These are a couple of examples of the philanthropies through Greek Life that are being advertised through social media.  The first one is through the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi, spike for the cure was their philanthropy. This philanthropy was a beach volleyball tournament made up of teams from different sororities, raising money for cancer.  The second picture is for my sorority, where we are having our second philanthropy of the year called Pi Beta Phry, through the sorority Pi Beta Phi.  We are having people come to our house at the hours of 10pm-2am to come and eat different assortments of fries.  All the money raised goes to our charity the read lead achieve, promoting reading in kids at schools and everywhere else.  Recently this year we also went to a children's hospital to donate stacks of books and to read to the children there.  Lastly the bottom picture is the fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi's philanthropy of "Handprints for Hearts".  This is a philanthropy where, all proceeds of this event will be going to our National philanthropy, Save a Childs Heart. Save a Childs heart is a non profit organization based in Israel. The purpose of this organization is to save lives of ANY child that is in desperate need of heart surgery and can't afford it. As a non profit, it has always been AEPi's duty to give back to this organization that has saved over 1000 lives of children from around the world. 

Seeing all of this shows how fraternities and sororities are really committed into having philanthropies where they can really make a difference in their community and to show how Greek Life isn't everything you think it is.  We all deeply care for the philanthropies we hold, and where the money we raise go.  Participating in these different philanthropies really give you an experience you will never forget.

Time for Sterotypes

Many people like to use these kinds of videos to show why you Greek Life has no serious aspects to it, and that this is what it is all about.  Even if it is just a recruitment video, it is more to attract the female eyes to rush, not to show what this sorority is all about and what it is made of.  It is impossible to make a brief video showing all the values to it.  Is this what you think sororities are all about?

This chart shows the average GPA for fraternities at Washington State University in the spring 2012.  Thoughts and opinions? 

Networking

Some may not be familiar with what networking is, but it comes in handy in the business world.  Basically when you are applying for jobs.  Greek Life is something that can bring people together after college.  I'm not talking about those typical alumni parties and gathering you get invited back to 10 years later. But when you are applying for a job, there are times where your Greek Life affiliation can be brought up.  You can explain how you were involved with greek life and what you did with that in college to give you an experience.  Chances are that person you are being interviewed by can either be your "brother or sister", or someone who was also affiliated with greek life as well. Not only can this networking occur after college but it can occur while you are in college.  In fraternities and sororities there are always internships being passed down once the upperclassmen start graduating or finding real jobs, and your members are always going to ask their house/chapter first to pass it down onto them.  Just to keep in mind there is some statements that I found stating, "85% of fortune 500 executives were part of Greek Life.  And the first female astronaut was Greek.  So was the first female senator.".  Greek Life does make it out in the real world.

Greek Life vs. Grades

Education is a big factor in Greek LIfe, more than we give it credit for.  If you thought going through high school being surrounded with social pressure was bad, college is a whole new world.  Majority of people think that once you are in a fraternity or sorority all these greek members do are hold parties, or just party their college years away.  Yes, they do in fact hold parties and participate in them but non greek members do as well.  When you are a member in any house in Greek Life you a required to maintain a certain GPA in order to keep your membership with them.  I personally am affiliated with Greek Life know that I have to keep a certain GPA in order to stay of academic probation, and even social probation if I don't try to improve my grades if they are below the desired GPA.  At times if you put no effort in improving your grades and going to study hours it can put your membership on the line. There are also many studies that show how more people who are affiliated with Greek Life are more likely to graduate college, and become more successful.

Hazing

The one thing that comes to most people's minds when they think of fraternities and sororities is hazing. We all hear about it on the news, online, and on the social media.  But what most people forget is that Greek Life shouldn't be the one to blame when regarding this touchy subject.  Greek Life isn't the only "club" or "organization" that is being affiliated with hazing.  In an article I read, Preventing Hazing, it states, "Professional sports leagues also celebrate the practice, with photos posted to the Web each year of rookies being hazed.  In the U.S. military, a soldier and a Marine in Afghanistan committed suicide after being hazed in separate incidents, spurring a congressional outcry and a prosecution of the perpetrators by the Pentagon.  In high schools and colleges, male and female students continue to engage in the sometimes dangerous rituals, even as school administrators have stepped up anti-hazing campaigns." (David Hosansky p.133)  Our society always pinpoints that hazing only occurs in Greek Life.  Yes, that is where majority of reports happen about fraternity houses being shut down after a death that has caused by hazing.  But watch the following link, Greek Life isn't the only one on the news. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gGKzhGaczg