social vs. professional vs. honor? huh?!
 

Hi Everyone!

You all were of such help a few weeks ago when I was trying to sort out all the terminology and how things worked in the Greek System...and now I need your assistance just one more time!

What is the difference between a social sorority, a professional sorority, and an honor sorority?? I don't even know if that's what they're all called, but now I'm more confused than ever!! Is there even a difference??!!

PLEASE HELP!! AHH!
:confused: :rolleyes: :confused: :rolleyes: :confused: :rolleyes: :confused: :rolleyes: :eek:

Thanks!

I'll be the first to bite....I'm probably going to get some of this wrong though...

a social GLO (any of the 26 NPC sororities, the IFC fraternities, and dozens of independent national and local groups) are greek letter organizations (GLOs) that were founded to form a sister/brotherhood among their members through social interaction and community service. Members can be of any major, any GPA (within limits, usually something like 2.5 or so), etc. They have a recruitment process in which the Potential New Members (PNMs) seek them out, and membership takes place by mutual selection. You can only be a member of one of these groups, however, you can also be a member of an honorary or professional org as well.

Professional GLOs are a varied bunch. They are generally focused on the advancement of a certain profession, and being of that major may or may not be a requirement. They may or may not be co-ed. They may or may not be as socially active on campus as the Social GLOs. Generally their recruitment is held independent of the Social GLOs, but that can vary. Same thing with dual membership...generally, you can be a member of both a professional and a social sorority, but that can vary too.

Honorary GLOs are somewhat similar to Professional GLOs. Generally, they are focused on one field (ie. History, Biology, etc). Members are usually sought out and invited on an individual basis for achievement in that field, rather than recruitment parties being held. Membership is non-exclusive (meaning that you can be in an honorary GLO and any other group as well.)

Hope that helps, and anybody please correct me if my info is wrong!

Re: social vs. professional vs. honor? huh?!
 

Yes, there are differences!!

Social GLOs exist to bring together members mainly for the social aspects of life. For some, this is mainly 'partying', but its more then that. In the past their main purpose was to provide a place for their members to live & eat other, which is why for most Social GLOs (depends on the school/campus), owning a house is a big part of their attraction of joining for many. Some Social GLOs focus on a particular ethnic group. The Social GLOs are members one of the 3 or so national inter-fraternity councils. For many social GLO members, they are the only 'true Greeks'.

Professional GLOs exist to bring together members whose interest is in the profession of the GLO. So those interested in Business would join a Business GLO, Optometery would join an Optometery GLO, etc. The idea is to be able to meet and network with others in your major, and help in your field of study. Social activities have a part, but are not the purpose of these.

Honor GLOs are similiar to Professional GLOs, but have the added requirement that you must have a certain GPA or Class Standing. So if you are a Business major, you could join the Business Professional GLO, but you'd need a GPA of 3.8 and be in the upper 10% of your class to join the "Business Honor GLO". [please note, am making up this particulars]

Honor and Professional GLOs are many times co-ed, and usually are part of Professional Fratenity Association. They never own houses, because that's not their purpose.

Another category are the Service GLOs, whose main purpose is doing service work. They are usually lumped in with professional and honor GLOs.

Hope this helps. Am sure others can add to/correct what I have said here.

Re: Re: social vs. professional vs. honor? huh?!
 

Actually, this isn't true... there are DO chapters that own houses, although I can't come up with the chapters themselves offhand. My chapter (Omicron Phi) had a house in previous years, but it was sold 10 or 15 years ago, I think.

Think of them as paralelling various high school organizations:

Social GLOs are like your group of friends that all hang out together, except a little more organized - and with a higher purpose than just having fun. It's like the Moose or Elks, except for college students.

Professional GLOs are the collegiate equivalent of DECA or FLBA or FFA.

Honorary GLOs are the collegiate equivalent of the National Honor Society.

I think I like that analogy!

wow...that analogy makes it NICE and EASY to understand :D

Thanks!

Gee- this whole greek thing is wayyy complicated if you're not involved!!!!! hehehe:cool:

Hope you don't mind, Ginger, if I do make a few corrections.

Actually, some social GLO's do limit membership to, or at least cater to, students in certain majors: Triangle for enigeering and similar sciences, and Alpha Gamma Rho and Farmshouse for agricultural students come to mind. All three fraternities are members of the North-American Interfraternity Conference ("NIC").

The older distinction is not social vs. professional, but general vs. professional. Comparing these two terms, general fraternities draw their membership generally from the student population, primarily for social and general self-improvement purposes, while professional fraternities draw their membership from students preparing for work in a specific profession in order to help that preparation. The social vs. professional distinction is probably more a result of Title IX, which allows GLO's to be single-sex if their purpose is primarily "social."

But as noted above, there are social fraternities that draw their membership primarily from students engaged in certain courses of study or with common interests. Phi Mu Alpha (which is not a member of the NIC -- yet, at least -- although a growing number of chapters are members of their campuses' IFCs) would fit this discription.

Professional fraternities are required by law to be co-ed. Federal funding can be withheld from any college or university that houses a single-sex professional fraternity. The reasoning is that professional fraternities exist primarily (1) to prepare a student for participation in a specific profession, and (2) to advance the interests of the profession itself. Under Title IX, it is discrimination to limit such opportunities to one sex.

And you're right -- many professional fraternity chapters have houses.

Thanks MysticCat! I figured I would get something wrong in there :)

I did not realize that there were social fraternities/sororities that catered to one particular field. I knew of Farmhouse and Acacia, but didn't realize they were geared in any particular direction. Thanks for the info!

I didn't know either that all professional groups had to be co-ed. I guess that explains why DO was forced to go co-ed, very much against our will. There are still very few chapters that have male members (most of them go Phi Mu Alpha!) but it does happen, I guess. I could never figure out why a guy would want to join what we all call a sorority, though :) I guess according to Inter/nationals, we're a "fraternity" now, but I don't that's ever going to change most of the member's minds :)

I don't believe Acacia is geared towards any type of profession.. Or at least it's not on my campus. They're actually a direct offshoot of the Masons (in a more official way than other GLO's).

That's what I get for trying to post while I'm at work... I don't know why I put Acacia, I meant to put Triangle :)

A few notes about professional GLOs...

I am a sister of Sigma Alpha Iota, professional music fraternity for women. Many posts here state that professional GLOs focus mainly on their academic field, and this is true to an extent; but I would go as far as to say most chapters of SAI equally focus on music and sisterhood. Our chapter is very tight-knit, and we go out a lot.

Also, you guys forgot to mention that professional GLOs differ from honoraries because most professional GLOs have ritual.

And there are chapters of SAI that own houses.

Some honoraries have rituals too. Based on what I've read, Upsilon Phi Epsilon, the CompSci Honor Society has an induction ritual.

To me, the big difference between honoraries & professionals is that honoraries require a certain GPA/class standing, while professionals are open to any with an interest in that field.

I believe most honoraries have rituals, but they are frequently non-secret.

I think the professionals have minimum GPAs, but they're low, like social GLOs' minimum GPAs. The point isn't so much to reward excellence as to keep out weak students.

Re: Re: social vs. professional vs. honor? huh?!
 

Are professional/honor GLO members "looked down" upon by members of social GLOs??...I thought the whole point was "being greek together?"