mandatory study hall for all brothers?
 

My chapter for the past semester or so has had a "mandatory" study hall for all brothers. Pledges are actually not included in this. And it is ALL brothers, not just those with low GPAs.

It is a 1 1/2 hour weekly mandatory study hall in an effort to get our chapter cum GPA up.

Do fraternities typically do this? And do you think that this is a good idea?

The problem that I have with it is that my GPA is above a 3.0 and is among the higher GPAs in the chapter. I often have conflicts with study hall (other activity events and meetings), so I have to skip it and I get fined.

Is this right? What should I do?

I'd say most fraternities do mandatory study hours. We do ours on a sliding scale though.

Say the all male average is a 2.85

2.9 and over No study hours
2.89 - 2.75 = 1 study hour
2.749-2.65 = 2 hrs
well you get the idea. If your GPA is above the all male average at your school than you are capable of learning on your own without the support of the fraternity. We ask our officer and academic leaders to "host" a block of study hours and just monitor and check people in and out.

Wow, is it only some fraternities or all of them that have to do that ^ amount of study hours?

For my sorority, we have to do way more study hours
>3.0 = 2 study hours
2.7-2.9 = 4 study hours
2.5-2.7 = 6 study hours
2.0-2.5 = 8 study hours
academic probation/new members = 10 study hours

What do your chapter bylaws say?

i'm also surprised bythe low number of study hours he posted...

my own chapter worked similiarly to WDC's. There were study hours for everyone that were mandatory.. you just got more study hours if your GPA wasn't that great. And like Day13's chapter, there was a "host" that would check people in/out of study time.

I liked them... it helped me buckle down and focus when I needed it the most :)

I had no idea that sororities had to do so many study hours.

The only thing said about study hall in our bylaws is that the scholarship committee is responsible for setting up a weekly study hall. No other guidelines.

It used to be that everyone under a 3.0 did not have to go to a study hall at my chapter. And it used to be 1 hour.

Now it is everyone, regardless of GPA. The all Greek Male GPA of my school is a little over 3.0.

that's impressive - being over 3.0!

and yeah, except we dont have to do it all at once!
it's throughout the week, whenever we want to. and there's no "host", we sign in in a binder ourselves... so yeah, it's pretty easy to lie about how many hours you've studied, but I don't think anyone ever has, so it's all good :)

During pledging, all sisters and pledges must attend study tables, I think it worked out to like 2 hrs a week. Other (non mandatory but suggested) study tables can be organized whenever needed. Often, we used it as a "hey, let's get together, study a bit, then go for pizza/half price appetizers/ice cream" thing. It was especially nice after Pledging and after Greek week to pull everyone back together. If a member is on/in danger of academic probation, the scholarship chair works with her to find her a tutor either within the sisterhood or outwith, and generally supports her.

I think at one point, our chapter GPA was something ridiculous like 3.5. My sisters are smart kitties :).

I've heard of many situations where fraternities and sororities have instilled that policy. I don't believe it's right that you get fined if you have other conflicting schedules. What does that say about the organization...that the fraternity should trump all. No organization is of such. But, if you GPA is up there as well, obviously you're doing something good.

Didn't mean to scare you all. I don't have to go to study hours and am not very familiar with the policy, those are just random numbers I threw up there to explain my point.

FYI, I ended up looking up the actual numbers, its 4,6,8 etc..

oh you didn't scare me
I was just really surprised.. and kind of jealous.. lol jk :)

we had mandatory study hall hours when i was a pledge and then they changed depending on your gpa when you were active. it was a lil annoying to have them because we had to be in the library and sign in and most of the girls would sign in and then go sit at the computers and mess around on myspace or messenger for the whole time and not get any work done. i got more work done on my own time then at study hall always. im not good at being forced to study on someone elses terms. i also had a gpa that was over 3.5 almost every semester so i guess i didnt really need the mandatory hours. its a good idea for some people though. we had a certain number of hours but you could do them over the whole week so i dont understand how the op cant get to any of the study hall hours? we didnt all go do our hours in one day so you should be able to spread them out over the week and be ok. you shouldnt be fined for it though ever if theres a real conflict with your schedule.

My chapter doesn't have mandatory study hours (although other GLO's on campus do). The only time this is put into place is if a sister is on academic probation and the academic chair as well as the standards committee feels that it is necessary for the sister to do study hours.

xoheatherxo - because my fraternity chapter doesn't have a set number of hours a week, it is a once a week set time.

But you bring up another problem I have with it - when I can attend it, I don't get much done. Forcing me to sit down and do work doesn't really work with me either. All the other brothers can be distracting during them as well.

Getting my work done on my own works for me.

So study hall is a major frustration in my life, gets me fined, and the chapter is always mad at me for missing it (when I have to).

