Fraternity & Sorority Life Parent and Family Resources
When your student joins a fraternity or sorority, there are many great opportunities for you to be involved as a parent or family member! We understand the significant role that families play in the college experience, and we are committed to providing you with the information and support you need to assist your students on their journey. Here, you will find valuable resources about the benefits of joining a fraternity or sorority, financial obligations, ways to stay involved, and answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to ensure that you feel informed and confident as your student navigates their involvement in Fraternity and Sorority Life.
Benefits of Joining a Fraternity or Sorority
Academic Achievement
- On average, students in Fraternity and Sorority Life have a higher GPA than non-affiliated students. In Fall 2023, the average FSL GPA was 3.51, whereas the general undergraduate average was 3.3. Academic programming plays a large part in FSL chapters and students are always encouraged to put their academics first.
Leadership Development
- Fraternity and Sorority Life brings many leadership opportunities to students. Members can serve in a variety of positions on their chapter’s leadership teams, as representatives or officers on governing councils, or as members of our Dance Marathon executive team. While there are many official positions, there are opportunities for all members to be leaders in the community and build their skills.
Community and Belonging
- Creighton University's Fraternity and Sorority Life fosters a strong sense of community and belonging by encouraging inclusive social connections and personal development. Through various events, service projects, and leadership opportunities, members create lasting bonds and contribute positively to the campus and local community. This supportive environment helps students grow both personally and professionally, ensuring a well-rounded and fulfilling college experience.
Your Role as a Family Member
Ask Questions
- Recruitment is an exciting time for students, but it can also be stressful! Asking your student questions about their experience during the recruitment process, but also through their membership, is a great way to support them as they make their decision.
Keep an Open Mind
- Whether you were involved in a fraternity or sorority in college or not, every chapter has great benefits and each member have a unique experience in Fraternity and Sorority Life. Remember that this is your student’s choice, and he/she should choose the chapter that feels right, regardless of legacy or family history!
Discuss Financial Obligations
- Determine who will pay for what and the limits those expenses may include. Each fraternity and sorority has its own dues/costs for their organization and it is important for your student to ask about financial expectations before joining. Many one-time fees are paid during the first semester of membership, so expect the first few months to be the most expensive. Joining a fraternity or sorority is a lifetime commitment, both personally and financially!
How to Get Involved
Attend Parents and Family Weekends
- Many of our chapters host parent and family weekends that give families the opportunity to learn more about your student's organization, meet other members, and spend time with your student.
Support Chapter Philanthropy Events
- Chapters host advocacy and philanthropy events on campus that are open to community members. Supporting these events supports your students while also contributing to their philanthropic initiatives.
Talk to your student about their experience
- From date parties and formals to philanthropy events and chapter meetings, there are many events that your student will be able to participate in once they become a member. Talk to your student about what their chapter is doing and stay up to date with family events.
Why should my student join a fraternity or sorority?
- Membership in a fraternity or sorority offers Creighton students a close community and a home away from home. While there are many benefits that members receive during their time in college, research also shows that fraternity and sorority members are often more successful after college.
What questions should I ask my student during recruitment?
- While it is ultimately the student’s decision what chapter they decide to join, here are some questions to help guide your student through their process:
- What is expected of fraternity/sorority members?
- What does the chapter do to promote academics?
- What leadership opportunities are available in the chapters?
- How is the chapter involved in the community?
- What are the costs associated with membership?
- What are the new member costs?
- What values does the organization promote?
- What is the time commitment expected?
Do fraternities and sororities haze?
- Creighton has a Zero Tolerance Policy when it comes to hazing.
- If you, or someone that you know, is ever put in a compromising situation, please notify a member of one of the governing councils, someone in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center, or someone in Community Standards and Student Conduct, and we will rectify the situation.
- View information about the university hazing policy.
What is the cost associated with joining a fraternity or sorority?
- Students who join a fraternity or sorority have a financial obligation to their national organization and are responsible for paying their dues according to contracts they sign with the organization. Many organizations have payment plans and scholarships are offered through national organizations, the governing councils, and the Student Leadership and Involvement Center.
