Frequently Asked Questions about聽Fraternity and Sorority Life
Why should I join a fraternity or sorority?
Joining a fraternity or sorority can be a tough decision to make, but there are many
advantages of joining a Greek organization. They are a great way to help students
with the transition to college from high school or from time off of school. Each semester
members of the fraternity and sorority community have a higher GPA than a non-Greek
student, complete multiple service hours, raise more than $200,000 for philanthropy,
and develop critical leaders on the campus. Our fraternities and sororities also practice
in many fun events like date nights, Songfest, Greek Week and Homecoming.
What does joining a fraternity or sorority look like?
Each council聽has different recruitment/intake processes. IFC and Panhel both do a
formal recruitment process in the fall, and some of their organizations will do an
informal recruitment process in the spring semester. NPHC and MGC complete recruitment
on an individual organization basis. Each semester the councils will hold a Meet NPHC/MGC
event, which we highly encourage you to attend.
Requirements of members also vary among councils and chapters. The basic requirements for all organizations are a minimum of 2.5 GPA and be enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Toledo. Some organizations will require a higher GPA. There may be other requirements for organizations such as service hours, live-in housing requirements. 聽
Joining a fraternity or sorority also comes with a significant time commitment as well. During the first semester, there will generally be weekly educational meetings on top of the standard time commitments. The standard commitments for a member are weekly meetings, service/philanthropy events, brotherhood/sisterhood events, and social events. All events may not be required, but it is essential to consider all possible time commitments when making your decision to join an organization.
For more specific information on joining each council, please see each council鈥檚 specific page.
What about hazing?
The University of Toledo defines hazing as an act which endangers the mental or physical
health or safety of a student or which destroys or removes public or private property
for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with or as a condition
of continued membership in an organization. The expressed or implied consent of the
victim will not be a defense.
Not only is hazing illegal, but all national fraternal organizations and The University of Toledo have banned hazing. If it were revealed that any organization conducted hazing activities, the organization and its members would be sent through the university conduct process and face harsh disciplinary procedures.
For more information on all our hazing resources and policies, please click here.
If suspect hazing is happening in a fraternity or sorority, please reach out to Alex Zernechel.
What sort of housing experience is there for members of fraternities and sororities?
McComas Village is small community on-campus that houses 14 chapters located by the
Glass Bowl stadium which is centrally located on campus. Each chapter house has 20-25
members live in, and the majority of our Greek organizations require that members
live in at least for one year during their membership. Several of our organizations
do require that individuals in the holding officer position live in the house during
their term.听聽
For more information on housing, please refer to the聽Resident鈥檚 Life Page.听
Who supports/oversees fraternities and sororities at The University of Toledo?
Each chapter on The University of Toledo elects their own chapter鈥檚 executive board
that oversees the chapter鈥檚 internal affairs, and these councils are supported by
alumni advisor(s). All chapters are members of four umbrella councils (IFC, MGC, NPHC,
and Panhel). 聽The four councils provide support and programming to engage all chapters.
Additionally, every chapter is a part of larger national organizations that provide
support, oversight, and resources to their chapters.
The Office of Student Engagement works closely with social sororities and fraternities to help them reach their full potential. There are two full-time staff members that are devoted to creating educational programming, provide oversight, and advise community leaders both on the council and chapter level. To support the full-time professional staff, the office has a graduate assistant and undergraduate assistants.
What is the difference between a recognized and unrecognized organization?
Recognized fraternities and sororities at The University of Toledo are a local chapter
of a national organization and are recognized as student organizations by the Office
of Student Engagement. These chapters are in good standing and are overseen by the
Greek Life staff, their national organization, and alumni boards.
Unrecognized organizations are fraternities and sororities that are no longer recognized
as student organizations by the Office of Student Engagement. Chapters may lose recognition
from The University of Toledo for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is due to
a serious violation of the student code of conduct. Often the recognition is also
revoked by the chapter鈥檚 national organization, but in some situation is it is not.
The University of Toledo highly discourages students from joining a chapter that is
not recognized by the institution.
For more information on unrecognized organizations, please click here.