Sororities do study hours very differently from fraternities. Ours is complicated. But I know at least one fraternity on campus required hours on a sliding scale one semester. They just kept a notebook in the library. Of course, you can't guarantee no one will lie, but most of them did put effort into it. Maybe try doing it that way?

^^ I totally understand, Bguy
Most of the time, I do study hours at a random time (like 11am) so no one else is there whem I'm doing my work. But other times, like at 7pm on Sundays, everyone's studying at the same time, and it can get very distracting. It took me 2 hours to read one chapter in one of my books, when it normally takes me 30 minutes. I mean, I did have fun with my sisters "studying", but I also failed my quiz in that class because I didn't absorb anything. SAD!

we dont have mandatory study hour, what we do is if we need help we ask for it, i'm from Colombia i always get help correcting my english papers, as i help when someone of my brothers or sisters need help with spanish. i dont know if mandatory study hours will be good for us becuse we problably would not get the work done and will be a waste of time.

Alpha Phi Omega
Coed-fraternity

Our chapter does have mandatory study hours if you have anything lower than a 3.0. Although study halls can be very unproductive if the monitors aren't strict I believe they are very good tools for teaching yourself to focus. For instance you don't get to choose when you have to take a test for a class. Nor when you get a job will you be able to choose the hours you work (unless of course your your own boss). Or look at it another way if there is a brother having trouble with a class you can help tutor him during study hours, since you have > 3.5 GPA.

On a side note our University has mandatory study hours for any new member joining a social greek organization. I believe this is a good idea, although everyone plans their study hours at the same time, which means that all of greek life is in the library and it can be very distracting. One option that we have done to get rid of this problem is getting a classroom in our business college building, so that there is less of a distraction.

Hehe, nor can you control whether the gentleman in the cubicle across from you clips his fingernails at work with disturbing regularity, nor whether the woman on the other side is constantly on the phone with her friends gossiping, nor whether you might at some point work with a man who does little but argue with his wife on the phone all day long, and the rest of the day slam things and sigh loudly as a result of said arguments. :D There are many things to be said for learning to focus despite multiple distractions. ;)

You forgot the one that sings while listening to her Ipod (and she's moving from several cubes away to the one next to me sometime this week... AUGH!)

We didn't have study hours either and still managed to be above the all-women's average and the top in PHA. Study hall never seemed to involve much studying from what I remember!

This is what is really screwy about the deal you have. It is my general experience that study hour requirements are a certain number of hours per week/month/semester- and that there are multiple opportunities to complete those hours.

In other words, if the requirement is 2 hours per week- then the Scholastic Chair should be setting up 2-3 sessions each week of 2 hours each so that people can pick and choose the times that fit with their schedule.

Obviously I know nothing of your specific situation- but on the facts presented it sounds to me like you have a lazy Scholastic Chair who is unwilling to commit to a long term flexible schedule for study hours.

Let me ask 2 questions,

1. What valid excuses, if any, let someone out of study hours? What if someone has to work during that time? Do they get fined?

2. You say that there is a once a week set time. What happens if your Scholastic Chair has a personal conflict? Does he change the time to suit his schedule from week to week? Does each newly elected Scholarship Chair set a time when he takes office (which would also naturally be built around his own class and work schedule)?

Whatever the answer are, I still agree the set up you are dealing with is unreasonable. The answers to 1 and 2 will just demonstrate how unreasonable.

If nothing else, you should be able to make alternative arrangements when your life creates a legitimate conflict. Back when I was an active, my chapter would never have tolerated a study hours policy like this.

My chapter requires it for people with lower than a 3.0. I think its two hours long.

I'm with EE-BO. What if you have class during them?

I've gotten fined/punished for having class during mandatory stuff before, like during PHC meetings that we have to attend. That was REALLY annoying...what do they expect me to do about it???

In my chapter, if you have a scheduling conflict with a mandatory event, such as meeting, philanthropy, or something along that route (social events aren't mandatory), you email/call/text the secretary 24 hours in advance (there are exceptions for last-minute emergencies). If it is a valid excuse they you are excused from attendance. They also collect copies of class schedules at the beginning of the sememster for verification. No one expects you to miss class for meeting, a very important workshop or seminar that's school/work related, a special event, or some work or family related emergency that's just stupid.

Given that most GLOs promote scholarship/academics as one of their main tenets or areas of focus, I think that mandatory study hours are a fair expectation of all members.

In AXiD, we had to log 6 hours a week as a pledge. Once a week, there was a previously agreed-upon mandatory time (ex. Weds 6-8), a time when no one had a class. This time was decided upon by the pledge class. We had to sit at one of two large tables. No talking, nothing. I imagine these days it would require no phones, etc.

The remainder of hours (4) could be done at any time. There was a sign-in sheet at the library front desk. Fortunately, the university was more than happy to help us out and have the desk people maintain the lists. If I recall, the library was open very late, so there was NO excuse.

