Family and friends frequently ask:

• Fraternity or sorority members at UConn have the ability to achieve academic excellence through study hours, chapter scholarship programs, honor societies, and assistance by older members within their chapter.
• Studies have shown that members of Fraternity & Sorority Organizations are statistically more likely to return to school the following year.
• The networking available through alumni relations and members of other chapters is extensive. One of the four pillars of the Greek community is siblinghood (brotherhood/sisterhood), which is the development of friends into brothers and sisters for life. Being a member provides your student with support through good times and bad as well as job opportunities and networking following graduation.
• Fraternities and sororities at UConn encourage members to get involved in their respective chapters, the Fraternity & Sorority community, and in campus organizations beyond merely the social level. For our members alone, there are a number of leadership opportunities that can increase students’ achievement in academics, enhance leadership, communication, and management skills.
• One concern for prospective students is the size of the University. UConn Storrs has approximately 18,500 undergraduate students and finding a strong group of friends can be difficult. Fraternity and Sorority Life is one of the best ways for your student to locate that sense of community while still promoting academics, involvement on campus, and developing lifetime friendships and networking.
• Community Service is a key component of our community. Events are readily available for your student to maintain their contributions to the local community.

Take time to find out more about the fraternity and sorority community at UConn and the chapter your student is considering joining.

Visit the chapter and websites of the inter/national organization to find out what they do and what they are about.

Ask your student about activities and events they are attending and how they feel about the organizations(s) they are interested in or have joined.

Seek to find opportunities that involve families and participate in them. That is a great way to meet your student’s fellow chapter member, and potentially other families of fellow members and the chapter/alumni advisor(s).

Keep an open mind. Fraternity & Sorority life is not for everyone. Just because you may have been a fraternity or sorority member doesn’t mean that it is the right choice for your student. In addition, fraternities and sororities are different on every campus. Encourage your student to choose the group that they feel the most comfortable joining. Keep the Center for Fraternity & Sorority Development contact information (greeklife@uconn.edu) on hand if you have any questions or concerns about fraternity and Sorority life at UConn. In short, be supportive, be involved, and ask questions.

Each Fraternity or Sorority on campus has a local or inter/national alcohol policy, which requires members to follow all federal, state, and local laws, governing alcohol consumption. In addition, all of our chapters participate in educational programs about alcohol use and abuse.

You can find our alcohol policy, along with other policies, on our Policies & Forms webpage.

Hazing is contrary to the purposes of the UConn fraternity and Sorority community and University of Connecticut. See the policy about Hazing from the office of Community Standards here.  If it is discovered that hazing has taken place and the person(s) involved are found responsible judicially, those involved may face sanctions up to and including removal from the University and a loss of chapter recognition. If you sense your student may be participating in inappropriate activities as a result of membership in a Fraternity or Sorority, you should contact the Community Standards Office 860-486-8402 or Public Safety 860-486-4800.

Students elect their own officers to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. These officers are assisted by members serving on committees and alumni who serve as advisors to the officers and general chapter members. Each group is governed by its inter/national headquarters, which established their chapter's regulations, and offers advice and direction through professional staff and regional volunteers.

Our office, CFSD, meets with the officers and executive boards of these organizations consistently. In these meetings, we help them in understanding and achieving the requirements for our Expectations of Excellence (EOE) to be considered an organization in good standing. We also offer programming to our overall fraternity & sorority community to meet some of the requirements but to also offer opportunities of learning on topics that relate to our student organizations. Essentially, we advise, encourage, and set guidelines for our students but it is up to them to execute the efforts of their organizations.

Additionally, all entities mentioned above plus the Office of Community Standards work together when an organization is being investigated. They are the only entity to adjudicate and have the ability to sanction an organization after a formal investigation.