Parents
FAQs
How will my student benefit from joining a sorority?
These organizations are rooted in four founding values that foster academic achievement, student involvement, community service, and life-long friendships. Panhellenic organizations are groups of women who come together to form a personal network of individuals with similar ideas, interests, and a mutual pursuit of a well-rounded college education. Advantages include:
- A support group to help make the adjustment to college easier.
- Scholastic resources to help students achieve their academic goals.
- Leadership skills acquired through hands-on experience.
- Encouragement to get involved and maximize their potential on campus.
- Opportunities for active participation in community service projects.
What is membership recruitment?
Membership in a sorority is voluntary and is the result of mutual selection. Formal recruitment is a time set aside, usually once a year, for sorority members and unaffiliated women to become better acquainted. Continuous informal recruitment also occurs on some campuses throughout the school year. Offers of membership during informal recruitment may occur at any time during the process of getting acquainted.
How will joining a Greek organization affect my student's academic pursuits?
Sororities serve as a great resource for students academically through study hours and tutoring programs. Most chapters require a high GPA for initial membership into the chapter and they often regulate study hours, maintain resource files, reward those who do well and help those with difficulties. The Panhellenic Council supports academic excellence by promoting academic programming and spotlighting exceptional women in “Around the Circle,” the Panhellenic newsletter distributed each month.
Traditionally, the All-Sorority GPA is higher than the All Women GPA at Texas Tech University. The Panhellenic Council does not mandate a grade point average in order to participate in sorority recruitment, however it is recommended to have a minimum 2.75 high school and/or college grade point average.
What is my role as a parent?
Be supportive and learn as much as you can by asking questions of your daughter prior to and throughout the membership recruitment process.
What are the social aspects of sorority membership?
Because the Greek community at Texas Tech University contributes to the social activity on campus, it has taken great strides toward creating a responsible and safe environment for its members. All sororities have risk management programs dictated by their National Organizations. All Greek organizations are held accountable to the Texas Tech University Student Code of Conduct and all local and State Laws.
What is the financial obligation?
Like any opportunity for involvement in college, there is a financial commitment associated with joining a sorority. The costs go towards International/National fees, chapter operating expenses, philanthropy events, social functions and much more! Financial obligations differ among individual chapters. New members can expect to pay higher dues their first semester for the one time new member fees. New member dues are estimated to be around $1,000 and active member dues to be $400-$600.
Is hazing a part of the Greek culture at Texas Tech University?
Texas Tech University has a zero-tolerance policy regarding hazing.
Hazing is any intentional or reckless act, on or off University property, by one student, acting alone or with others, which is directed against any other student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of that student, or which induces or coerces a student to endanger his or her mental or physical health of safety; prohibited conduct is limited to actions taken and situations created in connection with initiation into an affiliation with any organization and does not include participation in customary athletic events or similar contests or competition. Accomplices and bystanders of hazing could be name in a civil or criminal action involving any type of hazing activity.
Does being a member of a Greek-letter organization have benefits after graduation?
Greek membership is a lifelong commitment. Once you are an initiated member, you remain a member for life. As such, each national organization has an extensive alumni network. As you know, in today's job market, it is not only important what you know, but who you know. Being a sorority member means having an immediate connection with thousands of other members. There are many successful Greek alumni all over the country who are always looking to hire the best and the brightest that our Greek community has to offer. In addition, there are alumni groups or graduate chapters that operate in most cities and metropolitan areas across the country. If you find yourself in a new city, you can start your networking with your sisters in the local alumnae group.
I am not Greek, how can I learn more about it?
Websites to take a closer look at:
You are also encouraged to visit the individual chapter websites, located in the "Panhellenic Sororities" section.
Facts
At Texas Tech:
- Many leadership positions on Texas Tech’s campus are held by Greeks.
- The All-sorority GPA is higher than the All-Women’s GPA at Texas Tech.
- The Panhellenic Community is made up of more than 2,000 women.
Around the US:
- 48% of all U.S. Presidents have been Greek
- 70% of all U.S. Congressmen/women are Greek
- 30% of all Fortune 500 Executives are Greek
- 40% of all U.S. Supreme Court Justices have been Greek
- 8% of doctors and 72% of lawyers nationally belong to a fraternity or sorority
- The first female Senator was Greek
- The first female Astronaut was Greek
- All of the Apollo 11 Astronauts are Greek
- Over $7 million is raised each year by Greeks nationally
Nationally, sororities and fraternities are:
- Largest and most visible values-based organizations on campus
- Most successful leadership development programs for college students
- Largest network of volunteers in the U.S., completing/providing
- Millions of hours of volunteer services a year
- 9 million members
- 12,000 chapters
- 750,000 undergraduate members
- 800 campuses in the United States and Canada
- As Alumni, Greeks give approximately 75% of all money donated to universities.
- 71% of Greeks graduate college, while only about 50% of non-Greeks do.
National Panhellenic Conference:
- NPC is one of the largest volunteer networks in the United States – if not the world.
- NPC is 3.8+ million women and growing.
- NPC is represented on 637 campuses in all 50 states and Canada.
