Greek letters are visible all over campus, and students do measure it as a dominant part of campus life, but it does not intrude into any student’s life if they don’t want it to. There is an open choice of whether to be involved or not, and UR students find they can easily keep themselves busy with or without being Greek. The parties are not exclusive, and the larger parties are well attended by the campus. Less accepting of the fraternities is the administration, which keeps a constant eye on the frat quadrangle amd puts them on probation at a moment’s notice. The fraternity quad happens to be a hop, skip, and a jump over from the Residential Quad, with two dorms full of freshmen, so the hawk eye of security is centered over that sore point. In general, though, fraternities and sororities co-exist with the campus and the community.
Sometimes, it can feel like one big club, with the Greeks on campus making up about a quarter of the population, but on the whole, everyone gets along. Greeks let anyone into their parties, especially the fraternities, and do not look down on those who chose not to be Greek; sororities are more exclusive, though. There is no pressure to join; some find it fits in with their lifestyle at school, and others are perfectly happy to be unaffiliated. There are some of the typical frat boys, who act in the typical manner, but there are also a lot of surprises in terms of who is part of a fraternity, and a couple fraternities that aren’t stereotypical. There is a non-hazing policy on campus, so there is less of a secret society-feel. Greek life is bearable for everyone at UR.