- What are sororities?
Sororities are undergraduate social
organizations that encourage high academic standards, community
service, and character and leadership development. Sororities are
Greek letter organizations that offer lifelong membership, and
provide sisterhood networks throughout the country. There are 26
national sororities, five of which are at MIT.
- What type of activities do
sororities participate in on campus?
Over 400 women are in sororities at
MIT, making Panhel the largest women’s organization on campus.
Sororities do all the following things:
1 – Academic: Each sorority has various academic resources for its
members. Additionally, sororities provide underclassmen with
programming about choosing majors, classes, and professors. Another
great academic resource is the faculty dinners/teas that the
sororities host. Faculty guests are invited to have dinner (or tea)
with sisters in an informal setting. This is useful for
underclassmen who are to make decisions about their classes and
major.
2 - Community Service: In addition to providing opportunities for
sisters to go out into the community and volunteer, each of the
sororities also hosts a large philanthropy event every year. Some of
these events raise thousands of dollars and go to benefit various
charities. For more information, check out the community service
section of each sorority’s website
3 – Health and Wellness: It’s hard to stay healthy at MIT! Because
of this, each of the sororities provide some basic programming for
women. Additionally, Panhel as a whole sponsors healthy eating study
breaks and various other sessions about staying healthy.
4 - Social: Each sorority has a semiformal in the fall, and a formal
in the spring. Also, sororities have mixers with fraternities
throughout the year. Finally, sororities also sponsor social events
that are open to the entire campus community. Be sure to look for
advertising during the fall term for these events!
- Which sororities are at
MIT?
The sororities are Alpha Chi Omega,
Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Sigma Kappa.
- What is Panhel?
The Panhellenic Association, commonly
referred to as “Panhel” is the umbrella organization of the
sororities on campus. This means that every sorority woman is a
member of her sorority, but she is also a member of Panhel as a
whole. As an organization, Panhel sets guidelines for formal
recruitment, as well as providing various programming (academic,
community service, social etc.) for all of the members.
- How much does it cost to
be in a sorority?
Costs vary from sorority to sorority,
and term to term. However, every sorority does everything possible
to cater to each sister's specific financial needs. For specific
costs, please e-mail
sororities@mit.edu.
- If I join a sorority, do I
have to move into the house?
Out of the five sororities on campus,
three have houses and a fourth lives in a section of a graduate
dorm. The number of women who live in these facilities range from
20-60, so each of the sororities has different rules about moving
into the house. However, if you join a sorority, having such
beautiful facilities is a privilege. And although in general you
will not be required to move into the house, we strongly urge you to
consider it. You will never again get the chance to live in such a
beautiful place for so cheap. But again, each sorority has unique
circumstances, so be sure to ask during recruitment.
- Will joining a sorority
hurt my grades?
No! In fact, the sorority GPA average
is higher than the general MIT average. In addition, each sorority
provides many academic resources that you just can’t get anywhere
else. Additionally, you need to maintain a certain GPA to be allowed
to stay in the sorority, so academics are obviously very important.
For more details, See question 2.
- How bad is the hazing?
Hazing is against MIT policy and
against the rules of every national sorority. And although it sounds
unbelievable, the sororities actually follow this rule at MIT. You
will never be asked to do anything that you are not comfortable
doing. We believe that there are more constructive ways to build
spirit and character.
- How does recruitment work?
Recruitment is a mutual selection
process designed so that you get the chance to see all the
sororities at least once. During the recruitment period, you will
visit each of the sororities and get a chance to meet many
upperclassmen women. Then, sororities will decide who they want to
invite back, and you will decide who you want to go back to. This
goes on until the final event (called Preference), where you will be
allowed to visit two sororities at most. After Pref, you will be
asked to rank your final two sororities according to who you feel
you fit in with best. The next day, you will receive a bid from one
of your final two sororities.
- When is recruitment?
Recruitment starts after Orientation and ends on the first day of classes (September 1st - 5th, 2007)
- How do I sign up?
Either fill out the online form, or
come to the information session on September 1st, 2007.
- What is a Pi Rho Chi?
A Pi Rho Chi (commonly referred to as
a Rho Chi, PRC, or RC), is an upperclassman sorority woman who
disaffiliates from her chapter (doesn’t reveal which sorority she is
in) in order to help potential new members during the recruitment
process. During recruitment, Pi Rho Chis do not interact with their
chapters, only with potential new members. Every woman going through
recruitment has a Pi Rho Chi who acts as a counselor, advisor, and
friend.
- Who is my Pi Rho Chi?
After you register, your Pi Rho Chi
will contact you within a week.
- What if I have more
questions?
If you have more questions, please
e-mail sororities@mit.edu or
call 617-869-7996.
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