Anybody who has seen any movie about college is aware of the common misconception that fraternities and sororities are just organizations that students join in order to party. Depending on the school though, this isn’t always the case. Here at UW-La Crosse, the fraternities and sororities are seen helping out the community and organizing fun events. I talked with some of the presidents of the fraternities and sororities on campus, and ended up learning a lot about Greek Life and hearing about some really cool opportunities that being involved presents.

For the Greek Life organizations on campus, giving back to the community is very important. Members help out at events that are put on by their chapter, and also volunteer outside of that as well. Members of the UW-L chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority logged over 500 hours of community service just over the spring semester in 2015. UW-L’s chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity also logged over 1,000 hours over the 2013-2014 school year. Not all chapters have published how many hours they’ve contributed to the community, but if each organization puts in that much time, it would add up to over 6,000 hours of service each year, which is about three years-worth of one person working full time. Some of the fraternities and sororities donate the majority of their time, services, and money raised to a certain cause. The Alpha Xi Delta sorority, for example, does a lot to support the Autism Speaks cause. As a chapter, they raise about $5,000 a year for the organization through many of the events they put on, which is also a big part of what Greek Life does on campus.

One of the great things about being a student at UW-L is the fact that there is always something going on. No matter what day of the week, you can be involved in something fun happening that day. Greek Life contributes to this tremendously by organizing dozens of fun events throughout the year. Throughout the spring semester, we have a bunch of great Greek Life events coming up. Jenna Horton, the current president of Alpha Xi Delta, told me about events the sorority plans to host this coming spring, such as Light It Up Blue, a worldwide event where people light up buildings with blue light to spread autism awareness. They also host the AmaXing Challenge: Step It Up 5k, a 5k walk/run around campus, which also helps spread autism awareness, and helps to support Autism Speaks.

Greek Life also helps out the community in their own ways. For example, the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity organizes Operation River Watch, which was started in 2006, to help prevent alcohol-related incidents that result in accidental drownings. These kinds of operations are a huge help to the community, and people visiting La Crosse.

Any movie about college has taught us that the experience wouldn’t be the same without Greek Life, and this is very true. The fraternities and sororities aren’t affecting college life in the stereotypical way though, but in a more positive way, by helping out the community. If you happen to be interested in learning more about what they do, or potentially joining one, you can check out each fraternity and sorority’s website at: https://www.uwlax.edu/University-Centers/Chapters/