Parents
Feel free to contact me, Joe Gagnon, the President of Skulls at West Chester University, with any questions you may have: 267-718-0498 (glacers77@comcast.net)
How Can Your Son Benefit From Fraternity Membership?
For your son, making the transition from high school or a community college to a four-year college or university may seem like an imposing challenge. One or more of the following questions may be on his mind:
Will I fit in and make new friends?
Will I be able to succeed academically?
Will I be able to get involved in campus organizations and better my leadership skills?
Will I find other people interested in the same things that I am?
How can I prepare for my career?
Will I feel like a part of the campus community or just another number?
Fraternities exist as a proven support network for your son as he embarks on this new period in his life. Over 400,000 students across the country are currently fraternity members.
The fraternity can help personalize your son's college experience by offering a scholastic support system; hands-on experience in leading committees, managing budgets, and interacting with faculty and administrators; exposure to potential careers through educational programs and discussions with alumni; the chance to give back the community through service projects; and close friends who will cheer him on when he is successful and support him when times are tough. With all these opportunities available to them, it is no wonder that fraternity members tend to graduate from college at a higher rate than those men not involved in fraternities. (courtesy the North-American Interfraternity Conference)
As a parent, you are undoubtedly concerned about your son's college experience and the choices he will make. Check out our Parent's Guide to Greek Life below...
GUIDE TO GREEK LIFE
As your son prepares to attend college, he will have many opportunities to become involved in campus life. Becoming a part of a fraternity is one of them!
What will my son get out of Greek life that they would not get out of any other college organization?
Coming to college is one of the major life changes that your son will go through. Joining a fraternity will help make the transition easier. The fraternity experience is multifaceted and offers numerous opportunities to your student. Developing life-long friendships with the members in their chapter helps make the campus smaller. For many members, these chapters become a home away from home. In addition to the brotherhood, every chapter is dedicated to enhancing leadership, scholarship, philanthropy/service, and financial responsibility through various programs and opportunities. It will be up to your son to determine the level of involvement they want to have in the organization and what kind of experience it will be for them.
How will joining a chapter now benefit my son after college?
The life long friendships your son will make through their chapter can last into post-college years. Greeks have national networks for their members to use for securing jobs and advancing their careers. Membership in a chapter is a life-long experience that the member and the fraternity enjoy together. Joining now is really an investment in your son's future as they will reap the benefits now and for a lifetime. Wherever a member ends up after college, chances are he will be able to find other members of his fraternity.
Will my son’s academics be compromised if they join a Greek chapter?
Students often find managing their time difficult when moving from the highly structured high school environment to the freedom of college life. Greek membership assists in that transition by offering scholarship programs that may include study partners, mandatory study hours, and time management workshops. Your son can also access the network of chapter members who already know how to use campus resources like the library, study skills center, computer labs, and academic advisors. Nothing, however, can take the place of a disciplined and academically-focused student to ensure success in college. Thanks, in part, to the chapter's academic goals and these programs, the average GPA among Greek members has been consistently higher than the All University Student's GPA. We encourage you to take this information into consideration when helping your student decide which fraternity they may want to join.
What is a Philanthropy or Service Project?
Greek members take it as part of their mission to support their national philanthropies (non-for-profit causes). Throughout the year, each chapter spends time fundraising and volunteering to help their particular philanthropy. The time spent together on philanthropic and service events is one of the many times that fraternity members have the opportunity to bond, while making a difference in a community member’s life.
How much time does a chapter take up?
The time commitment varies from chapter to chapter but the first semester is the most time intensive as the new member goes through the chapter’s Pillar's New Member Education Program. The time spent in this program will give your student the opportunity to develop their leadership and time management skills, learn about the history of the Fraternity, develop friendships with their new member class, as well as the rest of the chapter, and allow them to become involved with other organizations. After the initiation into the chapter, expectations will vary. Each chapter has weekly chapter meetings and other mandatory events (philanthropic, service, initiation) throughout the year, but they are planned well in advance. The more your son puts into the chapter the more he will get out of being a member!
What does it cost to be a member?
The Greek Experience is an investment in your student's future. The leadership skills, the academic assistance, and friendships will benefit your child beyond their college days. The perception that fraternities are only an option for “rich” students is widespread and false. Greek organizations are quite affordable and fees go to services that will positively impact your son. Many students work to supplement funding for their dues. Member’s dues directly support the betterment of the chapter and the national organization. To assist members, chapters may offer various scholarships and grants. We encourage your son to ask questions related to finances during the recruitment process. We also encourage you to be ”hands-on” in this decision if you have any questions about the obligations regarding finances.
Are fraternities primarily social in nature?
There is a social aspect to the Greek community but these “social” events include education programs/workshops, community service events, intramural sports, Parent’s Day, Homecoming Parade and dinner exchanges in addition to parties and socials. Today’s Greek communities across the nation have adopted a stringent approach to socializing thereby creating a safer, more beneficial environment for members.
Is there an alcohol policy?
Some fraternity houses prohibit the use of alcohol on their facilities. Each chapter has an alcohol policy in which there are yearly educational programs that the chapter is required to present to its members.
What about hazing?
Phi Kappa Sigma prohibits all forms of hazing. A holistic definition of hazing can also be found in every University’s Code of Polices and Regulations Applying to All Students. The Fraternity investigates all allegations.
What is my role as a parent?
Take the time to find out more about the chapter your son is joining. Ask questions about what the organizations will offer your child and allow them to make the best decision for themselves. Once your child chooses to join a chapter, there will be opportunities for weekend activities, as well as football games, or a number of other activities.
