What makes Greek life "hot" in the south?

[Kappamd]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

^^^what you said
Out of my high school class (small at about 170), two of us joined sororities and only 1 guy joined a fraternity. As I have said many times on this board, it just wasn't ingrained into our head growing up.



Exactly!!!

Same here. Out of my high school class (of about NINE HUNDRED in NE Ohio), I know only a handful that went Greek in college.....a handful being maybe 10-15. It's just not something thats culturally prevalent up here.

[BadCat25]

OTW - I am not saying that Northern alums aren't involved in their sorority. My chapter has a very strong alum association and they are a big help to us. What I am saying that after college nobody else cares if you were an ABC at the University of Somestate.

[1908Revelations]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

People do this?

Yikes.

Yikes indeed.

I'm from Alabama and most of my classmates were interested in Sororities and Fraternities as most of our teachers were/are Greek, family members, church members ect. I am not sure how many from my class are Greek, but I know that several attempted and some want to attempt again on the Alum (i/ae) level. But again plenty of our HS teachers were Greek and once for a talent expo they even did a stepshow (there were about 18 teachers in the show).

[ktbug10474]

hehe that's the way i see florida past orlando.....

orlando and northwards i still feel like that's the south in terms of culture but get past orlando and it's just northerners that are "fleeing" the snow

[PhiGam]

As for the comments about Florida- you couldn't be more correct. The greek life at UCF, USF, FIU, etc. is comparable to that at northern colleges, Sigma Chi at USF being an exception.
I spent a lot of time in Michigan growing up and I can say that greek life is frowned upon there because it is viewed as a bunch of partiers with no ambition where as I was raised with the mentality of a fraternity being a great tool. If you want to network in college here you almost have to be in a fraternity. It's a system- to get a bid from a decent fraternity you have to be very sociable and to make it through pledgeship you have to be able to work as a team, essential skills for any career. My university president (Wetherell), governor (Crist), and president are all southerners and they're all greeks... its hard to paint us as unmotivated party animals with those kind of results.
"its not the grades you make, its the hands you shake."

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

As for the comments about Florida- you couldn't be more correct. The greek life at UCF, USF, FIU, etc. is comparable to that at northern colleges, Sigma Chi at USF being an exception.
I spent a lot of time in Michigan growing up and I can say that greek life is frowned upon there because it is viewed as a bunch of partiers with no ambition where as I was raised with the mentality of a fraternity being a great tool. If you want to network in college here you almost have to be in a fraternity. It's a system- to get a bid from a decent fraternity you have to be very sociable and to make it through pledgeship you have to be able to work as a team, essential skills for any career. My university president (Wetherell), governor (Crist), and president are all southerners and they're all greeks... its hard to paint us as unmotivated party animals with those kind of results.
"its not the grades you make, its the hands you shake."

I guess my Fraternity Founder Emily Helen Butterfield, my family members, my bff/college roommate, and my sister Dee, as well as the founders of Theta Phi Alpha (all from or in Michigan) didn't get the don't go Greek memo. My grandmother told me about Alpha Gam and how I was going to college and joining a sorority before I entered elementary school, and trust our roots left Michigan and came west and none of us have lived below the Mason Dixon line. Was Alpha Gam her first choice for me? Obviously but I had attended a school without a chapter and I still had an interest in Greek Life. I have plenty of ambition as do all the people I mentioned above.

[PhiGam]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I guess my Fraternity Founder Emily Helen Butterfield, my family members, my bff/college roommate, and my sister Dee, as well as the founders of Theta Phi Alpha (all from or in Michigan) didn't get the don't go Greek memo. My grandmother told me about Alpha Gam and how I was going to college and joining a sorority before I entered elementary school, and trust our roots left Michigan and came west and none of us have lived below the Mason Dixon line. Was Alpha Gam her first choice for me? Obviously but I had attended a school without a chapter and I still had an interest in Greek Life. I have plenty of ambition as do all the people I mentioned above.

I said nothing of ambition and I have no idea what Theta Phi Alpha is.

[als463]

Theta Phi Alpha is another NPC organization with great and strong values...I say this because I have love for EVERY NPC and NPHC...and believe they all deserve respect....

In regards to "GO GREEK" while in college...I came from a high school where my graduating class had 180 students. Of all the 180 students I can name maybe one other person I know who went Greek. He joined Alpha Gamma Rho at Penn State...Every other person from my high school who went Greek was either in a class or two below me or maybe a class or so ahead of me...