- NPC has more than 4,600 active alumnae associations.
- Established in 1902, NPC member groups’ origins date back to the mid-1800s.
- NPC and its member groups give more than $2.8 million in scholarships annually.
- Each year NPC and its member groups give more than $5 million to support worthy causes.
- Each year NPC and its member groups donate 500,000 hours to community-based and national organizations.
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NPC and its member groups support the DEVELOPMENT of its membership through programs that:
- Support collegians through $2.8 million in scholarships awarded annually.
Testimonials
“I have a daughter in a sorority at Tech. Because of the sorority, she has adjusted, made friends, and is active in college. My other daughter didn’t join a sorority the first year at Tech. Unfortunately, she is finding it difficult to get to know others, make close friendships, and thrive. She now wants to go through recruitment (Spring or Fall) to help her build the same kind of bonds as her sister.”
- Debbie McColloch
“My daughter and son have both been involved in the Greek System at Tech. Because of (a sorority) my daughter was very involved in Breast Cancer Awareness groups, she was a Lubbock Rape Crisis Advocate, and Habitat for Humanity. She is a well rounded young woman because of it. My son has joined a fraternity that offers the same kind of ways to help the community and shows that there is more to the college experience than their studies. They are also learning to help the world around them.”
- Carole Page
“Our daughter joined a sorority at Tech as a freshman, and she says it was one of the best decisions she ever made. We agree! She instantly had a connection with ‘sisters’ in her dorm and in her classes, and that made a huge difference in helping her feel more comfortable in a brand new environment. Membership in a sorority has given her a valuable support system of true friends that she can always count on, during college and the years beyond.”
- Susan Priddy
“Being involved in a Greek organization has contributed in multiple aspects of my daughter's collegiate life. The friendships formed, the leadership experiences, and the scholastic support have been invaluable. Greek life has been a wonderful experience for my daughter.”
- Julie Jameson
“In 2006 my wife was in the last stages of Ovarian Cancer and our daughter was starting her freshman year at TTU. She wanted her girl to join a sorority and have plenty of friends to comfort her in her loss. To our pleasure she was blessed beyond our prayers with many sisters from (her sorority). She became president her senior year and has taken her experience in community service into a career. Her Greek life has impacted her life in so many positive ways, and she has made her Mom and I very proud.”
- Keith Etheridge
Founding Values
Scholarship
Texas Tech University fraternities and sororities strive for academic excellence and developing the scholastic achievement of their members. One sign of this commitment to academics is that the all-greek grade point average is consistently higher than the all-University grade point average. To help their members succeed academically, fraternities and sororities have well established scholarship programs. These programs include resources such as study hall sessions, time management workshops, academics advisors, tutoring programs and more.
Fraternities and sororities reward high academic achievement in many ways such as scholarships, awards, and recognition banquets. There are also all Greek honor societies to recognition banquets. There are also all Greek honor societies to recognize the achievements of fraternity and sorority members.
Click here for Greek Life Grade Reports
Leadership
The Greek Community offers you numerous opportunities to gain valuable leadership experience. Each fraternity and sorority governs itself with its own elected officers. Fraternities and sororities also encourage you to become involved in numerous campus activities. Many fraternities and sororities have larger memberships than the majority of alternative student organizations. This enables you to learn leadership skills by being involved in a large, multifaceted organization.
Today's employers and graduate schools seek the type of individual who not only excelled in academics, but also became well-rounded through active involvement on campus. The Greek Community offers you an excellent opportunity to meet and exceed these standards set by employers and graduate schools.
Brotherhood & Sisterhood
Brotherhood and Sisterhood are the foundation of the fraternity and sorority experience. Every individual in a fraternity or sorority contributes to this aspect. They combine the concept of individualism within the framework of mutual cooperation. You will from friendships unlike any you will experience in other campus organization. Brotherhood or Sisterhood is not conformity. No fraternity or sorority at Tech is made up of members who are exactly alike. The Greek Community benefits from the rich diversity of the Tech campus. This is what makes the fraternity or sorority experience so valuable. By interacting with people from various, cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds, you are better prepared to face challenges of life after college.
Joining a fraternity or sorority will enable you to have a richer and more rewarding Tech experience, a richer and more rewarding Tech experience. The fraternity or sorority will become a home away from home and you will find that brotherhood or sisterhood extends well beyond your undergraduate years.
Philanthropy
Community service and philanthropy projects give Greeks a chance to assist and give back to the community of Lubbock. All Greek fraternities and sororities have national philanthropic organizations that they support locally. Some of these organizations include: Cowboy Crisis Fund, Lubbock State School, Children's Burn Awareness, March of Dimes, Special Olympics, and Habitat for Humanity, MDA, Bethphagy, Mission South, American Heart Association, United Blood Services, Parkinson's disease Research, American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and Children's Miracle Network.
Fraternities and sororities also collaborate in community service projects that benefit local charities service projects that benefit local charities. During the school year members of each chapter participate in Safe-Trick-or-Treat, Tech Can Food Drive, Relay for Life benefiting American Cancer Society and the Lubbock Lions Club Pancake Festival benefiting the Lubbock Community.