Around 37% of Dartmouth students are members of Greek houses, and about 60% of eligible students eventually opt to join a Greek organization. And, whether or not they eventually join, many students find that the Greek organizations are a popular nighttime social option.
Therefore, let us examine first the locations and character of each individual Greek house, and then look a little bit at the rush process and what being a member of a Greek organization is actually like.
Types of Greek Organizations
Dartmouth has a total of 15 fraternities, eight sororities and three co-educational fraternities.
It's useful to keep some distinctions in mind when thinking about Dartmouth Greeks. For instance, it's important to keep in mind the difference between national and local Greek organizations.
National Greek organizations have chapters bearing their letters at campuses all across the country. By contrast, local Greek organizations exist only at Dartmouth.
Typically, members of national Greek organizations have to pay higher dues, but they also receive the benefit of increased networking opportunities with members of other chapters.
Dartmouth's national sororities--Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Delta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma--also have stricter rules about the consumption of alcohol within their houses than do their local counterparts Epsilon Kappa Theta, Kappa Delta Epsilon and Sigma Delta.
List and Locations of Houses
Most of Dartmouth's fraternities and sororities are located on Webster Avenue, a street just north of the College.
Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity, located at 1 Webster, just across from the library, is best known for its lively non-alcoholic raves, held once or twice per term.
Next to Tri-Kap stands Tabard co-educational fraternity at 3 Webster. The Tabard is widely known for its Disco Inferno parties. Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity is located next door to the Tabard. Chi Gam pledges are readily recognizable by the nametags they are required to wear during their pledge period.
Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority is next door to Chi Gam. The house hosts an Alice in Wonderland theme party every term. Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, at 11 Webster, stands just next door.
Nearby stands Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity. Alpha Chis are readily visible by the red baseball caps they're required to don as pledges.
Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority is located at 15 Webster Avenue. The house holds a popular Wild Things party every term.Delta Delta Delta sorority is located just in back of Theta, at 1 Occum Ridge. Tri-Delt's house is unique architecturally in that it was built from a combination of previously existing Greek houses, and therefore one cannot access all rooms in the house by entering through a single entrance.
On the other side of the street stands Sigma Nu fraternity at 12 Webster. The house is known for its popular Early '80s party during big weekends and its nonalcoholic Raven parties.
Bones Gate fraternity is located next door to Sigma Nu. They are known for serving a unique brand of "BGTea." Two doors down stands Alpha Xi Delta sorority. Alpha Xi's sisters recently distinguished themselves by earning the highest house average GPA on campus.
Slightly to the east of Webster stands Phi Tau co-educational fraternity at 31 North Main Street, known for baking batches upon batches of homemade cookies for its non-alcoholic Milque and Cookies party every term.
Alpha Theta co-educational fraternity stands next door to Phi Tau. It regularly hosts a "Seven Deadly Sins" party.
Just across the street stands Gamma Delta Chi fraternity, the basement of which has a converted squash court. Gamma Delta also hosts many toga parties.
If one walks east past Baker Library, one discovers Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at 38 College Street. SAE throws beach parties which feature real sand on the dance floor.
Wandering to the west end of campus, one can find Theta Delta Chi fraternity, known for its pig roasts, and Psi Upsilon fraternity, the oldest fraternity on campus and the former fraternity of Nelson Rockefeller '30. Psi U is also the site of an ice rink in winter.
Sigma Delta sorority is located nearby, on 10 West Wheelock Street. Sigma Delts host a "Heaven and Hell" theme party each term.
Going east down Wheelock Street, one can find Alpha Delta fraternity at 9 East Wheelock. AD holds a popular lawn party featuring live bands during Green Key Weekend every spring. It is also home to a number of very cute golden retrievers. Next door to AD is located Chi Heorot at 11 East Wheelock.
Finally, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority is located in a large white house at 24 East Wheelock Street.
Several other Greek organizations, including Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Delta Sigma Theta sorority, do not own physical plants.
Joining a Greek Organization
Students are not allowed to join a Greek organization until freshman winter at the earliest. The College prevents students from doing so in order to ensure that students sample the full range of social options Dartmouth has to offer before committing to any specific Greek organization.
The process of exploring which Greek organization to join is known as rush and works somewhat differently for the three types of Greek organizations.
Sorority rush is the most highly structured. Each woman who signs up is assigned to a smaller group of about six or seven girls, led by a member of one of the Panhellenic sororities.
The small groups travel together to each of the sororities, where the rushees meet with current sorority members. After the rushees have visited each house, they make lists ranking the houses from 1 to 6.
Meanwhile, current members of sororities compile lists of which girls they would most like to have in their organization.
The Panhellenic Council, the central governing body of all the sororities, matches the houses' choices with the rushees' choices and draws up a shorter list of houses for each girl to visit again.
The same process is repeated several times, until each rushee is between two houses.
Finally, at that point, sororities can extend bids, or offers to join. Accepting a Greek's house offer to join is called sinking the bid.
In recent years, the majority of students who rushed have received bids.
Last year, 86% of men and 99% of women received bids. The year before, 66% of men and 98% of women received bids.
On the other hand, it is not necessary to sign up in advance for fraternity or co-ed rush.
Instead, fraternities and co-ed houses generally announce when they plan to have official rush events, and any interested student can simply show up. At any time during these official nights of rush, the house may extend a bid.
All three types of houses can also offer "open bids", i.e. they can offer any eligible student who has not gone through official rush the opportunity to join.
At most Greek houses, new members have to pass through a "pledge period" before becoming full-fledged members of the house; the new members themselves are thus referred to as pledges. Pledge period usually lasts for around one term.
While brutal initiation rites are often associated with the process of pledging any Greek organization, Dartmouth has a strict anti-hazing policy designed to protect the new members of Greek organizations.
Members have the option of being as much or as little involved with their houses as they'd like. For particularly busy students, going "inactive" for a term or two--not disaffiliating with a Greek house, but simply not participating in the house's events--can be an attractive option.
Traditional features of Greek life include house meetings every Wednesday night.
Most houses also hold a formal or semiformal dance each term.
Although many people often criticize the Greek system for fostering the consumption of excessive alcohol, it's important to note that Greek houses are required to organize a certain number of non-alcoholic activities every term, many of which are open to the entire campus.
Such events can range from large dance parties or the presentation of live bands to small dinners consisting of a house's membership and a professor.
Greek life is rich and varied, and this article hints at only some of its diverse aspects. No doubt you, the ''06s, will discover much more upon your arrival to campus!
