When I began to research colleges, I focused on large schools with a sizable Greek life. However, in the end, I chose a school with no Greek life whatsoever. Fairfield University is a Jesuit Roman Catholic University. The Jesuits believe that their institutions do not need Greek life, thus there are no such organizations. There are pros and cons to not having Greek life.
Personally, not having Greek life has not affected my college experience. If Fairfield had it, I would most likely join a sorority. However, not having the opportunity has not had an impact on my time at Fairfield. I hear my friends from home talk about how their sorority has made them feel included at school. I understand that sororities and fraternities do give you some level of comfort, especially within the first few months of freshman year. Without sororities and fraternities, one is forced to actually go out and meet new people, especially those you have things in common with. At Fairfield you can form friendships with people who are involved in the same activities as you. You both have a common interest which will make you more compatible. Additionally, without Greek life you are forced to make friends with anyone you possibly can. There is no security in knowing that you will always have your sorority sisters or fraternity brothers to fall back on. You are forced to make real true friends that will always have your back no matter what.
If you are worried that not having Greek life will mean the school does not have a social atmosphere, you are wrong. Fairfield still manages to have fun without Greek life. (We live on the beach, how bad can it be?) Without Greek life, there is more inclusion. People are not labeled as “uncool” because they are part of a lower tier sorority or fraternity. I think the Jesuits established the rule of no Greek life for this very reason. The Jesuits value educating the whole person and that means accepting others for who they are and not what fraternity they belong to.
There are few cons to not having fraternities and sororities. There aren’t as many formals to dress up and attend. I don’t have a Big who will spoil me with gifts, and I won’t be able to artistically paint a cooler. Overall, not having Greek life isn’t that big of a deal at Fairfield though. I don’t think anyone would really protest the Jesuits to make them allow it. It just doesn’t seem to bother that many people. And personally for me, I would rather live at the beach on The Point over Greek Row any day.
