Rochester Institute of Technology - Greek Life

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Greek life at RIT is visible on campus through many facets. A good number of events hosted on campus are organized by one of the Greek organizations. Fraternities and sororities tend to get a bum rap that is, by and large, not fully deserved. RIT is quite strict about the way in which Greek organizations operate, and hazing is strictly forbidden. While you are likely to see newly invited members singing silly songs around the sundial, or running around campus on a scavenger hunt, there is no hazing visible. The fraternities and sororities are all outgoing groups of people, and while there are rivalries between certain groups, there is no real animosity. Another perk of these organizations is that they are very socially conscious. Each group has a charity, or charities, that they aim throughout the year to help. You can find members cleaning highways on weekends or raising money for various causes throughout the quarter. They are as constant a source of entertainment as you will find on campus. Whether it is the “Pole Sit” (fraternity brothers take turns sitting in a crow’s nest erected by the quarter mile), or the “Rock-a-Thon” (brothers take turns rocking in rocking chairs for 24 hours), there is always something interesting going on connected with Greeks. There is no pressure to join a fraternity or sorority, as most of the parties and events that they host are open to all students and not just brothers and sisters. It’s best for new students to check out all the houses and spend some time with the members to see who you get along with (remember, these are the people whom you will be living with). The groups that have houses on campus usually require that you spend a specified amount of time living in the house, so that they can fill their occupancy requirements. Furthermore, the Greeks at RIT are not the stereotypical Animal House characters. They mostly consist of normal, everyday guys and girls. There is no need to join up, but there is no need to be afraid to join either.

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Students Speak Out

rwn8263 says: Rochester Institute of Technology 2017 Arts, Visual and Performing

You can't stereotype Greek life at... You can't stereotype Greek life at RIT. Sure, some of the Greeks are jerks, but you can't think that about all of them. It varies from house to house. Some of the Greeks are really good people. I am a brother of a house and am very happy with the decision I made. If it weren't for my fraternity house, I wouldn't come to RIT. Word to the wise---stay away from the Triangles. They tend to be real jerks. 12345 Greek Life: March 15, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

Some friends of mine started a new... Some friends of mine started a new fraternity that was fully accepted as a Greek organization. It was really cool to see the progression from club to frat. They started out as the True Gentleman’s Club, and they still are all good guys. It’s great to see a frat that has nice guys in it—they are definitely not the norm here, though. 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

I find the groups at the... I find the groups at the Engineering House and Art House to be more annoying than the frats. At least the frats throw good parties once in a while. The special-interest floors are just annoying. They haze their members worse than the frats do, and they get away with it! 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

There are a fair number of... There are a fair number of students who join frats, but there are more students that wisely choose not to. The biggest rivalry exists between the special-interest houses and the Greeks. The school supports the special-interest houses, and they usually let them get away with a lot more than they let the Greeks get away with. 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

I lived on a floor with a frat my... I lived on a floor with a frat my freshman year. I never wanted to join because of my experiences with them. The Greeks were rude and loud and came in drunk a lot of the time. I just don’t understand the appeal of the Greek system. 12345 Greek Life Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Every year the Greek organizations on campus throw an event called “Mud Tug.” Mud Tug is a giant tug of war over a pit of cold muddy water. Fraternities and sororities compete against each other. The winners tend to come out of the event a little bit (though not much) cleaner, and they get bragging rights for the year. It is definitely a spectacle to behold.

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