Recruitment - FAQs
Do Greeks do more than party?
YES! All students at UM have a great time, and Greeks are just as social as any other student. However, the Greek community has alcohol and behavioral policies that we take seriously. As registered student organizations, we are accountable to The University to behave responsibly when we are having a group activity. BUT, unlike other student organizations at The University, we are also governed by our national headquarters, who do a good job of keeping us in tune with our fraternal values. Fraternity houses have the same rules as the residence halls when it comes to substances: alcohol may only be consumed if you are 21, and only in your private room. As for the sororities, every one is completely dry. Not even an empty beer can is allowed into the house, and the women take this very seriously.
Do Greeks only hang out with other Greeks?
NO! The Greek community at UM is only 1% of all students on campus; however, we are involved in more than 90% of the activities on campus. Women and men from every chapter are involved in Advocates, intramural sports, student government, music, and almost every other student organization.
Are Greeks self-absorbed?
What?! Greeks spend a lot of time thinking about others and what they can do to help those in need. Greek men and women work year-round to raise money and help out organizations they support in any way they can. Greeks perform community service all the time. We give our time to many organizations, including Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, the Missoula Food Bank, and the YWCA.
Do you have to be wealthy to afford being Greek?
NO! As a matter of fact, at The University of Montana, it often costs less to live in your Greek chapter house than to live in the residence halls! Plus, our houses have great cooks, laundry facilities, and cable all added into the price. Our members need financial assistance and have jobs just like other students, so we offer monthly payment plans for those who need it.
Is being Greek just buying friends?
NO! The money we pay to our fraternity or sorority goes to maintain the homes we live in, to pay our house mothers and/or cooks, and, mainly, to our annual budget. Our budget is the money we spend on recruitment events, dances, educational programming, and other organizational expenses. Hey, even if you do see that as buying friends we are getting a great deal considering there are about 700,000 active Greeks in college today. That’s a lot of friends!
Are Greeks dumb?
No way! The average GPA for sorority women at UM is 2.9 and the average GPA for the men is 2.7! Did you notice that the sorority GPA is higher than the overall women’s GPA and that the men’s fraternity GPA is almost equal to the overall men’s GPA? Not bad eh? This past spring, the fraternity with the highest grades had a 3.02 and the sorority with highest GPA had a 3.06! Plus, each chapter has a scholarship chair that focuses on helping members who are struggling academically as well as teaching the entire chapter effective study skills.