Insights into Joining Greek Life (+ more)
It’s no secret that Purdue University has a lot of options for students to be involved. During four years, you will surely be provided plenty of opportunities to leave an impact on campus but one of my personal favorites is being part of the Fraternity, Sorority, and Cooperative community. While it may not be for everyone, if you have any interest in joining this post is for you. Leadership, service, scholarship, and growth are just a few opportunities that stand before you in the FSCL community.
As a freshman, I knew little about greek life and even less about Purdue’s unique cooperative housing system and it was overwhelming to say the least. So much so that I waited to join until my sophomore year (which I do not regret at all but that’s a personal opinion). I am in no way here to persuade you one way or another but if you do have the slightest bit of curiosity, here is a breakdown of what Purdue FSCL has to offer you!
First, we have Purdue Panhellenic which is what you probably would think of as sororities. There are 21 sororities and fraternities at Purdue which make up our Panhellenic Association. While some chapters are called sororities, others are women’s fraternities. Regardless of the title, these houses of women have a focus on leadership development, personal growth, academics, philanthropy, community service, and networking. Recruitment takes place in the fall semester of each school year with registration/more information being available the summer prior. As an agriculture major, you may even be interested in joining a sorority comprised of women with the same passion. Sigma Alpha is a professional sorority and will be well worth researching if that sounds like something you’d be interested in! Agriculture-focused or not, all are great options for women to join and are sure to provide many opportunities in many ways during your college experience.
Next, fraternities. Fraternities are part of the Interfraternity Council (IFC). Fraternities are very similar to sororities in that recruitment occurs during the first few weeks of the fall semester. They also have very similar focuses and opportunities as sororities. The key differentiator is that fraternities consist of male members but function very closely to sororities. Purdue has 42 fraternities to choose from. Do your research before recruitment because there is no way you will be able to visit all 42! Select some that stick out to you during that time and keep them in mind when returning to school in the fall. Events are typically posted on the chapter’s social media pages so be on the lookout for those and, of course, reach out to them if you have questions! They’d be more than willing to help! Given Purdue’s agriculture focus, it should not come as a surprise that Purdue has two agriculture-heavy chapters—FarmHouse and Alpha Gamma Rho. Membership is not limited to those in majors in the College of Agriculture, but a lot (not all!) of CoA students that join a fraternity will at least check out these houses!
Cooperative housing is next. While I am not personally involved in cooperative housing, they are very similar to fraternities and sororities with a few more independent liberties as they are unique to Purdue. There are 4 houses for men and 7 for women. While these houses tend to have less members than the average fraternity or sorority, don’t let size confuse you. They have the same opportunities available as any other house on campus! Formal recruitment takes place in the beginning of the spring semester which allows you a little more time to research before joining. Memberships are also cheaper as members take turns doing tasks around the house to minimize costs! (which is a huge perk in college) Don’t mistake the lower cost for a lesser experience though! Some of agronomy’s own have been members of cooperative life and had amazing experiences!
There are also opportunities to join the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) or the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) for men and women that do an amazing job educating and improving our community and our campus and so much more! Again, research is key in finding the best fit for you, whether that be joining FSCL or not. The Purdue FSCL website is a great resource and has a ton of contacts to utilize if you’d like more information!