Does Your GLO take Grad Students?
 

I've been around GC for a few months now and I'm a regular reader. I keep noticing that quite a few people are asking about rushing (or going through recruitment) as a grad student, yet no one seems to know which specific orgs. offer bids to grad students. So now I'm really curious. Is there a nation wide policy for each GLO about this or is it considered on a chapter by chapter basis? Does anyone here on GC know what their org.'s policy is on grad students?

i think it's national.

The only one that I know off the top of my head that takes grad students is Phi Sigma Sigma (although i could be wrong!)

Kappa Delta does not take grad students- that's a national policy. AI is also very rare for us as well....

In Alpha Phi Alpha, if you have received an undergraduate degree, then you must join an Alumni Chapter.

(If there are exceptions, I have not yet heard of any.)

In Alpha Phi Omega, it is up to the chapter. Graduate students may join college chapters if the chapter and school allow it.

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we do
 

We take grad students!

But I know that we are the only ones in HAlifax that do...I don't think it's too common.

Theta Nu Xi
 

We have 3 ways a woman can join

-Undergrad
-Grad Student
-Professional

So in answer to your question, yes we accept grad students!

Yup.

I do not think that DG does take graduate new members...I'm almost positive we don't...maybe I'm wrong. We are big on AI though.

Can people please clarify if your organization accepts graduate students specifically in undergraduate chapters? I think that may have been the nature of the original question.

Yes. Theta Nu Xi does accept graduate students in undergrad chapters.

Great Question!
 

Thanks for that question! I have been "hanging" around GC for a while and am thinking of pursuing AI. Unfortunately, my graduate school does not have greek organizations, and my undergraduate didn't either. Now that I am in graduate school, it is more difficult to meet people, and have a social and community life, that is why I am considering a GLO. Any information would be great! Thanks tons!:)

Sigma Alpha Iota indeed takes graduate students! :D I didn't actually know this until this year, when two graduate assistants in the music dept approached me and asked about the possibility of rushing, and I found out we could take grad students.

In addition, if a woman didn't join while in college, or if she never went to college, she can certainly be considered for patroness membership.

Nope, AEPhi doesn't take grad students, nor do we offer AI. You join as an undergrad or you don't join. (Which I feel is very short-sighted, especially when I look at all the wonderful GCers who are pursuing AI or have become AIs... :( )

Woodrow Wilson was a grad student and chapter president
 

When future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson joined Phi Kappa Psi, he did so in law school at the University of Virginia. He served as that chapter's president. When he attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins, Bro. Wilson transferred his membership to our Maryland Alpha chapter, where he again served as a chapter president.

Phi Kappa Psi only requires that the student be a full time student at the chapter's host institution, and that he be a gentleman.

WOW
 

All these replies in one day! Thanks to everyone for answering my question!


Brooke

THANKS!
 

I'm really glad to hear that many of you are so Open to the idea of graduate students joining and becomming a part of your organizations. Being a graduate student who is pursuing AI, it makes me glad that there are still options and open minds out there!! Thanks!:)

As stated earlier in the thread Phi Sigma Sigma does allow Graduate students to join their chapters. The chapters are now called collegiate chapters rather then undergraduate chapters to reflect this.

Too bad there isn't a Phi Sigma Sigma chapter at my school....I'm a senior undergrad now, but I have FOUR YEARS left of grad school later. I missed my chance at greek life due to personal reasons, and when I finally got a chance to join an org., I did not receive a bid. So now I am thinking about AI when I graduate next fall, but I haven't made any final decisions yet.

I asked this question a while ago to someone on our International Programming Committee. The answer was, “Yes, AOII would accept a graduate student into an undergraduate chapter, BUT it is contingent upon the collegiate chapter and the university.” From what I gather, it is rare because of where the majority of our chapters are located.

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia allows collegiate chapters to pledge grad students.

delete

No problem. Thanks for asking. The short answer is that, yes, it is similar -- historically, at least -- to other fraternities like Triangle, Acacia or FarmHouse with non-Greek-letter names. (FIJI, remember is a nickname for Phi Gamma Delta, which only uses its letters in certain contexts.) Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is a social fraternity for men who love music and believe in its power to enrich the human spirit. We're open to all male students, not just music majors or minors and not just to people who plan to be professional musicians. You might say we are a special interest social fraternity -- again, somwhat like Triangle (for those interested in engineering and related sciences) or FarmHouse or Alpha Gamma Rho (agriculture).

Our original name was The Sinfonia Fraternity (or simply "Sinfonia" or "The Sinfonia"). The word "Sinfonia" is derived from Greek; this explanation is from our membership manual, Themes for Brotherhood (this is public info):

"The word is a particularly rich pun. Its etymological origin is straightforward, for the Greek "syn-" or "sym-" means "with" and "phon" a "sound." Their combination into "symphonia," however, means "agreeing in sound" or "concordant." When the word passed from Greek into the English language as "symphony," it was used not only in reference to things musical, but to agreement among human beings and even to the harmony of the universe -- that celestial symphony commented on by philosophers of such varying stripes as Pythagoras, Boethius, and Kepler."

The letters F,M and A have figured in the Fraternity since the earliest days, however. Eventually the name of the Fraternity was changed, first informally and later officially, to add the Greek letters to Sinfonia to form our current official name.

