Greek Influence On College Students

There are over nine million college students involved in Greek life all across the nation. Many of the worlds most influential CEO’s, Fortune 500 executives, and politicians were once members of Greek organizations. Over recent years, there has been much controversy among regular college students and their Greek counterparts about the ethics of Greek practices. The purpose of Greek life is for students to be a part of a group where their social and academic goals can be met. Life in a Greek society can be very beneficial for college students as it incorporates both social and academic aspects. Students involved in Greek life have the freedom to express their academic desires while being a part of a group of other students who share similar

A freemason, William Morgan, vanished after threatening to reveal the secrets of the society. After much consideration, the Harvard chapter decided to reveal the secrets at that time in order to prevent misunderstanding. (San Jose State University) The Phi Beta Kappa chapters inspired students from other schools and they began forming other groups all over the United States. At Union College in New York, students formed the Kappa Alpha society on November 26, 1825. Not long after Sigma Phi came to be on March 7, 1827 and Delta Phi on November 17, 1827. Together, these three fraternities formed the “Union Triad” and they became the foundation of the American fraternity system. (San Jose State University) As Greek organizations grew, members became very close and they began organizing social events and spending a great deal of time together. For many years, members would live together in dorms or boarding houses but they were often separated and spread out across campus. Closer to the 1890’s, several groups graduated enough successful members to collect significant donations which allowed for the renting and buying of chapter houses. The rise of the chapter house meant a great improvement to the fraternity system. Members began living together and they became much closer as a brotherhood. The houses also gave members much more responsibility

The Greek alphabet first appears in archeological records during the 8th century BCE. The Greek alphabet, however, was not the first writing system used to write Greek as the linear B script was used during Mycenaean times. The linear B script was lost in 1100 BCE, along with all knowledge of writing until the Greek alphabet was developed. The Greek alphabet was originally adopted from the Phoenician writing system to represent the Greek language. Even though the Greek alphabet is only used for the Greek language today, it is the root of many modern day scripts. (Violatti) Greek societies are also known as Greek letter societies because of the Greek letters they use to represent their fraternities and sororities. Greek societies use Greek letters to symbolize their fraternity because of the overall connection they feel with the ancient Greeks. Their traditions, rituals, and beliefs are often inspired by the ancient Greeks and what they stood for. (Appalachian State