Greek Life

Greek life at UT is unique because the houses are primarily segregated by race and/or religion. There are five (four currently and one is returning to campus this fall) Jewish houses on campus, although one does have a few non-Jewish members.  Lately, more Jews have been joining non-Jewish houses and it is important to connect with them so they do not feel alienated from the greater Jewish community.

Also remember that students make a statement by joining a Jewish house.  Many of them think that because they are in a Jewish house, most of their friends will be Jewish and they dont have to do anything else to be Jewish on campus (similar to a secular Israeli perspective).

Historically, there has been quite a bit of animosity between the Jewish houses.  Much of this stems from the competing for the same population during rush.  Naturally, some of these feelings carry over, however the situation has dramatically improved recently and hopefully will continue.

Why go Greek?

There are many reasons why people decide to join a House.  Some choose it because of the social networking, the scholarship, leadership, philanthropy/ community service, friendship and sister/brotherhood, social, athletics.  Some choose it because they are a legacy, meaning that someone in their family was a member of that house.  The decision to go Greek is not necessarily an easy one, however the decision to join a Jewish charter over a non-Jewish one is often more difficult. 

People go Jewish because they already know many people in that Fraternity/sorority, either from high school, youth groups, family friends or synagogue membership.  They feel a greater sense of belonging, and that is what many incoming freshmen are looking for in joining a house.  Involvement in a Jewish house also satisfies the parents desire for their child to socialize with other Jews.  Students often do not feel any need to venture outside of their house for anything Jewish, with the exception of religious services and Holiday celebration. 

What is Rush?

Rush of men and women differ greatly.  Men generally wine and dine their potential members, hosting them at parties, taking them to restaurants and inviting them to play sports and participate in house activities.  This is done so that the rushee becomes familiar with the chapter members and the members get to know the rushee.  Women have a much more elaborate and formal rush experience.  They participate in a series of events, gaining in formality at each event.  The final invite is the time when each woman has to decide which house when will join, if any at all.   This process is also based on eliminations from both the sorority and the rushee, in attempt of narrowing the list to only a few at the end.

Greek life at UT

Fraternities 

There are over 25 different fraternities that are a part of the Inter-Fraternal Council (IFC) at UT.  Once very rare, it has become more common for a Jewish person to join a non-Jewish fraternity.  Some of the non- jewishly affiliated Fraternities with Jewish People in them are Sigma Phi Epsilon, Beta, Delta Tau Delta and SAE to name a few.

There are three Jewish Affiliated houses on campus.

Sigma Alpha Mu: Sammy ~ 2501 Leon ~ 471-0145

I find that these guys are the hardest to motivate and get involved but I think if you bring a program to them (like in their house) it could work. It is also important to get guys from in the house to support and promote the event.

They have been having a lot of trouble this past year and Hillel has been around to help them out in anyway possible.  This Chanukah we helped them with a Jewish Greek wide candle lighting ceremony, complete with a 10 ft. menorah.  Additionally we hosted our Greek Seder at the Sammy house and the Sammy Alum helped us pay for the event.   

Sigma Alpha Mu      SAM

-          Nickname: Sammy

-          Philanthropy: (Spring) Bullriding for American Cancer Association

-          Parties:  Jungle Party, Atlantic City

-          Best to Contact:            Eric Galanti - (President), Daniel Rubenstein, Evan Reemer, Yoni Korin

Zeta Beta Tau: ZBT ~ 710 West 28th Street ~ 480-9317

Known as ZBT, and some years as Pi Lam, they have a reputation for being the only Jewish house on campus that's not 100% Jewish (even though that isn't true!). They are one of the largest fraternities on campus and therefore mix with every sorority on campus.

They are rowdy at their "meetings" which typically consist of announcements being yelled over dinner but are nice guys once you get to know them. They are very close to each other so if you get a couple guys to help you out, you can count on the whole fraternity to be there too.

