Canadians Go Greek: the source for Canadian Chapters

The Manitoban - University of Manitoba Student Newspaper - Sept 10, 1997

By Sarah Mearon, Features Writer

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines a fraternity as "a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest or pleasure." Nowhere in that definition is there mention of beer, football jocks, beer, keg parties, beer, platinum-blonde Valley girls in cheerleading outfits, or, for that matter, beer. Yet these images, above all others, stand out as the main doctrine of the fraternal organization.

"The whole picture drawn up by the movies Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds is fairly inaccurate," explains Joel Zemcak, president of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, one of seven Greek organizations on campus. "Unfortunately, movies such as [these] have embodied a certain mentality in the public. Even though the Greek system does many good things, they are overlooked in favour of the bad things."

It's 12:13 in the morning as Zemcak explains the finer points of fraternity and sorority life on campus, all the while bouncing up and down on a makeshift teeter-totter in the dim lights outside University Centre. In an effort to become more visible on campus, Delta Upsilon Fraternity, together with Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, put on the second annual Teeter-Totter-a-Thon last week. The goal of the 72-hour marathon was to raise money for Ronald McDonald House and Big Brothers, the philanthropies adopted by the two organizations.

Participation in charity events is one of the lesser-known activities of the members of the four fraternities and three sororities present on campus.

"One of the cool parts is the philanthropic activities that we do, knowing that we affect other people's lives," recalled Karl Rossing, also a member of Delta Upsilon.

Public events such as the Teeter-Totter-a-Thon have given Greek organizations the opportunity to make their existence on campus better known.

Graeme Green, social chair and rush chair of Zeta Psi Fraternity, is quick to point out that the whole image of the fraternal organization is mainly viewed as American, with little emphasis put on membership north of the border.

Compared to Canada, membership in the United States is staggering, with a high percentage of college students being members of Greek organizations. Green attests that there is a large party aspect to membership at American universities due to the higher drinking age of 21. The appeal to Canadian university students differs in this respect. When students join the Greek system, they join for other reasons.

"It's not all about going out to get drunk and pick up girls," emphasized Green. "The whole idea [of fraternities] was to found a brotherhood, to bring men together. Being a brother takes it to a new level of friendship. It's a strong bond between everyone. It's a circle of friends."

In a similar vein, Jennifer Roed, president of Alpha Phi Female Fraternity, offered a perspective from one of the three women's Greek organizations on campus. "You always have that support to fall back on. There's always somebody to go for coffee with. You don't have to worry about feeling silly or about not fitting in, or losing your sisters, because everone's there for each other."

Being there for each other has a special meaning for the women's fraternities, in particular. Many of them were founded at American colleges in the nineteenth century to provide a support group for college women, who were often unwelcome at institutions of higher learning in the pioneering days of women's education.

The things that brought these women together over a century ago are the same things that bring them together today. "The purpose is to provide support to women going through university. We are all very committed to being there for each other all the time. We have programs and incentives for people to keep up with school, to help people become more well-rounded," explained Roed.

Academic support is one of the main selling points of fraternities and sororities. As all members are required to be university students and maintain a certain g.p.a., schoolwork is deemed a priority.

According to Green, the Zeta Psi chapter house is undergoing a renovation and the addition of a study room in the back of the house is imminent. A study room in a fraternity house? It's a surprise to many people to find out that many Greek organizations offer extensive scholarship programs as incentives to keep up the good grades.

In addition to scholarly pursuits, fraternities and sororities offer many other opportunities to enhance the university experience.

"We offer special advantages," says Green. "This opens you up to a whole different world. Your power to network with people all across the United States and Canada is vastly improved. You get that sense of brotherhood."

Roed agrees. "The benefits you get, you can't put a monetary value on. It gives you an opportunity to become a leader and come up with new ideas. There are things you learn for the workplace that you can't get anywhere else."

Leadership opportunities such as organizing philanthropic events, running committees and sitting on executive councils all help members hone those important leadership skills that are essential to survive in the ever-evolving business world.

Zemcak offered a personal take on life as a member of Greek society: "If I hadn't joined, I would be just your regular nine-to-five student. Joining a fraternity got me more involved on campus and basically rounded out my university experience." The chance to learn life skills such as leadership and diplomacy were a big draw for Zemcak to explore campus fraternal life. "There's a lot more to Greek life than just drinking and getting hammered," he added.

Yet, the members of the seven campus Greek organizations admittedly also exist as a social medium for university students. According to Val Krysanski, president of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, "the social aspect has probably the biggest appeal. I think people are looking to meet people at university, rather than hang out with their high-school friends."

Organizing and attending annual formals, socials and parties is the aspect of Greek life that appeals to many potential new members. What isn't common knowledge is that, in attending formals, skills like manners, etiquette and diplomacy are learned and are subsequently available to be applied to many different situations a member may encounter in his or her life experience.

This life experience is essentially what fraternity and sorority life is all about. It's certainly not for everyone, but those who partake in it often tell of how it enriched and enlivened their university careers.

The most important time of year for the Greek organizations, formal rush, is upon the university this week. New members are recruited and each fraternal order begins a new season of, well, fraternizing, in the hopes of continuing the spirit of friendship and acceptance spawned by their organizations' founders, many years ago.

For those who see formal rush as an opportunity to get plastered, Graeme Green of Zeta Psi had this to say: "It's not a big issue to us to see how drunk we can get our rushes. We want to build a strong brotherhood." He sounds convincing....