Canadians Go Greek: the source for Canadian Chapters

The McGill Tribune, McGill University Student Paper - February 4, 2002

by Nikki Bergen, The McGill Tribune

With the onset of "Greek Week," McGill's fraternity brothers and sorority sisters donned their chapter letters and took part in friendly inter-house competitions and festivities that lasted through Super Bowl Sunday. However, the fact remains that the strength and size of McGill's Greek community pales in comparison to other universities in Canada and the US.

There seems to be an overwhelming sentiment against frats on campus, not to mention a compounding disinterest — the reasons for which are as tacit as they are unswerving. Most would agree that Greek life is typically an American phenomenon. It is the sole source of under-age university inebriation in the US and as such is pointless in a city where most students are of drinking age as in Montreal. Members of McGill's Greek community believe otherwise. "So many people don't even know about us.

The main reason for Greek Week is to get Greek life in general out on campus. We get to interact with the other sororities and fraternities and we get our name out," explained Caitlin Taal, new member educator for the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. But simple numbers are a clear indicator that McGill just simply isn't into Greek life. "When you look at our numbers, only about two to three percent of the student body is involved. Compared with Western, that's practically nothing," says Taal.

Around campus, a number of answers were offered in explanation for this phenomenon. Many non-members argue that fraternity keg parties are no comparison to the nightlife of Montreal. "We're in Montreal," exclaimed one McGill Arts student. If I were in Ohio, or London, Ontario, then maybe I'd consider it. What else are you going to do in London?" "McGill is a very different community. For a Montrealer, you already have a group of friends established.

A lot of people are only nine-to-fivers at McGill," added Students' Society of McGill University President Jeremy Farrell. Farrell also noted that due to the close proximity of the downtown area, McGill students' lives are concentrated there, more than at other closed campus universities. He also explained that the entire Greek culture is not that Canadian. Historically it has never been that popular in Canada. Similar sentiments are echoed accross campus. According to one sister, the stereotype being fought is that of conformity. Most people who have no other knowledge of Greek life, think that it's all about conforming to a group.

"It's very heavily stereotyped here at McGill. At activities nights we get so many rude comments. People have this idea that we're party girls who have to sleep with the football team to be accepted. But we follow a very strict no hazing policy," said Taal. Besides the party life most associated with the Greeks, philanthropy is a major purpose for their existence.

"It's a way of having 20 guys organized and channelling all their energy in a positive and constructive way. There is a lot of philanthropy — it's at the heart of every organization," explained Aadam Al-Khabyyr of the Alpha Lambda Chi fraternity. In fact, January 28 marked McGill's second "Philanthropy Day," an event organized by the Inter-Greek Letter Council (IGLC) that raises money for charitable causes. "[The fraternities and sororities] are tremendous volunteers in the community. You need to have such organizations," said Farrell.

Yet aside from the community service, many people still question what the Greek system really has to offer students on an individual level. There seems to be a generally shared belief that fraternities and sororities are simply an expensive group of friends. Members must pay dues on a semester basis. Amounts vary by frat, but figures average close to $300 per semester for each member.

The line, "I don't need to buy my friends" is heard more than once across campus. For many students, Greek life at McGill is understood to be a paid, all-access pass to acceptance by a social group. "Sure we pay dues, but it all comes back to use in the end," said one brother. "A lot of people think that you join a frat and you take on that group's personality. But we're really all individuals."

"We're not just a bunch of Greek letters. If people can't see our true identity then they're not going to fit in. We don't want to have a bunch of people we don't like — if that's elitist, then that's elitist," explained an Alpha Lambda Chi brother.

Nevertheless, because the IGLC is an official organization under SSMU, the fact that SSMU does not officially recognize single-sex clubs rules out any permanent Greek presence in campus facilities. Thus Greek life will never be as big as it is at other schools.

Shelly Matsos, VP Philanthropy at Alpha Omicron Pi, Iota Chi Chapter at the University of Western Ontario sums up her image as a sorority girl. "At Western, we're the Kate Spade, Tiffany's girls. But our chapter consultant just came back from McGill and said that the Montreal Alpha Omicron Pi girls were definitely non-typical," she said.

Kristin Rupich, one of 100 Phi Sigma Sigma members at the University of Pennsylvania, a school which boasts 32 fraternities and seven sororities, believes 'frat life' is not about image. "I don't think we have an image. Phi Sig is just a close group of friends," she claimed.

Rupich also noted however that Phi Sigma Sigma sisters at other US universities are pretty much the same. So while the rest enjoy keg upon keg, living it up in houses, Montreal Greek lifers have adapted to the local habitat. "We don't do bake sales. Everything is adapted to the Montreal way of life. Rather than a typical keg party, we take over a bar instead," said a sister at the pool tournament. Whether this is a plus or a minus is open to debate. McGill offers a plethora of ways to get involved, but when in Rome, Greece is not too far away.