BTW, brothers in Phi Mu Alpha are called Sinfonians, not Phi Mu Alphas or the like.

(Sorry this got a bit off topic.)

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
 

Don't some Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia chapters also admit women?

i asked this in another thread but i'll ask this again here since this seems to be the most appropriate thread: graduate members in collegiate chapters doesn't in anyway conflict with NPC rules? instinctually i think it would.

Obviously it doesn't, or it wouldn't be allowed by the sororities which have it.

Why?

Re: Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
 

No, we're male only. A little more quick, abridged history:

For a while and for a variety of reasons we called ourselves a professional fraternity, even though we were founded as a social fraternity. The professional emphasis was particularly strong in the 1960's and 1970's. Then came Title IX, which cuts off federal funds to schools that house single-sex organizations; an exception is made for social fraternities and sororities but not for professional ones. While Phi Mu Alpha tried to obtain an exemption from Title IX, a handful of chapters were granted permission to initiate women if necessary to prevent the chapter from losing recognition by the sheltering institution. National permission was required before a chapter could initiate women. About 250 women were initiated over 6 or 7 years under this policy. In the early 80's, we received recognition from the federal Department of Education as a social fraternity, meaning we could legally remain single-sex. About that same time, the Fraternity, through its national assembly, voted overwhelmingly to return to our roots as a social fraternity (a decision that has taken time to fully implement), to remove all "professional" references from fraternity documents, and to return to all-male status. A few chapters disagreed with the later decision, acted in defiance, and were expelled from the Fraternity upon so doing. At least one started a local that retains some of our symbols and colors.

The 250 or so women who were initiated in the late '70's and early '80's by the relatively few chapters that did initiate women then are still considered Sinfonians, but no woman has been initiated since that time.

(Apologies for yet another digression from the topic.)

So Do We
 

GSS allows graduate students to pledge if there is a chapter at that school. We just started allowing it back in 2001.

For that reason we no longer refer to chapters at colleges/universities as "undergraduate". We now call them "collegiate" so we can include those graduate students.

Apparently not. Are you thinking of any rules in particular?

If you're thinking of recruitment, I asked that very question a while back in the rush forum. The consensus was that if a grad student were interested in a particular NPC sorority and knew they would be holding a COB rush, she should go to the COB rush; otherwise she should sign up for formal recruitment, knowing that she will be cut immediately after round 1 by any sorority that does not accept grad students as new collegian-level members.

Wait a minute though... doesn't the NPC creed start out, "We, as undergraduate members of women's fraternities..." ?

It does, but apparently that's not followed to the letter of the law or the groups who accept grad students wouldn't be allowed to do so.

How about people that are going for their second bachelor's degree? They are still undergrad students technically.

If you double major that's one thing. But, at least at MTSU, you would be considered a Post-Bac. You HAVE graduated, but you are not going up to a higher level of education. You aren't still an undergrad, because you have been awarded a degree already. I think this is the same distinction made by the FAFSA forms. You could not rush as an undergraduate, because you would be considered a graduate pursuing a second degree.

You COULD declare a double major BEFORE you graduate. Then, you would be able to stay an undergrad for a longer period. But, at MTSU, you couldn't do this if you'd filed an Intent to Graduate form. This would allow someone to rush as an undergrad.


Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Interesting Note
 

At the University of Chicago from approximately 1945-1960 undergraduates were not allowed to join fraternities and the Delta Upsilon consisted onl of graduate school members.

Yes!

hmmm...no idea if TD does or not. Otterbein doesn't have a lot of graduate students, so it might just be one of those "never came up" type of things. I also don't know of alumni initiation, but I'm sure if there was a worthy woman who wished to join our sorority later in life, we'd be open to it. My sisters are open minded :-D

If it's a double major, then you're still an undergrad.

However, if you have already been awarded a bachelor's degree, you are considered post-baccalaureate as previously stated.

On my campus, they do not hold undergraduate status. Undergraduates are those who do not already have a bachelor's degree. They are called "unclassified graduate students".

My Alpha Phi Omega chapter welcomes graduate students. We have had people join as grad students and we have also had people who were members as undergrads come back and reactivate as grads.

Depends on the school,
 

if you graduated and then decided to get a second degree some schools call you undergrads, some call you something else. I looked into this when i graduated with my first degree and then wanted to get my 2nd degree (various reasons involved as to why i did not just do both at the same time). Anyway, it all depends on the school which classification someone falls in, but as far as the Federal student aid form, one who is seeking a second degree is still considered an undergraduate.

On another not,

Are there sororities who allow graduate students who were initiated as undergrads to coninue to be active members as graduate students? I thought that i had heard this before on here.

Just my thought, when i was in graduate school it was so hard to meet people and it was very lonely. I found grad school to be easier than undergrad cause all my classes were in my feild that i have studied in a long time. Anyway, i really missed my sorority and wished that there was a place that i could go to like my sorority for friendship, ect. The graduate student associate was not very sociable and i really wanted the friendships i had at my undergraduate chapter. I really don't see anything wrong with grad students being in chapters. I think that the support system one finds in their house would become more important. But that could just be my opinion.