

The four councils of fraternities and sororities are the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Multicultural Greek Council, and National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Kristal Statler, SMU’s director of sorority and fraternity life, oversees all four councils. She wants students to realize that Greek life on campus goes way beyond social events.

“I hope students understand all these organizations were made to help women and men grow in their lives by giving them a set of values to guide their decision-making,” Statler said.

Each council has their own set of core values and eligibility requirements. However, all four councils require potential new members to complete and pass at least 12 hours at SMU with a 2.5 GPA in the semester prior to joining, the new members are also required to maintain this GPA. In addition, interested students cannot go through recruitment if they were on academic probation the semester before. Each chapter within the four councils also has a minimum GPA that they require.

The IFC at SMU is made up of nine fraternity chapters and is affiliated with the North-American Interfraternity Conference and the Fraternity Leadership Association. According to its mission statement, the IFC exists to promote the interests of the University as well as the value of fraternity life in the collegiate experience.

Senior marketing major Matthew Cohen is president of his IFC fraternity and agrees with the IFC’s values.

“There are all kinds of opportunities within a fraternity and all kinds of people in them,” Cohen said. “You’ll make a ton of friends, have a chance to grow and lead as you want, make important relationships, serve the SMU and Dallas communities, and have more fun than you’ve ever had.”

There will be two mandatory meetings in order to participate in IFC recruitment. The meetings will be held Sept. 10 and Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in Hughes Trigg Theater. PNMs are only required to attend one of these meetings in order to participate in recruitment.

SMU’s Panhellenic Council is made up of eight National Panhellenic Conference sororities. According to it’s website, SMU’s Panhellenic Council “works year around to promote positive ideals of sorority life at SMU, and contribute to the SMU community through involvement, leadership, academic, philanthropic projects, school spirit and overall support.”

Panhellenic Council vice president of administration, senior Caroline Aston, decided to go through recruitment to meet girls that she could relate to. Aston advises prospective students to try recruitment.

“You can always drop a sorority,” Aston said. “Most likely, a PNM will enjoy it if she gives it a try, but will only regret not trying it out.”

The first mandatory formal recruitment information session will be held Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. in Hughes Trigg Student Center. The second will be Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hughes Trigg Student Center Ballroom, and the third will be held Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. in the same location. PNMs must attend all three meetings in order to participate in recruitment.

For both IFC and PHC recruitment, PNMs must register before recruitment activities begin Jan. 12, 2014. IFC’s deadline is Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. and PHC’s is Oct. 28. at 5 p.m.

The MGC is a student run organization and is made up of five fraternity and sorority chapters at SMU. Chapters are affiliated with organizations such as the North-American Interfraternity Conference, and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Inc. Along with the standard requirements to participate in recruitment, the MGC will often require that PNMs must be a member of a minority population.

MGC recruitment week is Sept. 7 to 14, with bid day occurring on Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. Prior to recruitment the MGC will host the MGC Yard Show 6 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Flagpole, and the MGC Showcase Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. in Hughes Trigg Theater.

The NPHC is composed of nine International Greek letter fraternities and sororities. It does not host any formal recruitment or intake activities, but hosts a NPHC forum 7 p.m. Sept. 18 in Hughes Trigg Student Center Varsity, where students can learn about NPHC groups at SMU.

Junior biology major Julius Henderson, Jr. serves as his NPHC chapter president and treasurer. Even though his academics come first, Henderson wanted to strive to have a well-rounded college experience.

“Before I came to college, I had a vague idea of what Greek life was,” Henderson said. “But the biggest determining factor for me was when I realized how big of an impact I could potentially have on the community around me by joining an organization that has a presence at the national level.”

Henderson says that although the NPHC is composed of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities, the NPHC does not restrict membership based on race. For him, the decision to go Greek and what council to become a part of was extremely personal.

“The decision whether or not to go Greek should be an individual choice,” Henderson said. “It’s easy to get misled about Greek life, and that mostly comes from not doing enough independent research so that you know for yourself that you are content with such an important life decision.”

All four councils will be represented at the All Greek Picnic 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Flagpole.

For many students who have joined the Greek community, the experience has positively influenced their life at SMU. However, Greek life is not for everyone, and many students feel certain that not going Greek was the right choice.

Senior journalism major Dacota Taylor transferred to SMU as a junior. Although he would have wanted to participate in recruitment if he had come to SMU as a freshman, he says that his college experience has been unaffected due to his participation in other on-campus activities.

Taylor, a member of SMU Student Media, said, “Overall, my SMU experience has been really great. I love my journalism family, so I’m fine not being Greek.”

Students on the fence about Greek life might wonder if there is hostility between Greeks and non-Greeks. According to senior Elizabeth Scotti, the hostility is non-existent.

“I personally don’t feel any hostility,” Scotti said. “But it’s very rare to see people not in Greek life hanging out with those who are in it.”

Scotti chose not to go through recruitment her freshman year, but maintains close friendships with those who did.

“I will say most of my friends are in Greek life,” Scotti said. “ But I think it was for the best I didn’t rush, I still have a ton of friends and tons of fun.”