I don't see why flexible study hour requirements are such a burden. Sure, some people study better in various environments, but every student must have SOMETHING in their 5 or 6 classes that they can do QUIETLY at the library. It's called managing your time. Most people have papers/essays/projects that require research. Now, I am not sure if students still use the library for research, but there has to be some use out there.

Being in a GLO is a privilege and a responsibility, and I think that maintaining solid grades are an important requirement. Maybe that makes me old fashioned, but as a first-generation American (my dad is off the boat), and only the third person among 51 first cousins to go to college (my older twin sisters were the first), I can relate to the obstacles our founders experienced just to attend college.

Yeah...okay. But why should people who maintain a very high GPA be required to do study hours? Obviously, my 3.5 indicates that I know how to study BY MYSELF. If I wanted to study in a group, or at the library, I would. And no, not everyone has stuff they can do at the library.

I TOTALLY hear you. You are obviously the excpetion to the rule, and probably don't need someone to watch over your shoulder. I graduated with a 3.67 and might otherwise probably scoff at being required to show up to prove that I study.

And there are no absolutes - I just think that even those who have great GPAs can find something they can accomplish in two hours of quiet time.

But think about this -

- Other students see Greeks actually studying in the library - GREAT PR

- Members with higher grades can exemptions by tutoring/helping other members

- Helping sisters/brothers bring their grades up provides many benefits for your GLO - you are raising the bar academically and thus might attract more people with a strong academic background, as well as qualify for "best GPA" on campus, win awards for "most improved" within your Inter/national org, etc.

- YOU are proof that you can be in a GLO and be smart. Maybe others (not just other members) can learn by your example.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. There are obviously exceptions, and no system is perfect. Kudos to your academic performance, and thank you for a respectful disagreement.

Fraternally,

I understand your point. However, it is worth noting that you cannot assume that everyone studies the same way. Personally, I cannot study in a completely quiet space. When we had study hours back in the day, it was very difficult for me to get anything done because of that. It is also hard for me to study without the internet, because of the nature of my studies. I look stuff up a LOT. Not having internet in our chapter room meant that it was also hard to get stuff done. Also, most people don't like to have study hours late at night or on the weekends. When you have class from 9-7 every day M-F, it's almost impossible to be able to get to them.

And I do spend time tutoring my sisters (I'm a science major, and many people aren't very good at that, so it's a way that I can be useful to the underclassmen). We set up times between us so that we can meet. I don't need someone to tell me I have to be somewhere or I'll get fined to help a sister.

And I thoroughly enjoy a respectful disagreement, so carry on :)

Am I the only one here where the university made mandatory study hours for new members? I thought this was common thing...maybe I am wrong

Well, I've gotten this cleared up with my chapter. My absences have been excused.
Our study halls are Sunday from 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM. It was not a unanimous decision to make it this time and I voiced strong objections and voted against it. We also have chapter Sunday evening, so Sundays have become big fraternity commitments.

Sometimes it is scheduled for others days and times, and I have no say in those decisions either.

Now, after speaking with my fraternity president and scholarship chair, I have confidence that when I have to miss it, I will be excused and not fined.

Thanks for all of the advice and I love hearing about how other fraternities and chapters run study hall.

At USF, all greeks have a minimum GPA requirement. So IMO, it only makes sense that orgs would impose study hours. My sorority has a minimum set of "sister study hours" that we complete each month but we dont have a set schedule, we just have to get them done. Our interests also have mandatory study hours.

i totally still understand the needing to have study hall hours for new members and members with lower gpas, but i used to get really annoyed when i was trying to have a study group of people that were not in chi o (because i didnt really have any classes with my sisters for my major) and the people in my group wanted to go somewhere other than the library. i wasnt annoyed at them i just knew wed be studying for about 3-4 hours if it was a big test and that i wouldnt get credit for any of those hours at all that week. i also dont really agree with by studying in the library all together you prove that you can be smart and in a glo. you shouldnt have to prove it to anyone. people are going to think what they want to think. and since most of the time we were all goofing off it makes us look like stereotypical greeks not smart ones!

I think this would really improve the study hours idea, if there was someone at the front desk to make sure people are actually coming to the library and staying in the library, not signing in for others, verifying times, etc. At my school (with over 40 chapters) it's possible that this could be a job opportunity for a student. On the other hand, with new technology, study logs could be done by swiping our student IDs at the entrance to the library... just an idea!

I remember how annoyed I was with the way our study hours were structured when I joined - I was a computer science major and we had to be in the library or at the house to do our hours. All my work was in a lab on campus - I literally would sit there and stare at the wall sometimes because I had NOTHING to do. When I became scholarship chair I said you could do work in a lab if you had a study buddy there to certify your hours.