Bates College - Greek Life

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

There is no Greek life at Bates. The closest thing the College has to Greek life is some of the campus-owned houses, which occasionally throw parties that mimic frat parties. There are advantages and disadvantages to the lack of Greek life. Bates’ policy prohibits exclusive organizations, so lacking Greek life does make Bates more egalitarian. Not permitting fraternities and sororities allows Bates to avoid the issues that come with Greek organizations—there are no worries about hazing on campus or about Greek life dominating the social scene. Still, fraternity and sorority houses are where students on most other campuses go to drink, so without frats here, parties happen everywhere on campus, which can be a problem for students who need to sleep or do work. The ubiquitous parties at Bates have led some students who do drink to choose housing in chem-free dorms, simply to get a break from the noise and mess generated by parties.

Most Batesies are fairly indifferent to the idea of having Greek organizations. The school is full of very opinionated individuals, and yet the issue of having fraternities and sororities has yet to rear its ugly head. Some Bates students graduate without ever having gone to a frat party, and most don’t seem to regret that in any way. Greek life is a non-issue at Bates. It seems unlikely the College will ever have fraternities of sororities, which is something Batesies aren’t going to lose any sleep over. As for excessive partying and binge drinking—they’ll lose plenty of sleep over that!

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Students Speak Out

BatHS says: Bates College 2014 History

There is no Greek life—just... There is no Greek life—just cliques. 12345 Greek Life: February 28, 2009 Report

BatAC says: Bates College 2014 Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Bates doesn't have frats or... Bates doesn't have frats or sororities, which is actually a really nice feature of the social scene here. Nothing is exclusive or elitist. Everyone's welcome just about everywhere. 12345 Greek Life: February 16, 2009 Report

BatRL says: Bates College 2014 Psychology

There's no Greek life at Bates,... There's no Greek life at Bates, and that's one of the things I like best about it. There's nothing exclusive about the social scene—if you want to go to a party, you can go. 12345 Greek Life: February 15, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

The only Greek thing about Bates... The only Greek thing about Bates is the pita bread in the dining hall. 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

Bates is a small college and... Bates is a small college and doesn’t allow exclusive organizations, so there are no fraternities or sororities at Bates. Students are all the more social for it. 12345 Greek Life Report

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