Photo courtesy of James Fitzgerlad via Unsplash License
By Carla Morales
TAMPA, Fla. — Within this generation, college students believe that Greek life — and getting into the “best” fraternity and sorority at large schools — is extremely important. But is it equally as important at a small private school?
It could be said that sororities and fraternities at the University of Tampa are community builders, as many people find their most valuable relationships in them, but are they primarily contributing to exclusivity problems on campus?
Greek life has played a large role at many universities around the country for many years. It dates back to the eighteenth century, when a student at the College of William and Mary, John Heath, founded a Latin society chapter on his campus.
At UTampa, the university welcomed its first nationally recognized social sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, in 1952. A year later, the community welcomed its first nationally recognized social fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. Since then, there have been numerous other additions, and 20% of the undergraduate student population is a member and is actively involved with the fraternity and sorority community.
Although the university has a strong Greek life presence for being a private school with significantly fewer undergraduates than SEC schools, its smaller scale can intensify exclusivity, as sororities and fraternities often make more cuts during the recruitment process.
UTampa markets beachy and sunny vibes on campus, which is often described as “Your place in the sun” as stated on its website.
According to DataUSA, 68.5% of UTampa’s population is white, highlighting that the school can be seen to have a certain “look” on campus.
This can connect to both the sororities and fraternities, where some students may favor specific social or cultural profiles, which can cause exclusion towards others.
Another supporting factor as to why Greek life at the university is that it can feel exclusive and holds those who were selected to be in the sorority or fraternity students on an imaginary pedestal in comparison to other students who were not chosen.
Since UTampa is a relatively small school and Greek organizations only accept a certain number of students, it can cause divides among roommates during recruitment.
FOMO — the fear of missing out — is a feeling many college students endure since everybody is finding their social groups. Specifically, the division in friendships caused by sororities and fraternities can be large. Once students join different organizations, their priorities and social circles often shift, leading to feelings of exclusion among those who aren’t involved. Events, parties, and group activities within the Greek organizations can make outsiders feel left behind or excluded. This feeling can hinder one’s personal self esteem, and as college can be one’s most vulnerable moment it can be hard to deal with.
Over time, this separation may create tension or distance between friends who once shared similar routines and experiences previously. This can ultimately lead a student to question their sense of belonging and emotional well-being.