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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1999)
Greek system offers community activity Groups stress academic excellence, philanthropy By John Gaskins Staff writer So, you’re here. You’ve made it. College. The big time. Such a bright future ahead. So many great memories lay before you. This is going to be a blast. Of course, as exciting as this all is, you might want to ask yourself some questions before you pack your bags and head off for this new chapter in your life: How am I going to get to know people when I get to college? Where am I going to live? What am I going to do? For some, the answer is the Greek System. Joining a fraternity or sorority doesn’t mean just finding a place to live. For some/it means finding a group of people and a place that will make your college experience die best it can be and provide you lifelong friendships and memories. Since the late 1700’s, Greek letter organizations have been an integral part of colleges across the nation, all in the pursuit of their founding purposes - to help students achieve academic excellence, to provide for them an opportunity to meet more people, to give them die leadership experiences they need to prepare them for the “real world,” and to enhance their lives socially. “Quite simply, they are here to give college students a better college expe rience and make them better people when they leave the university,” said Linda Schwartzkopf, the Director of Greek Affairs at the University of Nebraska. “And we believe Nebraska has one of the strongest Greek systems in the nation. It shows in both die number of people involved in fraternities and sororities and in the quality of the stu dents that join them.” And Schwartzkopf has the num bers to prove it. Greek houses have been a part of UNL’s history for over 100 years and are at the center of campus life. Walk down 16th and R streets right around the Union, and there you’ll see some of the many Greek houses that are spread out across both City and East Campuses. There are 24 fraternities at UNL and 15 sororities to choose from - each unique in their own way but each unit ed in the purpose to give college stu dents friendships, activities, and life long memories. 21 of the fraternities and 13 sororities have live-in houses. Over 3,000 students are currently members of Greek organizations, but it’s the impact in what they do that makes the system strong. Both fraternities and sororities help serve their members, in achieving academic excellence. The all-Greek GPA of 3.167 is higher than the all university GPA of 3.018. This is a direct result of the emphasis that the chapters put on academic achieve ment. “Joining a Greek chapter means being a member and maybe living with upperclassmen, not just other fresh men,” Schwartzkopf said. “You will have mentors and role models that will help you out in your studies, which will benefit you immensely in getting off on the right foot academically.” Members of Greek houses also flourish on the UNL campus with their involvement in student organizations. Over half of the members of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, the students’ governing body, are Greek. Leadership opportunities are also abound within each chapter. Part of joining a Greek organization is learn ing how to be a part of an organization - how to interact with people and oper ate an organization successfully. You learn how to work for leaders and then eventually become leaders, which will serve you well once you enter the busi ness world. For evidence of how help ful an experience joining a Greek house is, one need only look at what Greek members make of themselves. All but three U.S. Presidents since 1825 were in Greek Organizations, and 75% of today’s Congressmen are Greek. 43 CEO’s of the top 50 companies in the U.S. are Greek, as are 85% of the Supreme Court Justices. Fraternities and sororities also give back to the comitau nity. 850,000 hours are volun teered yearly by Greeks nationally, and $7 million is raised nationally for charities by Greeks. At UNL, both fraternities and sororities are aptively involved in volunteer causes such as Habitat for Humanity and March of Dimes and hold their own philanthropy events such as “Hot-Tub a-ThonPancake and French toast feeds, and Fight Night to raise money for charity organizations. And, of course, joining a Greek house will give you countless opportu Please see GREEK on 24 f Your Telecommunication a Student Services Offers fill This: it Voice Mail it Long Distance * Prepaid Phone Cards it Internet Access & Caller ID it And Much More for more information, caff or stop ■■■ Located in Downtown Lincoln 126 N. 13th St. 475-3889 1