DID YOU KNOW?

•  48% of all U.S. Presidents have been Greek

•  42% of U.S. Senators are Greek

•  30% of U.S. Congressmen/women are Greek

•  40% of all U.S. Supreme Court Justices have been Greek

•  30% of Fortune 500 executives are Greek

•  10% of all listed in "Who's Who" are Greek

If you desire to become involved while at college, look no further then the Pitt Greeks. Finding your interests on and around campus can become easier with the help of members currently involved in campus organizations. Greeks are actively involved in nearly every student organization on campus and most hold leadership positions within that organizations such as the Pitt News, Pitt Program Council (PPC), Student Government Board (SGB), Resident Student Association (RSA), Black Action Society (BAS), and many more.

Leadership opportunities unique to the Greek community include the many positions available in the Inter-fraternity Council, Pan-Hellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and especially positions within your individual chapter. Accepting a position within the Greek system and your own chapter is more than just a leadership opportunity-it can be an awesome experience that will introduce you to even more people outside your own chapter. With opportunities for Greeks everywhere, the chances to lead and gain experience are more than plentiful.but only if you take advantage of them.

When you become involved on campus within your own chapter and throughout the Greek system, you help shape the community in which you live. Individuals are only allowed to be in one social fraternity or sorority, but this does not exclude you from involvement in the many other professional, service, or honorary Greek organizations.

Greek Academics
Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Pittsburgh established that first and foremost, academics are the priority for its organizations. Each chapter stresses the importance of excelling academically, and provides resources and assistance to its members throughout their educational experience at Pitt.

Fraternity and Sorority Life strives to ensure that all the Greek organizations are an integral part of the University's campus life, and every member is exposed to all the basic principals of leadership, scholarship, and philanthropy.

Studies have shown that just over 50% of students in colleges and universities go on to graduate, and U.S. Department of Education data also shows that members of fraternities and sororities graduate at a rate in excess of 70%.

Oftentimes members find that their communication and interpersonal skills have improved greatly due to their Greek experience.

• "The experiences that I've had in Sigma Phi Epsilon have extended beyond the walls of our fraternity house. I've met people, been places, and experienced life in a way that wouldn't have been possible without SigEp." ~Terry Meyer, SigEp
• "Sorority life has helped me develop as a person professionally and personally. Professionally it has provided leadership training and practice in working with diverse people to accomplish a common goal. Personally, sorority life has opened my mind and heart wider to relate and serve people better. I feel it was a training ground for being in the 'real world'." ~Kathy Lloyd,Alumnae, Phi Mu
• "People do not understand the tremendous amount of power and love that Greek lettered organizations possess. Once I became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., I made contacts and connections all over the world. No matter where I go I am never alone, because, thanks to my illustrious fraternity, I have a friend in every city of the country." ~Ron Coursey, Alumnae, Omega Psi Phi

The academic average of the Greek system and its members have been consistently higher than academic averages of non-Greek counterparts. Academic support opportunities for Greeks include: national and local scholarships and grants; incentives and awards; workshops in areas such as time management, tutoring, and mentoring programs; established study sessions and quiet hours; grade-point average requirements; and available study spaces and computer access. Make no mistake; Fraternity and Sorority Life's number one priority at the University of Pittsburgh is their education.

Greek Recruitment
Recruitment Week is the specific time when IFC and Panhel recruit new members. Recruitment Week is a time to meet new people and explore the opportunities that Greek life offers. You will meet dozens of people and get to know many of them as friends, regardless of whether you join a fraternity or not.

The University of Pittsburgh, has two distinct recruitment periods. The first begins roughly one month into the school year and generally lasts about 10 days. Recruitment ends when bids are collected from all chapters. The second begins roughly one month into the second semester and again ends with the collection of bids. Informally, though, recruitment is going on all around us 365 days a year. Fraternities and sororities are constantly seeking new members and making new friends, but they are only allowed to begin new member periods at these two standardized points during the school year. The ways, in which recruitment is run are slightly different between the IFC and NPC, so be sure to read the section that specifically applies to you.