Why Join
To make the decision to join a fraternity/sorority at Colorado State University is to make a lifelong commitment to better yourself and your community. Being involved as a fraternity/sorority member has the benefit of making a campus with thousands of students seem smaller, and the connections shared by our membership offers a home away from home. Joining an organization can also open many doors to other opportunities, such as positional leadership, connection to values, mentorship, and more!
Our fraternities and sororities are multifaceted in membership, and structurally each one looks for members that are committed to the values and ideals of the organization. Some organizations offer specific experiential connections—areas of study, religious beliefs, and cultural affinity to name a few—and it is important to consider each organization and the way they recruit new members as you explore our community. We encourage all students interested in membership to fully explore the breadth of fraternity and sorority chapters to better understand organizational values, structures, and opportunities to identify an organization that is a good fit.
One of the benefits of fraternity and sorority membership is the professional and personal development opportunities that exist to help members develop important skills useful throughout one’s life. Fraternities and sororities can also provide access to a large alumni network that proves beneficial during and after college. Fraternities and sororities provide a learning laboratory for members to practice skills needed for whatever path a student chooses after college. Opportunities include holding leadership positions, developing networking skills, and participating in enriching personal experiences that provide opportunities for personal reflection and meaning making.
How to Join
Each governing council has a different way of recruiting or bringing new members into organizations.
- The Interfraternity Council engages in recruiting members at any point during the year, but focuses on hosting recruitment events and offering invitations to membership in the first few weeks of each semester.
- The Multicultural Greek Council does not have a formal recruitment process collectively, but most organizations host informational events in which students can learn more about chapters and determine if they would be a good fit for membership.
- The National Pan-Hellenic Council, similarly to MGC, does not have a formal recruitment process, and each interested individual can reach out to the organizations to identify what informational opportunities are available for each chapter.
- The Panhellenic Association has a formal recruitment process held in September each fall semester. Chapters that may have open space in the fall and spring semester may engage in an informal recruitment process. Interest-specific organizations can host recruitment at any time of the year.
We encourage you to fill out our Interested in Joining form so that we can pass your information along to council leaders and get you better connected to our chapters!
Each organization has different criteria for membership that always includes a GPA or academic expectation. Some organizations require students to be beyond their first semester as a student. We encourage students interested in joining to ask questions about membership eligibility as well as expectations for membership once they have joined an organization.
Generally, no. Fraternities and sororities fall into two general categories:
- Social: these organizations are directly associated with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and a full list can be found in our recognized chapters list.
- Professional, Honorary, or Community-Service Based: these organizations usually operate independently from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and are recognized through the SLiCE Office. Most of these groups do not identify as single-gender.
A student who accepts an invitation to one social organization cannot be initiated into another social fraternity or sorority. There are, however, other Greek-letter organizations that might identify as professional, honorary, or community service-based that allow for dual membership (and are not identified as primarily social organizations).
Membership Expectations
Each organization has a period of new member orientation as part of its expectations for new members, ranging in length based on individual and (inter)national timelines. During this time, you and other new members will participate in weekly meetings to learn about the the organization’s history and values, attend leadership retreats, be part of community service projects, and participate in activities designed to build friendship among new members (also referred to as pledges/associates/candidates) and the initiated members.
The new member education or intake process differs between organizations but typically ranges from 4-12 weeks. Ask members of the organization you are hoping to join for more specific information about the length of the program.
The cost of joining each organization varies significantly. Dues may cover things like national insurance, leadership development opportunities, programming offerings, and initiation/national fees. Additionally, the first year of membership may cost more in comparison to following years due to one-time fees related to initiation, education materials, and paraphernalia. Most organizations do offer payment plans for members and we encourage students to ask questions about membership costs before joining an organization in order to fully understand the financial expectations of membership. Membership dues in a semester may range from $200 to over one thousand dollars depending on chapter operations and if housing is part of the experience.
We have developed a finance and facility information page with more specific financial information provided by organization type we encourage to explore.
Common Concerns and Perceptions
All fraternities and sororities forbid hazing, and are committed to a membership experience that instills a sense of responsibility and personal excellence. Hazing is against the law in the State of Colorado and is taken seriously by Colorado State University, the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, and the governing councils. All student organizations are expected to follow these policies, and training and resources are provided to groups to help them create a positive member experience. We actively encourage all members to report behaviors perceived as hazing on our End Hazing website. Information shared in this report will be treated with discretion and a reasonable expectation of confidentiality, but may be shared with individuals who need the information to protect the health and safety of those involved in any incident of hazing or unhealthy group behavior.
