[violetpretty]

This post reflects a Panhellenic/NPC POV (because that is what I am most familiar with):

I agree partly with BigRedBeta, but I think it is important to consider quantitative AND qualitative factors collectively. A strong Greek community has plenty of diversity among different chapters (enough diversity that you could see at least half of the independent student body in a chapter), and to do that, there need to be a reasonable number of chapters (I'd say, at least 5).

Of course, that has to be considered with chapter size and percentage of the student body that is Greek. This affects the visibility of Greeks. IUP for example, has 11 or 12 NPC chapters, but the percentage involved is low and the chapters are very small. I wouldn't call IUP a place with a "strong Greek community" for that reason. However, that doesn't diminish the experiences of the members of fraternities and sororities at these schools.

However, I think the most important thing to consider is the quality of the chapters collectively. Do the Greeks have a good relationship with the administration (i.e. not hazing, no alcohol issues)? Are their grades better than non-Greeks? Are they meeting (or better yet, exceeding) requirements set forth by their HQs? Is the community stable (or better yet, growing) size-wise? Do they have a supportive Greek Life Office with high expectations for their chapters? Are Greeks looked at in a positive light by most of the non-Greek students? Are Greeks well represented in campus leadership positions? You could have a large (number of chapters and percentage involved) Greek community, but if chapters are not contributing positively, the community is not strong.

I disagree with LuckySC with the implication (correct me if I'm wrong) that tradition automatically makes for a strong Greek community. A Greek community doesn't have to be 100 years old to be strong. Elon comes to mind (at least with Panhellenic). Their three oldest NPC chapters were founded in the 1970s. They have 8 chapters currently with 31% of the women in sororities; they've added 5 NPC chapters in the last 15ish years, and continue to grow. The chapters are exceeding their HQ's standards. Elon is a very strong Greek school without the "tradition" that SEC schools have.

I'd agree that SEC schools are strong Greek schools, but it's not their "tradition" and "way of life" that make them so. They are strong because they fit all of the quantitative and qualitative criteria I mentioned above.