Your role as a parent or family member…
Here are a few quick tips by students for parents/family members with students interested in joining the Fraternity & Sorority Community:
- Be supportive and learn as much as you can about Fraternity & Sorority Life as well as asking questions of your student as he or she meets members in fraternities and sororities.
- Encourage your student to attend as many campus events or recruitment events as possible during the semester. The more events your student attends the more informed he or she will be about the Fraternity & Sorority Community as well as individual chapters.
- Try not to become too involved in the recruitment process—remember that this is your student’s decision. Too often family members do not allow their students to “fight their own battles.” It helps the student to mature and gain some assertiveness when they are allowed to find information out for themselves.
- Talk to your student about the financial obligation. Determine who will pay for what and where the limits are.
- Be open-minded—Fraternity & Sorority Life is different on every campus and can change drastically on a campus over time as well. Try to let go of any stereotypes you might have seen or past experiences you might have had. You must trust that your student is capable of making this important decision.
- Conversely, just because you may have been Greek in college doesn’t mean that it is the right choice for your student, or that your organization is the best for them.
- Keep the Student Leadership and Involvement contact information on hand if you have any questions or concerns about Fraternity & Sorority Life at Michigan Tech.
Do you have a student considering joining a Greek organization in college? Learn more about the benefits of them joining in this video!
FAQ
Will joining a Greek organization affect my student’s academic pursuits?
Yes—but in a positive way! Fraternities and sororities serve as a great resource for your student academically.
Every department on campus is represented in the Fraternity & Sorority Community, and many “older” members of the community are more than willing to share
their knowledge of courses and even tutor others. Most chapters require a high grade
point average for initial membership into the organization and continue to have high
academic expectations for their members. The minimum acceptable cumulative GPA of
any organization as a whole is a 2.50, and many hold themselves to higher standards.