ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

For all chapters in all councils, your first semester is the most expensive. This is often due to paying for new membership items such as a pin, a membership card, certification of membership, and new member education materials. After your first semester, dues become much more manageable. A lot of chapters will even help you create a payment plan so you stay on track! There is flexibility in due dates and money should never be the reason you decide not to join.

• IFC: $400 - $200-300
• MGC: $1,000 - $400-500
• NPHC: $1,000 - $400-500
• Panhellenic: $400 - $200-300

Participating in any worthwhile activity always requires a time investment. The old saying, “you get out of it what you’re willing to put into it”, couldn’t ring more true. Most of our FSL students are successfully balancing academics, a part-time job, and a social life alongside chapter membership. While there are definitely some mandatory commitments that are set well in advance (i.e. weekly meetings, community service projects, new member education, etc.), a student can be as involved as they choose to be. Time requirements vary from group to group depending upon how ambitious of a programming calendar the chapter has. In our experience, the students that are most active and involved are usually the ones most satisfied with their decision to join FSL!

Hazing has no place at this University or in any legitimate fraternal organization. Hazing is prohibited per the University Code of Community Standards, national fraternity/sorority headquarters policy, and Maryland state law. Consent to hazing is not an acceptable justification or legal defense. ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ seeks to promote a safe and secure environment where the rights and dignity of all community members are respected. New and initiated chapter members are provided with relevant hazing information and educational resources to eliminate its practice.

No! The New Member Education is typically the first 4-8 week after you receive an invitation to join a chapter. During this time, you are a new member of your chapter. All new members participate in some form of orientation or education period that is prescribed by your national headquarters. During this process, you will attend meetings to learn about chapter history, the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ FSL community, leadership workshops, community service projects, and other activities designed to build friendship and camaraderie among new and initiated members. After you complete your new member education program, you will become an initiated member of your organization!

ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ practices a “deferred recruitment” policy, which means that first-semester student are not yet eligible to join a chapter. To be eligible, a potential new member must:

• Be a regularly enrolled, full-time student at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
• Have earned at least 12 collegiate credits (Cannot be credits earned from high school AP courses)

Have at least a 2.5 college GPA (previous semester and cumulative)

Unfortunately, the national spotlight has been on fraternities and sororities quite a bit over the past years and that can make parents and families hesitant to support their students’ decision to join. While their concerns are important to hear, it is also important that they hear from you why you want to join. Knowing and understanding where each of you are coming from can help alleviate those concerns and a clear pathway for communication can help them feel more at ease. Please feel free to reach out to CSIL directly if you have specific concerns that we can help with!

Fraternities and sororities were founded as values-based organizations. The majority of chapters and FSL members across the country live these values on an everyday basis. Unfortunately, you only seem to hear about the minority of groups who continue to perpetuate the “Animal House” stigma or have put someone in harm’s way. There are some great chapters on every college campus that are hard at work debunking these negative stereotypes. At ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, our fraternities and sororities are held accountable for behavior that is not consistent with the University Code of Community Standards or the values of the national organization.