Why join a sorority?
A Smaller Community at The University of Akron and Beyond
Coming to college can be overwhelming. Having a network of sisters on campus is a great resource and comfort to many women. After college, you can look forward to having an extensive alumni network across the country. Any major city you move to will have an alumnae group of your chapter. The chapter that you join is a part of you for life.
Community Service Opportunities
All NPC sororities have a philanthropy project or foundation for which they raise money. Sororities participate in each other’s events (as well as fraternities’ events) to raise money for these great causes. Apart from fundraising, chapters encourage service by donating time or other resources to their cause. The second night of recruitment is dedicated to philanthropy.
Leadership Roles and Role Models
Many of the leaders on UA’s campus are greek. In fact, many of the administrators and faculty are greek as well! One of the reasons for such a presence of greek leadership is that greek organizations are structured so that new members all get mentors. These mentors are older members (called a “Big”) who take one new member (called a “Little”) under their wing. Bigs provide guidance, support, and advice for their Littles.
Scholarship and Grade Support
Greeks have a higher GPA on average than non-greek students. Every chapter has a different minimum GPA that members must obtain, and tutoring or counseling is provided for members who are at a grade risk. Most chapters have an entire position on their executive board for scholarship.
Fun
Being greek is also a lot of fun! You are by no means limited to just the women in your chapter; being greek is truly a cross-chapter experience. Many events, concerts, skit nights, field days, baseball games, etc. are hosted just for greek college students. As a greek you will always have a full schedule of activities and a chance to meet new people.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Primary sorority recruitment at The University of Akron is only conducted in the fall semester, after the start of school. It is important to note that the UA Panhellenic does not host formalized spring recruitment. If you are unable to participate in fall primary recruitment, but are interested in joining a sorority, you may participate in Continuous Open Bidding (COB). COB begins immediately following the end of the primary recruitment process, on Bid Day. COB is also sometimes held in the spring semester; however, not all sororities are eligible to participate in COB. In order to host COB events, a chapter must be under Chapter Total. Chapter Total at UA is currently set at 51 members.
For more information about the COB process, please contact the Vice President of Recruitment at uaphcrecruitment@gmail.com.
Yes. As long as you have not accepted a bid from an NPC sorority at UA in the past calendar year, or been initiated into an NPC sorority at UA or on another campus, you may participate in fall primary recruitment.
Yes, if you are coming from high school, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.6. If you have a semester or multiple semesters of college under your belt, you must have a minimum GPA of 2.4. If you have additional questions about individual chapter scholarship requirements, you can inquire further about minimum GPA requirements during Recruitment. This year as a courtesy to the PNM's going through recruitment, minimum high school and college GPA's for each sorority at UA will be listed in the 2022 Recruitment Booklet on the individual chapter informational pages.
Unfortunately no, all registration fees are nonrefundable, no exceptions. This is clearly stated on the recruitment registration payment link, so before you register for recruitment, please take this into consideration.
Membership in a sorority comes with a financial requirement, which should be taken into consideration. As such, we encourage you to have a meaningful discussion as a family prior to registering and/or participating in sorority recruitment at UA. A serious question to consider is "are you financially prepared and are you invested in the monetary commitment required to sustain membership in a Greek organization for, four plus years?"
Financial requirements may include membership dues, which support the local chapter and the national or international organization, facility/parlor fees, as well as room and board (if living in the facility). It is important to note that each organization's fees vary.
During primary recruitment, students with an interest in recruitment are given a financial brochure with the breakdown of costs. The first semester for a new member will likely be the most expensive due to one-time fees associated with pledging and initiation (i.e. badge and a lifetime subscription to the inter/national sorority magazine).
Parents and Family:
Today’s fraternities and sororities might surprise you! For many parents, the Greek community conjures up images of Animal House. That’s simply not the reality! There are many myths about the Greek community, but the reality is that men and women in fraternities and sororities are committed to their academics, volunteer time in the community, develop and strengthen their leadership skills, and form a campus network with other Greeks.
National research projects, conducted by the Center of Advanced Social Research at the University of Missouri, provide data that supports the beneficial qualities of membership in a fraternity or sorority. Students who join Greek life are 28% more likely to return to school the following year than students who choose not return. Following graduation, Greek-affiliated alumni often secure employment closely matching their career path due to alumni networking opportunities.