![]() ![]() “It is a lifelong participation in a national organization with larger ideals and values.” (For more, visit “A fraternity is more than a short-term social club,” says Charles Higgins, BE’71, MS’78, past alumni adviser to Phi Kappa Psi. Vanderbilt is also home to several religion-based fraternities and sororities, which are over-seen by the Office of Religious Life. Last November the IFC approved the formation of a Delta Lambda Phi colony at Vanderbilt. A fraternity for gay, bisexual,transgendered and progressive men, Delta Lambda Phi was founded in 1986. “They have been particularly important in supporting and retaining minority students,” notes Kristin Torrey, director of Greek life. Together with African American sororities, they come under the umbrella of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc. Historically African American fraternities joined the Vanderbilt community in 1971. The Greek organizations of today range from traditional fraternities and sororities governed by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and National Panhellenic Council, to newer groups for African American, Latina and Southeast Asian students. We have remained fairly consistent since the 1980s.” Not Your Daddy’s Greek Scene “They included the Vietnam War, the anti-establishment movement, a changing Vanderbilt population that was more balanced between men and women, and the merger with Peabody. “The percentage began to drop off in the 1970s for a variety of reasons,” Stahl says. Membership in fraternities and sororities was very high in the late 1960s, when about 85 percent of Vanderbilt students were active members, says Sandy Stahl, BA’70, associate dean of students. 35 percent of males-are members of Greek organizations. More women than men-50 percent of all female undergraduates vs. In January nearly 700 students pledged fraternities and sororities, slightly less than last year. About 43 percent of undergraduates, or 2,775 students, belong to Greek organizations. Today Vanderbilt is home to 20 national fraternities and 16 national sororities. Greek life is a tradition that predates the founding of the university (see sidebar). “Being Greek has become a big part of my Vanderbilt experience,” she says. Today the Chancellor’s Scholar and former Vanderbilt cheerleader is president of the Panhellenic Council, which governs 12 member sororities on campus. ![]() Miyashiro discovered a very different reality at Vanderbilt where, instead of hazing, she received gifts from her Alpha Omicron Pi sisters. “All I knew about sororities and fraternities came from movies and television, which did not present a positive picture of Greek life. “I didn’t know what to expect,” she recalls. As she boarded the plane from Hawaii to Nashville in the summer of 2007, Miyashiro was concerned about pledging a sorority. Take, for example, Annalise Miyashiro, a senior majoring in human and organizational development at Peabody. Movies like Animal House give parents nightmares and their entering college students unrealistic expectations about Greek life. … As of this moment I’m putting them on Double Secret Probation!”-Dean Vernon Wormer in Animal House “What is the worst fraternity on this campus? Who dropped a whole truck-load of fizzies into the swim meet? Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween the trees are filled with underwear. ![]()
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