Membership: On its way up or on its way out?
According to Pete Smithhisler, vice president of community relations for the National Interfraternity Council, the 1980s saw the largest group memberships of all times. “What fraternities and sororities provided matched with the needs and wants of the students of that generation…a sense of belonging, an opportunity to give back to the community and the opportunity to be a leader.” However, the 90s saw a generation with different needs. “Students were more person-centered, less group focused. They still wanted to give back to the community, but on an individual basis.”
Since 1999 numbers have increased three percent each year. “The current generation is much like that of the 80s,” Smithhisler says. “They want to be part of a group. They want to belong. They have a strong sense of value and community service.”
Membership numbers at Albright have gone up and down through the years. In the late 80s, membership reached approximately 30 percent of the student body. As of spring 2003, 21.5 percent of Albright students are affiliated with a social fraternity or sorority. This number accounts for 25 percent of the men and 30 percent of the women.
Hollywood’s Portrayal: Truth or Fiction?
So if today’s generation of college students has such a strong sense of value, then why do television shows like MTV’s Fraternity Life and Sorority Life portray coeds who seem more interested in excessive drinking, all-night parties and debauchery?
“ Sensationalism and lack of accountability are the biggest problems with those television shows, says Smithhisler. “Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of Greek organizations is extreme.”
But the image of Greeks can’t be attributed solely to Hollywood and television shows of this nature. According to Cufaude, although overall drug use is down, alcohol use is up among Millennials. Allegations of hazing and perceptions of underage drinking are also the biggest challenges facing Greek life at Albright, says Michelle Daniels, Ph.D., vice president of student affairs and dean of students.
“ We can’t support any organization that is perceived as endorsing underage drinking,” says Daniels. “So it puts a lot of pressure on the College as far as accountability.”
However, she says, the College, as well as each Greek organization through its national chapter, works hard at providing programs geared to educating students on these topics. In addition, a large percentage of the dues paid by fraternity or sorority members go to the chapter to cover insurance costs.
John Grispon ’04, Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother, thinks that the Greek community gets a bad rap. “It seems that Greeks get blamed for problems that would occur if Greeks weren’t on campus,” he says. If you take away the fraternities you’re still going to have parties. The groups having them just won’t have labels.”
Some colleges, such as Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, have decided that the liability of having Greek organizations on campus is just too much to risk.
Decreasing membership numbers and fraternity houses deemed unsafe because they weren’t properly cared for were factors that led to an initial discussion of phasing out Greeks. However, says Scott Hood, Bowdoin’s vice president of communications and public affairs, “It all came to a head in the mid-90s when a visiting University of Maine student went to an unauthorized party (at Bowdoin) and fell off the roof and died. It made the college take a hard look at the situation.” A formal committee comprised of faculty, staff, students and trustees spent a year examining the Greek system and agreed unanimously to phase it out in 2000, says Hood.
Although some alumni balked at the decision, Hood says it really seemed to strengthen the college in the end. “We made the decision in the middle of a major campaign and it had no impact at all. Our goal was $113 million and we ended up with $137 million.”
Amy Koehler ’04, president of the Panhellenic Council and a Phi Mu sister, says she knows that some faculty and students at Albright don’t view Greeks in a positive light. “Many people stereotype us as not caring about academics or just wanting to party. That’s not true at all,” Koehler says. In fact, contrary to this belief, she says that every fraternity and sorority has its own creed that they live by. “Phi Mu’s says that you should strive to be the best person you can be while helping and being kind to others.”