Greek Life FAQs

The fraternity or sorority experience is multifaceted and offers numerous opportunities for friendship, leadership, scholarship and service. Joining a chapter helps connect students to a smaller community in which they develop lifelong friendships with the members in their chapter and others. For many members, these organizations become a home away from home.

Oftentimes, the friendships students establish within their chapter and the larger fraternity and sorority community last beyond the college years. Membership in a chapter is a lifelong experience, and joining as an undergraduate is an investment in the future. Wherever a member decides to reside after college, there is a national network of support, and chances are they will be able to find other members of their organization nearby.

In addition to developing lasting friendships, each chapter emphasizes leadership, scholarship, philanthropy and service, and financial responsibility through various programs and opportunities. It is up to each member to determine the level of involvement they want to have in the organization and to shape the experience they want to have. Fraternities and sororities are great places for students to find extra support and a sense of community on campus.

Check out the Greek Life Interest form on the UWEC Greek Life page! Recruitment takes place at the beginning of each semester, but most chapters have opportunities throughout the whole year to join. Individual chapter events and contact information can be found on their individual social media pages, or you can contact the Greek Advisor at randka@uwec.edu to get connected.

Time commitment varies from chapter to chapter, but members can normally expect to attend a weekly membership meeting, meetings for new members, and meetings for executive board. In addition, members may be asked to attend special events such as philanthropies, socials, recruitment and initiation. Check with each chapter about its individual member requirements.

What you put into Greek Life is what you will get out of it! There are several events/meetings that happen throughout the year for members of the Greek community but here is what expected of you as a member on a typical week and a typical month:

Before initiating into your chapter, you can expect to attend regular new member education meetings weekly and most chapter meetings which are held once a week.  New members are also invited to attend Panhellenic Council or Interfraternity Council meetings weekly to learn about community-wide events and initiatives.

Once initiated, members can expect the following on a weekly basis:

• Chapter meeting that usually runs anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on time of year and discussions needed.
• Panhellenic or Interfraternity Council meeting that are held weekly for about 30 minutes.

Monthly, members can expect a variety of events that could include the following:

• Weekly chapter meetings and weekly council meetings.
• Sisterhood or brotherhood event that is for chapter members to do something together.
• Social event with another Greek organization - one with each other chapter held each semester.
• Participate in study hours for academic success.
• Depending on the month, the chapter also hosts service hour opportunities, hosts events to raise money for causes they care about (philanthropy), attends campus events together, participate in chapter retreats, alumni events, family events, hosts a formal to celebrate and recognize members and participates in recruitment or ritual events. Individual chapters can outline a typical fall semester or spring semester to give you a better idea of different events held.

The transition from the highly structured high school environment to the freedom of college can be difficult for many new students. Fraternities and sororities seek to assist their members by providing a number of services ranging from scholarship programs to study partners to study hours to time management workshops. Each chapter also elects or appoints a scholarship chair who assists members who are struggling and helps them to set goals for future success. By joining a chapter, members also have access the network of chapter members who already know how to use campus resources like the library, tutors, computer labs and academic advisors. Despite the plethora of resources, nothing takes the place of discipline, focus, and hard work. It is up to each member to make sure he or she is managing time well and using the resources available.

Like most other organizations, fraternities and sororities charge member dues to help support services and initiatives provided by the organization for its members. Dues directly support both the local chapter and the national organization with which the chapter is affiliated. Fraternities and sororities are quite affordable with the help of monthly payment plans and various scholarships or grants that may be available.

You are encouraged to ask individual chapters specific questions about finances and the resources available to help supplement the cost. Each chapter is individually responsible for determining dues, as well as one-time new member and initiation fees. The financial officer for the chapter can provide a detailed breakdown of what dues help support.

Absolutely! We highly encourage members of our communities to find things that they are passionate about and enjoy their full college experience. Our members have been student athletes, Resident Assistants, other organization presidents, active in their faith, have studied abroad, participated in faculty-led research, led immersion programs, held jobs on and off campus, and much more.  We want our members to be multi-dimensional knowing that they will also have a group behind them to support their hobbies, interests, professional pursuits and more.

Fraternities and sororities are associated with a lot of stereotypes through media but that does not make up our community at UWEC.  Our community is made up of incredibly unique, intelligent, creative, athletic, curious, empathetic, etc. individuals that are recognized for being themselves.  Everyone has a place in our community if they want to be included. 

We all recommend that the best way to find the right fit is to talk to as many people as possible. Each chapter has their own unique identity, values and traditions. Ask yourself who you are and who you want to be and find the chapter that will help you in that endeavor. Some things to think about when deciding include:

• What type of experience are you looking for?
• What are the values of the organization? How do they align with your personal values?
• How much are dues and fees?
• How did you feel while attending chapter events?
• What is the chapter's philanthropy? What type of service do they do?
• How will membership in the specific organization benefit you?

We have several chapters and there is definitely a place for you!

As outlined in the Student Organization Handbook, all student organizations, including fraternities and sororities, follow a strict alcohol policy. Organizations may not host any organizational events where alcohol is present unless they are in accordance with third-party vendor guidelines. Orgs must also hold all events at locations that allow entry to persons of any age and may not use organizational funds to purchase alcohol. Above all of this, chapters have additional policies they must follow if affiliated with a national group.

