Photo Courtesy of Anthony Gattine
Michael Wasserman is a junior at The George Washington University studying Human Services and Economics and recently a Case Foundation intern. He is also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity Epsilon Chapter.
As a member of a fraternity at my university I have been proud of the philanthropic work my chapter has done, and that of the Greek community as a whole. Despite this longstanding tradition of philanthropy within the Greek community, I have found that these fraternal and social organizations for undergraduate students are often associated or have a reputation of being filled with party driven frat boys and rich sorority girls who do not care about anyone but themselves. This perception has led to missed opportunities and untapped resources for young individuals and community organizations.
As someone who proudly supports and participates in this community, I offer up a few statistics to debunk this stereotype:
- 95 percent of chapters state that philanthropy is one of their main priorities.
- Members of Greek life give more than 10 million volunteer hours each year.
- 15 of the last 27 presidents have been members of a social fraternity, while less than three percent of the American population is Greek.
- Members of social Greek organizations have a higher graduation rate and GPA than their non-Greek counterparts.
- 76 percent of congressman and senators are Greek.
- 40 out of the 47 male U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were fraternity men.
- 85 percent of the Fortune 500 executives belong to a fraternity.
I believe that the values that are instilled during their affiliation with these organizations along with the connections that are made while in their undergraduate chapter have allowed all of these people—and countless others—to become so successful.
So why should you care?
If you are in high school or college and wanting to get involved in service and philanthropy—Greek life is one of the first places you should look. Most chapters have both a fall or spring rush and should be well publicized on any campus that participates. Not only will you be able to make some of the closest friends you will ever have, but you will be able to make a difference with those friends no matter where your campus is located.
If you are a member of a nonprofit organization, consider looking to one of your local college campuses to find a partnership with a Greek organization. A Greek chapter can bring much-needed human capital and funding. Greek organizations are powerful and rich resources that should be embraced by the nonprofit world.