#50: The Pros and Cons of Joining a Fraternity or Sorority

My guest in this episode is Brian Mann, National Director of InterVarsity’s ministry among students in fraternities and sororities. As many students are on campuses with Greek houses, I’ve asked Brian to help us understand what the “Greek System” is, and the pros and cons of “going Greek” at college.

In this podcast we discuss:

• What is a fraternity or sorority?
• Why Greek letters are identified with fraternities and sororities (and therefore are referred to as “Greek houses,” which are all part of the “Greek system” on campus,  and to join is to “go Greek”)
• Why Greek societies often foster leadership development
• Why some universities do or do not have a Greek system, and roughly how many campuses do
•  Brian’s experiences in a fraternity as a believer–some negative, some positive
• Greek life and the “third way” of engaging the campus culture
• The difference between a Greek House and a Greek house
• The overall advantages and disadvantages of joining a fraternity or sorority
• How to identify healthy and unhealthy fraternities and sororities before joining
• Defining important terms such as “rush,” “bid,” “house,” “chapter,” “pledge,” “active,” etc.
• Should you go Greek as a freshman, or wait until your sophomore year?
• The advantages and disadvantages of joining a fraternity or sorority as a believer
• The number one factor to help determine whether you should go Greek
• How InterVarsity’s Greek Ministry serves students in fraternities and sororities

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

• Greek InterVarsity
• Stan Wallace, “Are You An Artist, a Cheerleader, or a Demolition Engineer? Three Ways Christians Relate to Culture”