More information can be found online at the Student Organization Handbook under the subtitle of Student Organization Policies: https://blugoldconnect.uwec.edu/activities/student-organization-advisor-handbook-work-in-progress/ 

Hazing is an act that stands in direct contrast to the ideals, practices, and rituals of fraternities and sororities and is therefore not tolerated. The Interfraternity Council, the Inter-Greek Council, and the Panhellenic Council at UW-Eau Claire uphold the following hazing standards:

• No chapter shall allow any of its pledges, members, or other persons to participate in any pre-initiation or hazing ceremony or practice which involves physical exhaustion or abuse, or would in any way interfere with the person’s mental or physical ability to perform college work effectively or tend to reflect unfavorably upon the fraternity or sorority in the eyes of the public, or is of a dangerous, rude, or vulgar nature, whether taking place within or without the chapter house.
• Any allegations of hazing or like practices in violation of these standards by fraternities or sororities or their individual members shall be reported to the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council and/or the Dean of Students Office, as appropriate.

Our campus does not have a formal recruitment period so all of our events are free and open to anyone that would like to participate.  The informal process for recruitment in sororities is called Continuous Open Bidding (COB) that allows chapters to recruit at any time.  The men also have an informal recruitment process that is sometimes referred to as rush. 

Panhellenic Council (PHC) and Interfraternity Council (IFC) are the two governing boards of our sororities and fraternities. PHC is the governing board of the nationally-affiliated sororities and IFC is the governing board of the nationally-affiliated fraternities. These organizations host events prior to individual chapter events to allow interested students to meet more people, get more information, and see if they would like to pursue it further.  Typically each council hosts several events at the beginning of each semester that include both of their respective chapters that range from move-in tables, to game nights, speed friending events and tailgates. 

Following PHC and IFC events, each of the chapters also host their own individual events that allow potential new members (PNMs) to get to know more about the different organizations.  We highly recommend you attend an event hosted by either PHC or IFC to learn more about Greek Life but must attend some number of individual chapter events in order to be considered for a bid from that organization. If you are unable to attend any of the events but are still interested in participating, reach out to the individual chapters to connect at different days/times that work for you.

A bid is a formal invitation to join a fraternity or sorority. Just because you receive a bid does not mean that you have to accept the invitation. In some cases, specifically within the Panhellenic Recruitment process, declining an invitation can limit your ability to join another group for a period of time. For specific information regarding accepting bids, please contact the Greek Life Advisor at randka@uwec.edu.

Recruitment is a mutual selection process that allows both participants and chapters to find their right fit. As COB is an informal process, participation does not guarantee that a PNM (potential new member) will be contacted by a chapter and does not guarantee the issue of a bid.

Our chapters want to get to know you as an individual so please attend events in whatever makes you feel comfortable and confident. There isn't a dress code for any recruitment event unless there is a theme (like pajama movie night).  If you receive a bid from a chapter, there will be different events you will have to wear more formal attire or particular outfits for ritual events or chapter events once you are a member.

No worries, we all understand that joining a Greek organization isn’t for everyone. You are more than welcome to drop out of the recruitment process anytime. We do hope you hold out though- there are so many things fraternities and sororities have to offer when you give it a chance. If you are unsure if this semester is right for you, then you can always end up going through recruitment again the following semester!

If you get initiated into an IFC fraternity or PHC sorority, you are not able to join another social fraternity/sorority. However, you can join an academic or service fraternity and still be in a social fraternity/sorority.

If you are a transfer student that joined a different national social Greek organization than what is available at our campus, you are not eligible to join an additional chapter.  However, if you are a transfer that initiated into one of our social Greek organizations on campus, you are able to join the chapter at UWEC with the same national affiliation. 

UW-Eau Claire does not have any official chapter houses for our Greek organizations so you are not required to live in a chapter house.  Several members do end up living together either in the residence halls or off-campus because of their relationships, but you are not required to live in any particular location as a member of a fraternity or sorority.

The most important thing parents/guardians can do is to be supportive and keep an open mind. Though parents/guardians may not have been members of a fraternity or sorority, membership in a fraternity or sorority could be a great opportunity for students. If students are interested in becoming a part of the fraternity and sorority community, parents/guardians and students should do their research. Look at information about each organization. Parents/guardians should encourage their student to ask questions about what the different organizations can offer.

Parents/guardians should discuss the financial commitment of joining a fraternity and sorority with their student. Clarify what expenses will be supported by the parents/guardians and what expenses will need to be paid for by the student.

If a student decides fraternity and sorority life is a good fit, allow the student to make their own decision about which organization to join. Fraternities and sororities are different at every campus, and it is important for the student to choose a group with whom they feel the most comfortable. Once the student chooses to join a chapter, there will be plenty of opportunities for parents/guardians to be engaged, whether it’s having conversations with their student about his or her chapter experience, or visiting for a Family Weekend activity.

One of the greatest arguments for joining a fraternity or sorority is that it satisfies the fundamental need to belong. Joining a fraternity or sorority will help to connect you to a group of peers with similar values not only during your undergraduate experience, but even post-college. Feeling connected will make you more satisfied with your college experience and therefore more likely to succeed and graduate. The Greek Life website and Greek Life Advisor are great resources to help address the concerns of your parents/guardians.