The Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) community at UW Oshkosh is a strong campus tradition that goes back to 1960! Over 50 years after its formation, the fraternity and sorority community continues to operate at a high level and produces amazing graduates for the University. The FSL community is made up of 5 sororities and 6 fraternities and represents a wide array of students. There are currently over 300 undergraduates involved in the community and it continues to grow every semester.
The FSL community has chosen to dedicate their time and attention to four major pillars: Leadership, Service, Scholarship, and Friendship. These four pillars will allow students the ability to grow and mature during their time in college and provide them the tools to be successful after college. Students attend workshops and training, plan philanthropic and social events, develop academic plans for members to attain good grades and graduate, and learn how to strengthen bonds between people of diverse backgrounds.
Each member has a network of thousands of alumni and current members of our community. These supporting groups provide advice and support throughout a student’s collegiate journey. Members also gain hands-on experience building professional skills! Fraternity and sorority leaders manage budgets, plan events, recruit new members, educate those members, manage conflict, and support each other. Membership in a fraternity or sorority helps foster special friendships and creates many valuable networks to help you succeed in college and beyond.
Sororities On Campus
Fraternities on Campus
Students Involved
Average Service Hours
Fundraised for Charity
WHY JOIN OUR COMMUNITY?
Fraternities and sororities provide a home away from home and encourage unique and lasting friendships. Joining a fraternity or sorority exposes students to a large network of collegiate members and alumni that can help undergraduates transition successfully into college life and find the opportunities that will enhance their development.
Fraternities and sororities exhibit their values in action by contributing to worthy causes in the community. Greek organizations also constantly strive for academic success. The value of intellectual curiosity does not end when one earns a diploma; rather it is held throughout a lifetime. Fraternities and sororities developing ongoing programs and initiatives that are designed to help students achieve academic goals and to pursue the goal of philanthropic service in a variety of ways. With so many organizations to choose from, there is a home for everyone interested in joining our community.
These six pillars reflect the values that members of the UW Oshkosh fraternity and sorority community work to emulate:
SCHOLARSHIP
Our organizations were founded on the principles of academic exploration and achievement. We promote and encourage academic excellence by implementing scholarship programs containing study tables, tutors, and access to campus resources while also having academic standards that all members are held accountable to. We prioritize our education and enhance it through our extra-curricular experience which provide us opportunities to practice the lessons learned in the classroom.
INTEGRITY
Our members are held to high standards of excellence and are expected to lead with integrity in all areas of their lives. Members are asked to uphold the values of honesty and respect through responsible decision-making and sincerity in relationships. We strive to hold our members accountable to making moral decisions that protect the safety of past, present and future members.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
INCLUSIVITY
UNITY
PARENT AND GUARDIAN INFO
Angie Zemke
Program Advisor – Fraternity & Sorority Life
zemkea@uwosh.edu
920-424-1270
Reeve Union 102G
Located in Reeve Union, the Fraternity and Sorority Life Office (FSL) is dedicated to assisting our members throughout their undergraduate experience at UW Oshkosh, both in and out of the classroom. While I believe the experience provided here is life-changing in so many positive ways, I also understand the thought of joining a fraternity or sorority can be filled with anxiety for both the student and their loved ones. There are many stereotypes about FSL across the country and those few campuses and organizations that struggle to maintain a positive experience for their members take over the narrative about what FSL is truly about. The top priorities of UW Oshkosh FSL are to create a strong fraternity and sorority community dedicated to a shared set of values that guide our decision-making processes and being open and transparent about our experience with our members and their loved ones. This page is dedicated to providing some of those answers and opens the door for further communication if desired! I am very proud of our community and hope you will be able to learn all that our experience entails so you can support your Titan in joining our community!!
If your Titan has already joined a fraternity or sorority, I encourage you to ask questions about their experience! What have they loved? What has been challenging for them? What activities are they participating in? Are they feeling connected with the other members? Is there anything the FSL Advisor or yourself could do to help their experience be more successful? These are all questions that will allow you to share this new journey alongside them and I love when families experience this life-changing decision together!