As you look into the Greek Community with your son consider the following information compiled by national studies:
Fraternity affiliation can positively influence retention through graduation. Fraternity affiliation directly impacts campus involvement and overall student satisfaction with college. Fraternity affiliation can positively influence involvement in civic organizations after college. Some statistics compiled by the North-American Interfraternity Conference include:
48% of all US Presidents have been Greek
42% of US Senators are Greek
30% of US Congressmen are Greek
40% of all US Supreme Court Justices have been Greek
30% of Fortune 500 Executives are Greek
And Greeks only make up 3% of the US population.
More Statistics:
*Nationally, 71% of all Greeks graduate, while only 50% of non-Greeks graduate.*The All Greek GPA is higher than the overall collegiate GPA.
*Since 1910, 85% of the Supreme Court Justices have been Greek.
*85% of the Fortune 500 key executives are Greek.
*Of the nation's 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by Greeks.
*76% of Who's Who in America are Greek.
*All but two Presidents since 1825 have been Greek.
*70% of the U.S. Presidents' cabinet members since 1900 have been Greek.
*76% of U.S. Senators are Greek.
*Both women appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court were sorority members.
*Over 85% of the student leaders on 730 campuses are members of Greek-letter organizations.
*Less then 2% of an average college students expenses go towards Greek membership dues.
*A study by the University of Missouri found that Greeks throughout the US and Canada are more involved on their campuses and rate their overall university experience better.
*The same study found that Greeks are more involved in their communities; and give more generously to their alma maters.
*Greeks form the largest network of volunteers in the U.S.-Nationally, Greeks volunteer approximately 10 million hours of community service annually.
*Greek Life strongly encourages within its community to uphold the ideals that they were founded on: sisterhood and brotherhood, scholarship, leadership, philanthropy, and becoming better citizens of society.
*Hazing is against National Greek Headquarters policies.
*Nationally, Greek organizations are the largest and most visible value-based student organizations.
Now that you have read some facts concerning Greek Life, here are *some* familiar names who are Greek who might help you see how Greek Life helps people succeed
Martin Luther King Jr, Adam Sandler, Admiral James J. Carey, Al Michaels, Ali Landry, Alice Sheets Marriot, Allen Bean, Alonzo Mourning, Amy Grant, Andy Griffith, Andy Rooney, Ann Margaret, Aretha Franklin, Ashley Judd, Aston Kutcher, Ben Savage, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Bob Barker, Bobby Jones, Brad Pitt, Burt Reynolds, Cedric the Entertainer, Colonel Sanders, Coretta Scott King, Cybil Shepard, Danny Thomas, Dave Thomas, David Duchovny, David Letterman, David Spade, David Stern, **** Clark, Dionne Warwick, Dr. Alyce Gullantee, Dr. Collette Kohler, Dr. Seuss, Drew Carey, Dwight Eisenhower, Elvis Presley, Faye Dunaway, Fred Savage, Gladys Knight, Goldie Hawn, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner, John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Kate Spade, Katie Couric, Kurt Vonnegut, Lucy Lui, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Jordan, Molly Sims, Neil Armstrong, Nick Lachey, Roger Ebert, Rosa Parks, Shaquille O'Neal, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Spielberg, Will Ferrel, Woody Harrelson, just to name a few...
SOME FAMOUS PHI KAPS!:
| Roger Chaffee | Phi Kappa Sigma | astronaut |
| B. F. Bane | Phi Kappa Sigma | 1st head of Social Security System |
| John A. McCone | Phi Kappa Sigma | Director, CIA; Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission |
| David F. Nolan | Phi Kappa Sigma | Founder Liberatarian Political Party |
| Lewis F. Powell, Jr. | Phi Kappa Sigma | U.S. Surpreme Court Justice |
| Adolphus A Busch IV | Phi Kappa Sigma | Anheuser Busch Company |
| A. F. du Pont | Phi Kappa Sigma | Director, DuPont de Nemours |
| Pierre S. du Pont | Phi Kappa Sigma | Director, DuPont de Nemours |
| Charles L. Jarvie | Phi Kappa Sigma | President, Dr. Pepper Co. |
| W. C. Barber | Phi Kappa Sigma | Pulitzer Prize Winner |
| Frederick de Cordova | Phi Kappa Sigma | Producer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; Movie Producer and Director, Universal and Warner Bros; Producer and Director, Jack Benny Show, December Bride, Burns and Allen Show, and My Three Sons |
| Oswald Jacoby | Phi Kappa Sigma | #1 Bridge Point Scorer in the World, Hold 32 National Bridge Titles |
| Tom Wolfe | Phi Kappa Sigma | Author |
| G. David Low | Phi Kappa Sigma | Astronaut, Columbia Space Shuttle |
| Stanford Moore | Phi Kappa Sigma | Nobel Prize Winner, Chemistry |
| Dr. Edward M. Purcell | Phi Kappa Sigma | Nobel Prize Winner, Physics |
| Pierre Samuel du Pont | Phi Kappa Sigma | Former CEO of General Motors |
National Greek Websites:
North-American Interfraternity Conference: www.nicindy.org
It’s All Greek to Me!
Fraternities oftentimes use Greek-letters for their names. This stems back from the studies of the classics in the late 1700's and the introduction of fraternities to college campuses! Phi Kappa Sigma is the 2nd oldest active fraternity, founded in 1850 at the University of Pennsylvania.
LIFE SKILLS: By joining a fraternity one will get to fine tune their life skills for the post college world.
MEN'S HEALTH: As an important aspect of college life, Phi Kap members care about staying healthy.
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: Giving back the Phi Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation is one way to ensure your son's future.
Thank you for your interest in our Fraternity
We hope to see you all this fall.
-The Skulls