- Inter-Fraternity Council
- Average New Member Dues: $669 ($570-$850 range)
- Average Active Member Dues: $464 ($350-$500 range)
- Panhellenic Council
- Average New Member Dues: $640 ($469-$738 range)
- Average Active Member Dues: $359 ($329-$400 range)
- Culturally Based Fraternal Council
- Average New Member Dues: $695 ($135-$1,950 range)
- Average Active Member Dues: $348 ($135-$660 range)
Does my student have to live in a chapter house?
- Creighton University does not have official chapter houses, other than Delta Zeta who is only chapter with an official facility, and the house is not owned or operated by the university. Chapter members often choose to live together, but it is not an obligation.
Who can I reach out to if I have questions about my student’s organization or the FSL community?
- We encourage students to contact their chapter leadership teams for chapter specific questions. For any community wide questions or additional support, please contact the Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Katie Bodlak.
- Active: A fully initiated member of a fraternity/sorority.
- Alumni/Alumnae: Initiated members who have graduated.
- Associate Member: A member of a Greek-lettered organization who has not yet been initiated. See also "New Member"
- Badge: A “pin” worn by fully initiated fraternity or sorority members that carries its official insignia.
- Bid: An invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.
- Bid Day: The final day of Panhellenic and Interfraternity recruitment when the Potential New Member receives an invitation to join a chapter.
- Big: Nickname for big sister or brother, which is a mentor assigned to a new member. Many organizations have special names for these pairings.
- Chant: A call used by members of the National Pan-Hellenic and Multicultural Greek Councils to acknowledge or gain the attention of others. Some organizations have more than one chant
- Crossing: A term used by Culturally Based Fraternal Council organizations to indicate that a new member has been fully initiated into an organization.
- Crossing Date/Year: A term for initiating into a Culturally Based Fraternal Council organization. Usually used to refer to when a member joined their organization – the term and year they joined.
- Founder’s Day: An event celebrated by fraternities and sororities to highlight the founding of their organization and celebrate its history. It’s not necessarily held on the day the organization was founded.
- Governing Council: Also known as an umbrella council, generally supports and acts as a voice for organizations within it, including being the official sponsored student organization liaison between the University and the members of the member organizations.
- Hand Signs: Signs that only a member of an organization can “throw up.” Most signs have a deep meaning to an organization or ritualistic symbol.
- Initiate: A member who has gained full membership in that specific organization.
- Initiation: A ritual or ceremony in which a new member begins full membership in that organization.
Intake: Term for the process by which the Culturally Based Fraternal Council members are selected to become new members of an organization. This is generally much more secretive than recruitment for Interfraternity and Panhellenic Council members, but usually includes an application and an interview process, followed by an educational program, then initiation (generally known as “crossing”). - Legacy: Someone whose mother, father, sister, or brother are members of a particular organization. Some organizations also consider an aunt, uncle, or grandparent a legacy also.
- Line: Individuals going through the membership intake process in a culturally based chapter.
Line name/number: The name given to a prospective/new member that represents them as a person, usually a noun, adjective or acronym. Culturally Based Fraternal Council organizations also assign a line number to their new members (such as ace, deuce, tre, etc.) - Little: Short for “Little brother/sister” – a new member who is being mentored by an older member of their organization
- Neophyte/Neo: A new initiated member of a Culturally Based Fraternal Council organization.
- New Member: A member of a Greek-lettered organization who has not yet been initiated. See also "Associate Member"
- New Member Presentation: Also referred to as a probate, is a presentation that celebrates and welcomes new members in the Culturally Based Fraternal Council chapters.
- Philanthropy: A charitable project to raise money and/or awareness for a particular cause sponsored by each chapter on campus.
- Pin: The active member pin or badge, a distinctive insignia worn on the chest designating an active member of a particular fraternity. The new member pin, an insignia used to designate a new member of a particular fraternity or sorority.
- Recruitment: A social experience organized by the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils in which mutual selection allows each potential member to determine chapter membership.
- Stroll: A dance, normally done in a line of active members that displays pride and knowledge of their organization and its values. Organizations usually have national strolls and local strolls that incorporate a variety of different moves and hand signs that are unique to that organization.
- Stepping: Stepping is a tradition where members synchronize their moves so that they are in a sense performing their own dance moves, without music. In stepping the members will clap, stomp with their feet, jump, chant and create their own beat by doing so.