While I am here to work with our members, I also want to be a resource for you! Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time to gain clarity on the recruitment process, community policies, or the financial commitment required of members. I will always do my best to be as transparent as possible and help guide you in the right direction with our Headquarter partners for each organization. It is my goal that when your student comes to college that you as a loved one also become a part of the FSL and University family!
How will my Titan benefit from fraternity or sorority life?
Membership in a Greek organization develops students beyond what classroom and other activities can do. It is one of the best ways to get involved and connected with the University within the first few days and weeks. Research has shown that involved students are more likely to graduate and report greater satisfaction with their overall collegiate experience. Many student government leaders, orientation leaders, student organization executive board members, and student employees are involved in the fraternity and sorority community. Also, this is often the first time students are responsible for their own activities and living within their means. Greek organizations provide leadership training opportunities and professional skills practice that will help them excel in the classroom and bring their resume to the top of the pile in job searches.
What is recruitment?
Recruitment is a time of mutual selection between students and chapters. Not only do Greek organizations select new members, but your Titan selects a chapter with which they wish to be affiliated. Recruitment events are alcohol-free and held during the beginning of the fall and spring terms. Attending a recruitment event does not mean a student is obligated to join an organization, so we encourage everyone to check out our interest nights to see if these organizations might be for them.
How will joining a fraternity or sorority affect my Titan’s academic performance?
Fraternities and sororities understand that academics should be their number one focus. All of the organizations at UW Oshkosh require a minimum grade point average (GPA) in order to remain active in their chapters and provide members numerous resources to keep their GPA at that level including study sessions, tutoring sessions, and connection to the campus resources available. Retention and graduation rates are higher among Greek students, which is attributed to their dedication to scholastic achievement.
What is the financial obligation?
Each new member will have financial obligations when it comes to joining a fraternity or sorority. This money is spent directly on services that will benefit your Titan, such as leadership development opportunities, social functions, support of the national organization, philanthropy and more. In most organizations, there is a one-time new member or initiation fee as well as semester membership dues. Each organization has payment plans for students who may need more time to pay for his/her dues.
Do sororities and fraternities haze?
We are proud at UW Oshkosh to take a strong stance against hazing of any kind. We dedicate time to educate our students on how to create a safe environment at meetings, social functions and around campus. We have conversations about group dynamics and how important it is to check negative or bad behavior at its onset.
Organizations are required to submit new member programs before each semester and must include both national rituals and local traditions to verify their structure and compliance with policy. We also have strict policies around alcohol use and monitor those events carefully. Because of these measures, the fraternity and sorority community at UWO continues to be a safe environment for its members.
Each year, UW Oshkosh participates in National Hazing Prevention Week. Follow us on social media for more details about future programming.
What is my role in supporting my Titan’s recruitment experience?
- Encourage your Titan to attend as many campus events as possible during the first few days of the semester. Being involved is the best way to meet active Greek members and learn about their chapters. Involvement in other student organizations is looked favorably upon during the membership selection process.
- Students need support throughout the process of recruitment/intake. Be supportive and learn as much as you can about Fraternity and Sorority Life by asking questions of your Titan as he or she meets members in fraternities and sororities.
- Keep an open mind. Fraternity and Sorority Life has changed tremendously through the past few decades so they are not the “Animal House” organizations of the past. Also, Fraternity and Sorority Life is not for everyone. Fraternities and sororities are different on every campus. Let your Titan choose the group that he or she feels the most comfortable joining.
- Talk to your Titan beforehand about the financial obligation, and other costs associated with their college experience.
FRATERNITY AND SORORITY LIFE INTEREST FORM
If you are interested in learning about the incredible opportunities that fraternity and sorority life has to offer, please complete the following form, you are under no obligation to join. You will receive information about upcoming events and activities.