-          Nickname: ZBT

-          Philanthropy: (Spring) Bellyflop for National Diabetes Research Institute

(Fall) Adopt-A-Highway

-          Parties: (Fall) Pat OBriens

-          Best to Contact:            Craig Harper (President), Russ Weiner, Ross Ziev

Alpha Epsilon Pi AEPi

AEPi just returned to the UT campus, they are made up of a rather random mix of guys.  It is a very international group of guys, and some of them are even older then me.  They have a large percentage of guys that come around Hillel, so it is easy to know what is going on with them,

Contacts: Ari Eisenberg, Danny Shoham, Mike McKim (president)

-         Nickname: A-E-Pi

-          Philanthropy: Austin Children's Foundation

-          Parties: (Fall) Beach Party, Hollywood

There are 14 different sororities in Panhellenic Council (Pan-hel) at UT.  Recently, more Jews have begun joining non-Jewish houses and it is important to find out where they are (easily done through the Jewish house rush captains). There are Jewish Girls in Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Zeta Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Chi Omega and more!

Alpha Epsilon Phi: AEPhi ~ 2500 Rio Grande ~ 476-6536

More commonly called AEPhi, this is the larger of the two Jewish sororities on campus. This house is a traditional Greek house and they mix with many other houses on campus. There is a mix of girls who you will never meet and those that will become involved with Hillel. They are very open to hosting events at their house and it is in a good, central location. Their meetings are overwhelming, having so many eyes on you, but they are super pleasant and you will get use to it.  Sisterhood events can draw about 50 girls so be prepared to meet new students!

Alpha Epsilon Phi           

-          Nickname: Phi

-          Philanthropy: (Fall) Volleyball tournament

-          Best to Contact: Juditch Goldfarb (President), Ilene Solomon, Marci Rosmarin, Danielle Rugoff

Sigma Delta Tau: SDT ~ 2400 Longview ~ 478-5651

Often referred to as SDT or Sig Delt, this is the smaller of the two Jewish sororities on campus. They are less of what would be considered a traditional house and some girls claim they would not be Greek if this alternative house did not exist. They had a great pledge class this past year and are happy to be growing stronger. Some girls are very active in Hillel, but I have also not met all of them. They are often willing to help out and host programs at their house.  The cook is really great and I enjoyed the meals I ate at the house this past year.

Sigma Delta Tau     SDT

-          Nickname: SDT or Sig Delt

-          Philanthropy: (Fall) Miles for Smiles for Prevent Child Abuse America

-          Best to Contact: Sarah Glouben (President), Michelle Samuels, Bethany Zwick

Programming:

There are three levels of programming with the Greeks on campus.  First, you can plan a program for a specific house, such as making mezuzahs in the SDT house.  Second, you can have an all-girls or all-guys event to bring together the different sororities or fraternities, like a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for the fraternities with mixed (AEPi, SAM, & Pi Lam) teams. 

The third type of program is an all Greek (or Jewish Greek event) event like a progressive dinner or Greek Seder.  

Programs

In General, programs (for all target groups) range from formal to very informal, depending on the situation.  They can take months of planning or happen at the spur of the moment. 

House Visits Visiting during dinner.  Most of the dinners are early (about 5) so it was easy for me to do, and I was able to hang out with people while they ate. 

Greek Seder This was the largest program of the year!  It began with a few people and no clear idea of what was going to happen, and developed to a super successful event.  On the Second  night of Passover, we held a Seder in the Sammy house for over 200 people.  It was catered by David Elkins (Hillel Friday night Caterer) and sponsored by some of the houses and generous doners.  The student planning team raised over $2,600!!   We had at least one person from each Jewish house come to the meetings to help plan.  There was a lot of work that had to get done, so I think that it was great that we had so many people there to help us out.  We also got a engagement grant from Hillel International. 

     Ilene Solomon, Evan Reemer, Marci Rosmarin, Michelle Samuels and Yoni Korin will all be around next year to help out!

Tips for working with Greek Jews:

Publicity:

There are 3 ways to publicize programs to the Greeks: posters, announcements, and emails.

Posters Make a large posterboard announcing an event and post it near the door.  Flyers do not work as well because they are usually too small to get noticed.

Emails I think all of the houses have their own list serves and some even have separate ones for each pledge class.  Emailing an announcement, opportunity, or reminder to the president and asking s/he to forward it to the list is usually effective. 

Announcements You are welcome to announce any Hillel or GJC programs that are coming up at the weekly house meetings.  It is a nice gesture to call or email the presidents beforehand to let them know that you are stopping by, but as the year progresses, it is not really necessary. 

