UTD lacks many common social forums found at other universities. Austin College has “Greek row,” where neighboring homes house sorority sisters, frat brothers and monstrous weekend parties; Texas A&M, UT Austin and Baylor have days devoted to their football games; and even in our own backyard, SMU has “Boulevarding,” where a massive tailgating-block party happens at every home football game. But while UTD has gained a reputation for a lackluster social scene, it still sports a thriving Greek life culture that can turn a lonely college experience into an exciting and socially rich one.
Greek life at UTD includes 26 chapters, ranging from traditional fraternities and sororities under the College Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils, to historically African American organizations under the National Pan-Hellenic Council, to multiple multicultural and special-interest groups. UTD’s office of Fraternity and Sorority Life boasts that over 900 students are involved in its chapters.
Greek life does not offer school-furnished events like movie nights where you’re not supposed to talk over the film, silent discos where social interactions are eliminated with self-deafening headphones or academic clubs where the majority of discussion is about the task at hand. Instead, it focuses on fostering social bonds through exclusive events, which often include retreats to beaches or campsites and networking opportunities with chapter alumni.
The Greek social scene this semester, currently focused on rush — that is, new member recruitment — has been immaculate so far. Bubble soccer night with Phi Delta Theta entertained spectators with the fraternity brothers wobbling around in large, padded ball contraptions and trying to play soccer. Poker night with Phi Gamma Delta sported numerous tables of card games like Blackjack; watching empires of chips rise and fall amid lively discussions was captivating. Speed dating with Beta Chi Theta and Sigma Sigma Rho was eventful, with attendees meeting 10 new people in 10 minutes. But beyond rush events, Greek life offers a yearlong schedule of engaging activities for members and even some events for the general public.
The Greek social scene this semester, currently focused on rush — that is, new member recruitment — has been immaculate so far.
Academic sorority Kappa Delta Chi hosts an annual 5k run for the American Cancer Society, according to publicity chair and healthcare studies junior Aryanna Rivas. She said that for each mile run, the sorority provides resources to educate participants about cancer or help them access care for loved ones.
Philanthropy is important across Greek orgs: for instance, Delta Kappa Delta supports child abuse prevention and Kappa Sigma supports military veterans. Jadon Grimes, Phi Gamma Delta president and business administration senior, said his fraternity donates proceeds from its campus pop-up shops to the vintage stores it partners with. And even outside philanthropy weeks, the Greeks stay busy with constant opportunities to socialize and meet new people.
“Every other week we have a study hour; we meet up with a sorority to do partnered study sessions,” Grimes said. “We have [Discord] channels for everything, whether meeting up to study, playing video games or hanging out.”
Rush looks different for each organization. For a sorority like Kappa Delta Chi, it’s a 10-week process of socials, informationals and a service event. For Phi Gamma Delta and Beta Chi Theta, rush is two weeks of socials and meeting the brothers, getting interviewed and publicly selecting new members during the Greek-wide “Bid Day” event. Those interested in joining a Greek organization must attend its rush events for the chance to get in. Specific rush requirements differ between each chapter.
Despite this diverse Greek scene, UTD’s reputation for being antisocial persists. Rivas said that reputation came largely from UTD’s student population being made up of mostly commuters who only come to campus for class.
“I’m commuting about 40 minutes from campus,” Rivas said. “It’s hard to find social things to do. I think students need to be presented with the opportunity to be social. People want to socialize.”
According to Grimes, many Greek events and experiences are available for people whether they commute or not, including Beta Chi Theta’s “boat formals” at local lakes, spring break vacations or Halloween weekend trips. And the big-little system is an especially great option for freshmen or transfers new to UTD, Rivas notes, with the “big” giving support and advice to their assigned potential new member known as a “little.”
“Once you’re in it, you get to meet all of the other Greeks,” said Andrea Escalera, Kappa Delta Chi treasurer and political science graduate student. “Before you would go, you wouldn’t know anyone. But now I, at least, know one person in passing and can start a conversation.”
To be part of any Greek organization at UTD, potential new members are expected to give their time and dedication, follow individual recruitment processes, get interviewed and acknowledge that not every person can be admitted.
“We can tell if they’re motivated,” Rivas said. “We’re going to do everything we can to try and help and support them through [rush].”
