As Greek life recruitment nears at the University of North Georgia, each fraternity and sorority met prospective members during Greek-A-Palooza on Aug. 22 on the Dahlonega Campus Drill Field.
The open-house-style event attracted nearly 400 attendees, marking the beginning of the university’s opening year allowing first-semester freshmen to participate in fall recruitment. UNG previously had a policy that required chapters to start the process at the beginning of each spring semester. Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council, the governing bodies of sororities and fraternities, recently voted to change the rule to increase interest in Fraternity and Sorority Life and overall student retention rates.
Ally Freligh, Vice President of Membership for the Delta Zeta UNG chapter, said thanks to the policy changes, chapters on campus saw a spike in membership interest compared to previous years.
“We have hit 210 potential new members, which is, I’m pretty sure, the most we’ve hit since before Covid,” Freligh explained. “Panhellenic is flourishing in the fall, and IFC is growing as well. It’s really just been amazing to see how the community has kind of encouraged these freshmen to find their home.”
Greek-A-Palooza allows students to learn about each chapter, including the organization’s philanthropic cause and upcoming events. Among those sharing their cause was Pi Kappa Phi, which directly partners with the Ability Experience, an organization that provides aid to those with disabilities.
Pi Kappa Phi brother Jack Curry has been able to give back through his fraternity.
“A unique opportunity I had this summer was I rode a thousand miles on a bicycle… I went from Miami to Tallahassee. It was about 18 straight days of riding a bike in a hundred-degree weather and 90 percent humidity,” Curry recalled. “And, every day, we’d stop at a center that supports people with disabilities, and I helped raise $200,000… it was the greatest two weeks of my life.”
Throughout the event, FSL leaders shared why they chose to associate with their respective organizations. For Freligh, the answer was simple: community.
“We have six values, but the value that stood out to me most was ‘belonging’ because I was just searching for a place to belong. And, when they said that [belonging] was one of their core values, I was just like, ‘I think this is the place for me.’”
“I walked into Delta Zeta on my last round of the first day, and it just felt like I always belonged there.” – Ally Freligh, Vice President of Membership for the Delta Zeta UNG Chapter
UNG’s FSL also welcomed new leadership for the Fall 2024 semester, with Liz Artz taking over as the school’s Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Artz recently moved to Georgia from Michigan to serve in the role. She shared that while she has a vision to improve Greek life on campus, her goal is to get to know each organization.
“We have some things we want to update and change, but I’m just a sponge right now,” Artz said. “I’m just trying to learn the culture here before we make changes here for the better.”
Recruitment kicks off with sorority chapters on Aug. 31 through Sept. 3. Fraternity activities will begin on Sept. 4 and go through Sept. 18. Registration is required to participate in both recruitment processes.
UNG students from all campuses can join an organization if they are enrolled in a baccalaureate or associate program. The university requires members to have at least a 2.5 GPA, but its website advised some chapters may expect a higher average.
