Clarke does not have any fraternities or sororities, nor have they ever existed at the University. Some of the main reasons for this are the lack of student interest due to various other involvement opportunities on campus, and the intense administrative support needed to organize greek life. Callie Clark gave her view of the topic and what experiences she previously had with greek life on campuses.
Greek life consists of social groups on college campuses that allow students to connect to others with similar interests and allow them various leadership and social opportunities. It is made up of different chapters which normally have a recruitment process to enable new members to join. Fraternities (Latin: fraternitas) means brotherhood, normally all male, and sororities (Latin: soroitas) means sisterhood, normally all females. There are some exceptions such as academic (ex: business or medical) fraternities that are generally co-ed.
So why doesn’t Clarke have Greek life? Callie Clark states that there are a few reasons for this, “In the past, our student population was very service-oriented and supported a thriving Campus Ministry department through active community service engagement, including but not limited to service completed with athletic teams.” Following from this, because Greek life shares the same qualities as our athletic teams and other various programs there was never a big push for something that wouldn’t necessarily add a ton of depth to Clarke’s campus.
Currently, there are two main reasons why Clarke doesn’t have Greek life. Firstly, Greek life would take a lot of support from administrative staff and require a lot of time from students. “With 80% of our student population as student-athletes there is not a significant amount of time or energy left after academics, athletics, and work” Clark said. The demanding nature of both athletics and academics already places significant pressure on students, making it difficult to find time for additional commitments. Greek life would also divert students from involvement in various thriving campus activities that offer great opportunities for student leadership.
Furthermore, the administrative support for Greek life would be hefty. Callie Clark shared her own experience being an advisor of Greek life saying, “I served as an advisor for Greek life at two institutions before Clarke and am familiar with the oversight required to manage social fraternities and sororities including the relationship with chapter (inter)national headquarters and any governing bodies such as Interfraternity Council (IFC) or National Panhellenic Council (NPC).” The process of obtaining Greek life at Clarke is not just an administrative deal. It would take connections with these governing bodies to start the process, something that would take a lot of time, staff, and money. Furthermore, there are not enough students or buildings to sustain multiple chapters, and the point of Greek life is to have various chapters for students to pick from.
While there are some positives to Greek life such as “the ability to provide students with a sense of belonging, leadership development, commitment to serving others, communities, and more” Clark says, she believes "these are all positives to campus involvement, period.” There are also some downsides to having Greek life such as “more significant leadership time commitment, administrative oversight and governance, as well as some of the not-so-great possibilities that could come with a Greek community.” This includes potential risks that Greek organizations can come with, such as substance abuse, hazing pressures, financial burdens, and concerns about sexual assault. “Without appropriate support, governance, and oversight, it is possible that Greek organizations could fall into significant behavior issues such as hazing, irresponsible substance use, or discrimination. While I recognize these are not occurrences in all Greek life communities, they are potential risks within them and have to be considered.” Clark said. Especially with the University being committed to its core values and being a diverse campus, these negatives could potentially damage the environment the university has been working to uphold over the last 182 years.
Clark shares that some demands for Greek life have come up over the years but there are not enough resources or student interest for it to take off at Clarke. However, she would “encourage students looking to build a stronger community on campus to get involved in our existing student organizations; take a chance on meeting other students with similar interests and throwing your hat into the ring for leadership in student organizations.” Especially with numbers having decreased post-COVID, many clubs on campus are looking for students to participate in them and make an impact. “Students who aren’t sure what’s out there on campus should take a look at organizations pages on the Source or stop by to chat with Anthony King, Coordinator for Campus Activities and Leadership to help get connected!” Clark said.
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