The best way to figure out if you will be accepted into the chapter you are looking to join is to be your authentic self. Joining a fraternity or a sorority is a lifelong commitment, and you want to be able to be yourself throughout your membership experience. Being yourself and asking questions about others in the chapter with similar interests or identities can illuminate more about the chapter’s culture and values.
The intention of fraternities and sororities is to provide support and assistance in a student’s academic career. It is our belief that these organizations should help improve a student’s academic performance by providing resources, academic support programs, and incentives for success. To better understand the academic success and performance of the fraternity and sorority community and individual chapters, please view community grade reports.
The choice to use alcohol is an individual one, and there are members of fraternities and sororities who choose not to consume alcohol at all. There are also fraternities and sororities who do not host events at which alcohol is present.
In terms of education for new members, many chapters require their new members to participate in alcohol programming through chapter-specific training or online modules such as GreekLife.edu.
More widely, alcohol use is addressed through educational programs offered to chapters and individual members, often times through a partnership with Health Education and Prevention Services in the CSU Health Network. Fraternities and sororities are required to obtain approval from their governing council prior to any event where alcohol is served and are required to follow federal and state law, the Colorado State University Student Conduct Code expectations, and their (inter)national organization’s policies. Chapters are restricted from using chapter funds to purchase alcohol.
Many chapters address sexual violence prevention through educational programs facilitated by their (inter)national headquarters staff and volunteers. Specifically at CSU, fraternity and sorority life works in partnership with the Women and Gender Advocacy Center (WGAC) to offer educational programming and academic courses that allow fraternity and sorority members to explore their role in addressing sexual violence.
The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life offers an eight-week credit-bearing course entitled Fraternities and Sororities Against Sexual Assault. Throughout the course students explore the complex systems that contribute to sexual violence in a unique fraternity and sorority context. Chapters and governing councils also offer educational programs. Most recently our governing councils have partnered with the WGAC to offer FSL specific programming during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which annually occurs in April.
It depends. Joining a fraternity or sorority and the time associated with that decision varies greatly based on the chapter and council you decide to join and the type of involvement in the organization you seek. Generally, there are required weekly chapter meetings and during the new member education period there are additional new member education meetings. Most chapters also offer a variety of additional opportunities in which a member can participate, including brotherhood or sisterhood events, academic success workshops, educational programming, social programming, and service and philanthropy opportunities.
Some chapters in the Multicultural Greek Council and National Pan-Hellenic Council host a celebratory event in which individuals who have become members of their organization present themselves to the community. New member presentations happen at the end of a chapter’s intake process and include new members sharing information about the organization they joined and celebrating their “reveal” as members of their organization with other fraternities and sororities.
Many chapters at CSU are having conversations with their (inter)national organizations about what transgender inclusion looks like at the campus level. Many organizations have nationally affirmed their inclusion policy affirmatively indicating the organization is open to people who identify as trans*. We encourage you to connect with organizations to process how affirming they feel for you. The office can connect with the chapter(s) on campus and the (inter)national organization(s) before you begin seeking out membership regarding policies and practices if it is helpful. Our hope is you can search and join an organization on your terms in an organization that values you.
Miscellaneous Questions
Students at CSU may join fraternities and sororities in any year of their academic career. Some organizations only consider members that have been in school for at least one semester. The best way to understand eligibility requirements is to contact the chapter. If you are not a first year student and are considering fraternity and sorority life, you have access to join any fraternity or sorority in the community.
A legacy is a student with a family member already a member of a particular fraternity or sorority. Students are free to seek membership in any organization, and someone that is a legacy is not required to join a particular organization. Additionally, it is up to the organization to select their members regardless of legacy status. Finally, every organization defines legacy differently and employs different legacy policies in membership selection.
Some fraternities and sororities have houses, and we encourage you to ask questions about housing in a recruitment process or as you are researching various organizations. All chapters with houses have different live-in policies, and chapters are expected to provide education up front about these expectations before members join. The list of recognized chapters will include information about housing if it applies to a particular organization.
All fraternities and sororities at CSU are chapters of (inter)national organizations and fall into one of four governing councils. For a full list of recognized chapters on the CSU campus, visit our recognized chapter’s page.
There are many benefits to fraternity and sorority membership including opportunities to engage in leadership development, academic and personal development, career networking and alumni involvement, opportunities to engage in meaningful community service, and the development of lifelong friendships.