Every house meets on Monday nights around 6pm.  You can easily make it around to all the houses in about 30 minutes.  Like the fellows before me, I have found that the best method is to leave Hillel at 5:40pm and go in the following order: Pi Lam, Sammy, AEPhi, SDT.

To make your announcements more effective bring a student with you who is helping out with the program you are announcing, or better yet, have someone from the house make the announcement. 

Strategies for success: I have included most of what I think would be successful in each section. I would like to reiterate that listening to the students and their desires and making yourself available to them in a friendly manner would help greatly.  Additionally, Greeks dont like to be stereotyped.  If you have had a bad experience in the past with Greeks, dont assume that they are all the same.  Many people look negatively upon the Greek system, DONT BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!

Greek Life at UT

Annual Events:

Emerging Leaders Retreat

Fall semester

Freshmen & sophomores

Greek Leadership Retreat

President

PHC or IFC representative

Greek Week

April

Weekly Meetings:

Panhellenic Council (PHC): Thurs at 7:00 PM (rotate houses)

-         Contact PHC president - Sara LeTourneau: sarajl@mail.utexas.edu

Inter-fraternal Council (IFC): Mon at 4:00 PM (SSB)

-         Contact IFC president

Flyers:

39 houses mailboxes in GL&E (address flyers to a specific person)

Bring flyers/handouts to PHC and IFC meetings

Leave sign-up sheets in mailboxes but pick-up at houses (specific day & time)

Important Dates to Know (or find out!)

Fall Party Weekend (usually weekend before Thanksgiving)

-         Sammy Atlantic City

-         Pi Lam Pat OBriens

Spring Round-Up

-         Sammy Bullriding

-         Pi Lam Belly Flop

40 Acres Fest

Greek Week

Philanthropy

-         SDT Miles for Smiles

-         AEPhi volley ball tournament

Helpful Greek Terms:

Active: A woman who has been initiated into lifelong sorority membership.

Alumna: An initiated sorority member who has graduated from college.

Atius-Sachem Mom's Day Sing (Atius): A variety show held during Mom's Weekend each year. Sororities and fraternities pair up, prepare a short musical, and try out for the show. The event is sponsored by Atius (a sophomore honorary) and Sachem (a junior honorary).

Bid: A formal invitation given to a potential new member to join a sorority.

Chapter: The local group of a national sorority.

Exchange: A theme party between a sorority and fraternity.

Football Block: A sorority and fraternity sit together to cheer on the Fighting Illini. A cookout usually precedes or follows the game.

Initiation: A formal ceremony through which new members become active members of a sorority.

Interfraternity Council (IFC): The inter-fraternity programming and governing body; the fraternities' equivalent of Panhellenic Council.

Legacy: A woman whose mother, sister or grandmother is an active member or alumna of a sorority.

Limited Contact: Designated time periods before and during formal Recruitment during which there is limited communication between sorority members and potential new members. This limitation ensures fair recruitment.

Open-Air Dorms: Sleeping accommodations for sorority members who choose not to sleep in their rooms - usually a large room of bunk beds on the top floor of the chapter house.

Panhellenic Council: The inter-sorority programming and governing body.

Philanthropy: A charitable fund-raiser or service project sponsored by a sorority or fraternity.

New Member: A woman who has accepted a sorority's bid for membership but has not been initiated.

Quota: The maximum number of new members a sorority may accept through Recruitment.

Recommendation: A written letter sent by an alumna recommending a woman for membership in a sorority.

Potential New Member: A woman who is participating in Recruitment.

Recruitment Counselor: A sorority member who leads a Recruitment group through the stages of Recruitment. She is unbiased and is willing to honestly answer any questions about sororities and Recruitment.

Sister: A term used by sorority members to refer to one another.

Check out these interesting facts about Greeks!

Greek Statistics

85% of Fortune 500 executives are Greek

Of the nation's 50 largest corporations, 43 are headed by fraternity men

76% of U.S. Congressmen and Senators are Greek

All but two U.S. Presidents and two Vice Presidents since 1825 have been Greek

85% of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 have been Greek

63% of the U.S. President's cabinet members since 1900 are Greek

A U.S. Government study shows that over 70% of all those who join a fraternity/sorority graduate, while under 50% of all non-Greek persons graduate

Greeks hold the majority of leadership positions on campus

62% of fraternity and sorority members are involved with at least one student organization outside of their chapters