It's the sense of family that fraternity and sorority membership provides. These friendships are forever. Even after graduation, the bond of brotherhood and sisterhood keeps friendships alive.

One of the most important components of Fraternity & Sorority life is friendship. There's always a brother or sister around to play a pickup game of basketball, go on 2 a.m. pizza runs or help with a tough school project. Fraternity & Sorority members never feel alone at college when they have their fraternity brothers or sorority sisters around.

In general, fraternities are Greek-letter organizations for men. Some women's organizations are referred to as women's fraternities. On the other hand, all sororities are Greek-letter organizations for women. Both place emphasis on scholarship, community service, leadership and social activities. Men and women are eligible for membership at any time.

Each council conducts its recruitment and intake process differently. Some councils take first-semester freshmen, while others require students to have one completed semester of coursework. Some councils have a formalized recruitment process, while others conduct an informal process. Some councils have a public new member process, while others have a discrete intake process. The best way to learn about the council or chapter of interest is to review the How to Join page. This section breaks down the joining process per council with tips from our current fraternity and sorority members.

A legacy is a student with a family member already a member of a particular fraternity or sorority. Students are free to seek membership in any organization, and someone that is a legacy is not required to join a particular organization. Additionally, it is up to the organization to select their members regardless of legacy status. Finally, every organization defines legacy differently and employs different legacy policies in membership selection. The best way to understand a chapter’s legacy policy is to contact the chapter directly.

Students enrolled on the Atlanta campus at Georgia State may join fraternities and sororities in any year of their academic career. Some organizations only consider members that have been in school for at least one semester. The best way to understand eligibility requirements is to contact the chapter. If you are not a first-year student and are considering fraternity and sorority life, you can pursue membership in a fraternity or sorority in the community.

The chapters on the Multicultural Greek Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council participate in a discrete intake process that concludes with a New Member Presentation. This celebratory event is how the chapter presents its new members to the fraternity and sorority community upon initiation. At these events you can expect to see strolling, stepping, and/or saluting along with the new members sharing information about the chapter they joined and is attended by chapter members, alumni, friends, and family.

It depends. Joining a fraternity or sorority and the time associated with that decision varies greatly based on the chapter and council you decide to join and the type of involvement in the organization you seek. Generally, there are required weekly chapter meetings and during the new member/intake process there are additional education meetings. Most chapters also offer a variety of additional opportunities in which a member can participate, including brotherhood or sisterhood events, academic success workshops, educational programming, social programming, and service and philanthropy opportunities. Like most things, the time and energy put into the chapter is what you will receive back from the chapter in the personal and professional development of being a student at Georgia State.

All fraternities and sororities have strict policies regulating the consumption of alcohol at social functions. All chapters are expected to uphold state, county and city laws, as well as Georgia State's Policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Risk management guidelines are set by each chapter's local or national board and must adhere to Georgia State's Policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Alcohol abuse is unhealthy and inconsistent with fraternity and sorority ideals. In response, the university's fraternities and sororities are sponsoring and participating in many alcohol-free social activities throughout the year. Therefore, students are encouraged to ask about the risk management guidelines at each sorority or fraternity.

The fraternity and sorority life community at Georgia State strives for academic excellence and improved scholastic achievement. The intention of fraternities and sororities is to provide support and assistance in a student’s academic career. Each chapter has a chosen grade point average requirement that each member must maintain to be in good standing. It is our belief that these organizations should help improve a student’s academic performance by providing resources, academic support programs, monitored study hours, peer tutoring, and incentives for success. Every chapter understands that its members are students first and provide recognition to those who excel and improve their academic standing. There is an honorary fraternity called Order of Omega that recognizes the top 3% of men and women in the fraternity and sorority community based on scholarship, leadership, and service. The fraternity and sorority chapters traditionally have a higher GPA than non-affiliated students at Georgia State. Click here to see the past semesters academic reports.

When students join a chapter, they will participate in a new member/intake process where they learn about the history and values of the organization and the university, as well as attend weekly business meetings, also referred to as chapter meetings. There is a zero-tolerance policy for hazing by all fraternities and sororities on the university campus, as outlined in the university's hazing policy in the Student Code of Conduct. Students should never be asked to do anything they do not want do to. New members do not have to prove themselves. However, each organization does have expectations of its members. During rush or recruitment, ask each organization specific questions about what is expected of new members.

Hazing is against the law in the state of Georgia and allegations are taken seriously by Georgia State, Fraternity & Sorority Life, and the Dean of Student’s Office. The Hazing Policy provides more information about hazing.

To make the decision to join a fraternity or sorority at Georgia State is to make a lifelong commitment to better yourself and your community. Being involved as a fraternity or sorority member has the benefit of making a campus with thousands of students seem smaller, and the connections shared by our membership offer a home away from home. Because Georgia State has a high commuter population, joining an organization provides its members with a reason to be a connected member of campus for more than just attending class. Joining an organization can also open many doors to other opportunities, such as friendship, positional leadership, connection to values, mentorship, networking, and more!