NCSU is home to a multitude of different Greek organizations: a total of thirty-three fraternities and twenty sororities dedicated to all sorts of values such as service, culture, academia and faith.
Whether or not to go Greek is an important decision, and students join for multiple reasons. Will Pinson, junior in biological sciences and member of Sigma Nu, wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father.
“My dad was a Sigma Nu, and I knew a bunch of guys from high school so I kind of just moved into it,” Pinson said.
Some students learned about their Greek organization through friends.
“I honestly just joined spontaneously,” said Brandon Edwards, a sophomore in graphic design and member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. “I just asked a friend of my roommate’s when a meeting was and it was actually the same night and so I just ended up doing it. It’s not like I looked at fraternities or compared any, I just chose this one because it was in front of my face.”
Major-oriented sororities and fraternities attract students looking to get more into their studies.
“I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed my chemistry classes,” said Will Appleyard, a junior in biological sciences and member of Alpha Chi Sigma, State’s professional chemistry fraternity.
According to Appleyard, though his fraternity is concerned with science, it’s more than solving formulas together. “We do a lot more than sit around and talk about chemistry,” Appleyard said. “We’ll go to schools and do science experiments for younger kids to try and get them interested in science. We also make great professional connections.”
For others, it was about making a personal connection to their group’s mission.
“I was looking for a philanthropy I can really relate to, something where I valued the same things that the girls in the sorority valued,” Sarah Gudger, a sophomore in political science, said. Gudger is a recent addition to Alpha Delta Pi, a National Panhellenic sorority. Alpha Delta Pi supports the Ronald McDonald House, a charity dedicated to providing family-centered care to children and parents in need.
Connor Pilgrim, junior in chemical engineering and president of Sigma Nu fraternity, agrees with Gudger.
“We got St. Baldrick’s in the spring, that’s usually a really big philanthropy event,” Pilgrim said. “We’d like to be recognized for things that we do on campus more than our social events.”
However, joining a Greek organization comes with its stereotypes. The media’s portrayal of Greek life is often radically different from what joining a fraternity or sorority actually entails; but it doesn’t stop people from drawing their own conclusions. According to Pilgrim, he finds himself having to regularly defend his choice.
“Not really anyone in my family is or was Greek, or ever went Greek so they weren’t really on board when I joined a fraternity,” Pilgrim said. “There’s a lot more emphasis on doing well academically and doing well professionally than you ever see on TV or anything like that.”
Pinson also strives to combat these stereotypical mentalities associated with Greek life when advocating for Sigma Nu.
“I don’t think we’re as stereotypically like party animals like you would see from Animal House,” Pinson said. “We actually get a lot of stuff done. You literally meet friends there closer than anybody else you know and I guess we want to be emphasized for our good achievements, like grades, events we throw, and money we raise for charity rather than bad things that might happen.”
