Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Just for the record, it really isn't. More than half the women coming through rush don't know anything about greek life, very few chapters require recs, and chapters climb and fall within the social tiers every five years. The chapter houses are nice, but most women don't want to live in them, so the smaller the better. Believe me, it is not the South.
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While I agree with most of what you wrote, I disagree with the overall sentiment. The general atmosphere at U of I is more laid back than the south, but the importance of Greek life is just as overwhelming, in my opinion. Yes, at U of I any girl can get into a sorority, but not every girl could get into certain sororities. I do agree that the "tiers" are not as rigid as they are in the south, although certain chapters tend to always hover near the top with the middle being where things change around a lot.
As for the housing, I don't think that it is insignificant. I think it is just culturally different than some schools. At Oklahoma or Arkansas, girls pledge as freshmen and then are expected to live in the house their remaining 3 years. Those houses tend to sleep 80-100 girls so that is necessary. That would never fly at Illinois. Most girls live in the house 1 or 2 years, but definitely want the freedom of an apartment at some point. I am sure that culture developed because the houses are very old and not quite as large, so not everyone could live in. But, I think if you have a house, it better be competitive with the others. As OJ wrote, some of those are historic (I know the AOII house is on the historic register), beautiful, and very convenient to campus, unlike most of the dorms and apartments. On the other hand, I have always thought that a group that came on and was unhoused intentionally could do well at Illinois, given the right marketing.
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