Nicole Robinson

When in Rome do as the Romans do. When in college, do as the Greeks do.

Visions of “Animal House,” negative stereotypes, fears of hazing and wild drinking are among the things college students associate with fraternities and sororities, but the chapters at UW-Eau Claire said they are out to prove this to be false.

Meeting new people, helping the community and networking are just some of the reasons that senior Tom Klug, vice president of Delta Sigma Phi, gave concerning the benefits of joining a social fraternity or sorority.

“What I think is one of the least known things out there is, that when you join a fraternity or a sorority they do leadership building, they do philanthropy, they do academic growth and they are also social,” he said.

According to Paula Stuettgen, senior coordinator for student development and programs and the Greek Life Adviser, there are currently three national fraternities and three national sororities for Eau Claire students to be involved in.

The three national fraternities are Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Sigma Phi and Delta Sigma Phi. The national sororities at Eau Claire are Sigma Sigma Sigma, Alpha Xi Delta and Delta Zeta.

“We have a small Greek community,” Stuettgen said.

But there hasn’t been much change at all with membership over the past few years, she added.

“(Participation) ranges around 20 to 40 (members) for each organization,” Stuettgen said. “The sororities are limited in their size. They’re not allowed to have more than 40 members at any given time.”

Stuettgen also said each member of the Greek community is required to be in good student standing and meet a certain GPA.

“We have study hours every week, and we work with (our members) to keep their grades up,” said senior Laura Olson, president of Alpha Xi Delta.

This week continues formal recruitment activities and events for the various fraternities and sororities.

The sororities gathered in Davies Center for the first two nights the of week and each hosted three parties in different rooms throughout the night so that prospective members could meet girls in each house, said senior Tristan Coplien, who is vice president of membership for the Delta Zeta sorority.

“On the third night you decide which two sororities’ houses you want to go to,” she said, adding the women have the opportunity at this point to see the house and get to know the members of that particular sorority.

“And then, on the forth night, they get their (formal invitation) and they find out what sorority they are going to belong to,” Coplien said. “It’s really exciting.”

When deciding between houses, sophomore Amanda Barott, social chair and public relations chair for Delta Zeta, said students should see where they fit in best and decide from there.

“My advice is to visit everybody and then make your own choice based on your impression,” Stuettgen said.

There are a lot of stereotypes associated with the Greek community, Coplien said.

“At this campus it’s a big stereotype,” she said. “They think that we have naked pillow fights and that all we do is drink … they think ‘Animal House’ when they think of a sorority or fraternity.”

Sophomore John Dave, of Phi Sigma Phi, said there are many stereotypes with fraternities and alcohol.

“All they think we do is we sit around all day and talk about what time we want to get wasted,” he said.

Hazing is another one of the misconceptions that students have, Klug said.

Hazing is illegal for any student organization on federal, state and campus levels, Stuettgen said.

“We help the community,” Coplien said, “and as much as the community doesn’t see it all the time, we really do give back.”

The sororities and fraternities each have their own ways of helping the community, including decorating Christmas cards for nursing homes and volunteering at schools, she said.

They also collect and donate canned goods for the Salvation Army, Dave said.

Charity organizations, such as the Humane Society, benefit from the volunteer work of those in the Greek community, Barott said.

All six fraternities and sororities pitched in this week and volunteered to help sell donuts and coffee on the Campus Mall with the proceeds going to help the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

“(The supplies) are donated and everyone responded enthusiastically,” Coplien said. “It is exceptional to see that happen. This is what fraternities and sororities are all about.”

Students are going to get out of it as much as they put into it and get involved, Dave said of students who are thinking about joining one of the fraternities or sororities.

“It’s a learning experience,” Coplien said, “and it’s a great way to grow.”