I was happy to see the one girl in school I always looked up to (she was involved in EVERYTHING) joined Delta Phi Epsilon. That is the only reason I'm a little jealous of my younger cousin (She's a DPhiE too) because she can call this girl a "sister"....

A few guys from my high school (younger than me) joined FIJI at Penn State. My cousin's friend from high school (also younger than me) joined Tri-Sig at Penn State, while her other friend joined Chi Omega at Bucknell. That's about all the Greeks I know...It's not pushed in the North the way it is in the South.

I once wore my letter shirt into a store when the guy who was ringing me out (an aquaintance from high school years before) looked at me and asked, "What does I-Ome mean?" I had no clue what he meant and I thought it was a joike so I said, "I don't know-what does it mean?" He pointed to my shirt and said...."You're the one who has it on your shirt." I looked down and said, "That means Phi Mu-those are Greek Letters." Had I been in the South-this conversation probably never would have taken place.

[SthrnZeta]

Originally Posted by als463

Theta Phi Alpha is another NPC organization with great and strong values...I say this because I have love for EVERY NPC and NPHC...and believe they all deserve respect....

In regards to "GO GREEK" while in college...I came from a high school where my graduating class had 180 students. Of all the 180 students I can name maybe one other person I know who went Greek. He joined Alpha Gamma Rho at Penn State...Every other person from my high school who went Greek was either in a class or two below me or maybe a class or so ahead of me...

I was happy to see the one girl in school I always looked up to (she was involved in EVERYTHING) joined Delta Phi Epsilon. That is the only reason I'm a little jealous of my younger cousin (She's a DPhiE too) because she can call this girl a "sister"....

A few guys from my high school (younger than me) joined FIJI at Penn State. My cousin's friend from high school (also younger than me) joined Tri-Sig at Penn State, while her other friend joined Chi Omega at Bucknell. That's about all the Greeks I know...It's not pushed in the North the way it is in the South.

I once wore my letter shirt into a store when the guy who was ringing me out (an aquaintance from high school years before) looked at me and asked, "What does I-Ome mean?" I had no clue what he meant and I thought it was a joike so I said, "I don't know-what does it mean?" He pointed to my shirt and said...."You're the one who has it on your shirt." I looked down and said, "That means Phi Mu-those are Greek Letters." Had I been in the South-this conversation probably never would have taken place.

LOL, no, I assure you everyone knows Phi Mu in the South. There seems to be a handful of groups that have more chapters down here and Phi Mu seems to be one of them (along with Zeta )

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

I said nothing of ambition and I have no idea what Theta Phi Alpha is.

Hi.

Theta Phi Alpha is one of the 26 NPC sororities. I know we may not be as well represented in Florida as in some other areas, but we do have a few chapters down that way and there are several of us who post on GC regularly. Normally, I'd launch into everything it's done for me, but I suspect it would be falling on deaf ears since I don't have any personal anecdotes of cutting based on looks or a misguided conception of "class" to share with FRATTY.

Anyway, sorry to re-start the hijack. Back on topic....

ETA: Despite my Yankee upbringing and a fairly strong hunch I wouldn't have survived an SEC rush, I find the differences very interesting and as some other poster indicated, I think it's nice that Greek life can operate in different ways for different people.

[SWTXBelle]

It's one thing not to know - it's another to post your ignorance in public without going to the trouble of, oh, I don't know, using the internet to check it out.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

I have no idea what Theta Phi Alpha is.

I guess Fratty hasn't learned how to Google. That's right, he skipped class to go to a rush party

[banditone]

It sounds like everyone sorta agrees now, and it’s almost back to one big happy family. The problem with most threads on GC is that it seems everyone reads a thread, and immediately inserts themselves into the issue (usually feeling attacked).

I’d like to give exalts to the thread creator, as well as the girl that went off on the couple page tirade on what Theta Phi Alpha is.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by banditone

It sounds like everyone sorta agrees now, and it’s almost back to one big happy family.

Agrees about what?

[LegallyBrunette]

Originally Posted by banditone

I’d like to give exalts to the thread creator, as well as the girl that went off on the couple page tirade on what Theta Phi Alpha is.

I really hope this isn't about me. In no way was what I said a "tirade." If it is about me, I would hope that anyone on these boards would understand the desire to defend their org (be it on the local or inter/national level).

Oh well.