For decades, Greek life at the national level has been on the decline, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Hillsdale College students, however, often withstand national trends. We hold different values and cherish unique things. The same is true with how we embrace Greek life.
Greek life is part of what makes Hillsdale College great. The people, values, and mission of pursuing high moral character, scholarship, and philanthropy are all part of the mission of each of Hillsdale’s Greek houses.
It’s an essential part of many students’ lives, and it’s an invaluable part of campus culture.
Greek life at Hillsdale College is different from the fraternity and sorority culture at other schools because of the students.
While many associate Greek life with bad behavior — like binge-drinking, exclusivity based on wealth and appearance, and extreme hazing — the same doesn’t apply to Hillsdale.
It is true Greek life has had some negative impacts on Hillsdale College in the past.
We all know tales about the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, which was disbanded in December 1996 due to excessive violations of college policies. More recently, Sigma Chi removed dozens of its members from the fraternity. And, glancing through a 1980s Winona yearbook, one can find a photo of a fraternity member holding a bottle of hard liquor.
Yet today Greek students often display the best academics, leadership, and philanthropy.
The highest GPAs have almost always belonged to students involved in Greek life. For the Fall 2018 semester, Pi Beta Phi earned a GPA .06 higher than the average for all women, and Sigma Chi achieved a GPA .11 higher than the men’s average.
Greeks also volunteer approximately 6,000 hours each year. Chi Omega volunteered the greatest number of hours of the Greek houses in 2018, spending 285 hours serving the Make-A-Wish foundation. So far in 2019, they’ve donated $4,014 to the foundation.
All of the houses stress the importance of academics, character, leadership, and service to the community — all of which complement the mission of the college.
According to the college website, “Creating social events that bring people together, building men and women of character and integrity, and serving the community are the foundation of Greek life at Hillsdale.”
Best College Reviews, a website that reviews colleges and online learning institutions to rank student programs, placed Hillsdale Greek life among the best in the Midwest and wrote that the sororities and fraternities are “dedicated to making Hillsdale a better place.”
And they have fun while they’re doing it.
Planning social gatherings, hosting formal events, and raising money for charity by pieing people in the face or competing in a chili cook-off is not only in line with the college’s mission to develop the character of young men and women, but they’re also fun and bring Greeks and non-Greeks together. And developing joyful students is part of what makes Hillsdale students so edified and involved.
Kappa Kappa Gamma, the first sorority on campus and the house I have been part of for almost two years, initiated its first pledge class in 1881. Greek life has been part of the college’s heritage for most of its history.
Greeks know how to come back from their losses, and they rejoice in the challenge of doing so.
While other schools are suffering with losing members due to problems with hazing, exclusivity, and overall unacademic reputation, Greek life is making a comeback at Hillsdale College.
Seventy-seven women joined sororities last spring, compared to 50 women the spring before. Last weekend, the Panhellenic Council hosted open houses, its largest annual recruitment event. Seventy-nine women signed up. At this rate, even more women are likely to go through recruitment in this upcoming spring.
Not only are the numbers of young men and women interested in going Greek increasing, but those men and women become quality brothers and sisters. They display determination to use their respective houses as a tool to better themselves and Hillsdale on a wider scale.
Whether it be through studying Plato’s “The Republic” or joining a sorority, Hillsdale is Greek. It is part of what makes Hillsdale special, and despite the national trends, Hillsdale will continue to stay Greek.
Allison Schuster is a junior studying politics and is the Features editor for The Collegian.
