If you didn't already know, Purdue University is home to one of the largest Greek Communities in the country. Greeks hold an undeniably prominent presence on and off campus.
Purdue University is home to 12 cooperative houses and more than 80 fraternities and sororities. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) governs 41 men's fraternities at Purdue. The Multicultural Greek Council governs 11 multicultural fraternities and sororities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council governs 9 historically African-American fraternities and sororities at Purdue. The Panhellenic Association governs 20 women's fraternities and sororities. And lastly, the 12 cooperative houses are governed by the Purdue Cooperative Council.
Purdue has a very specific mission for its Greek Life in mind as well.
"Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life provides a meaningful co-curricular experience through academic support, leadership development, civic engagement and organizational excellence."
Today, Purdue has over 6,000 students holding membership in such organizations. Several of Purdue's most distinguished students and graduates are members of fraternities, sororities, and cooperatives.
For example, Neil Armstrong was in Phi Delta Theta and was first man to walk on the moon. And Drew Brees is another Purdue Graduate and Greek alum. He was the Saints’ Super Bowl winning quarterback and was a member of Sigma Chi. And another, Jim Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity.
As you can see, Purdue's Greek life has had some noteworthy people come out of it at the end of the tunnel that are definitely worth keeping in mind.
Greek Life has an enormous standing at our university and it's honestly hard to imagine it any other way.
Greeks play a HUGE role in philanthropy events. Members of Greek Life heavily influence events such as PUDM since the houses push their members to be apart of the event and raise money for the kids. There also wouldn't be events like puppy-petting philanthropies and giant cookouts that benefit a national cause.
Academically, Greeks have a higher average GPA than Purdue students that are not involved in Greek Life. Most schools have a minimum GPA you must maintain in order to remain a member.
The networking opportunities are never-ending. From your Purdue chapter and national chapters especially, SO MANY DOORS open for you as a result of joining your Greek house. Along the way, you meet so many amazing people and it creates a genuine sense of community that those who are not a part of Greek life may be lacking.
Brotherhood and Sisterhood is so beyond real. I know that not every house has this to the same extent, but either way... it's still there in some shape or form. And honestly, I wish it was taken more seriously at each and every chapter.
Students are given the ability to have fun, but the beneficial thing about SARMA is that it can regulate social events in an effort to make them more safe for EVERYONE. Prohibiting alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content over 50% is honestly something that some people are willing to fight, but is also something that has probably prevented thousands of students from suffering from Alcohol Poisoning as well and that is a trade I'd stand by any day.
Continuing on about SARMA, they require sober drivers to ensure all men and women get home safely and are comfortable at all times. Sober roamers are required to make sure everyone is content, no one is overly intoxicated, and that there are no hazards such as fire hazards, capacity limits, and etc. Door sobers are also put in place to make sure the right people are entering/exiting the right place and not just wandering in and out of the function. This takes away the chance of any unknown male or female getting into the event.
Sadly, all of this would be tarnished if Greek Life was shut down. House Parties would be out of control, hospital transports would increase, philanthropy dollars and events would decrease dramatically. The community in general would feel the effects of ending entire Greek systems. Whether it's volunteering, raising money, or shaping themselves and each other into important public figures or leaders of our country, Greek Life simply does too much for the community to be left unnoticed or put to an end.
Greek Life is going to continue to diminish and be stereotyped at an even higher level if we let the bad outweigh the good. So, let's stop doing that and work towards becoming better as a community altogether. Let's save Greek Life for not only ourselves, but each other and our future legacies as well.
