On campus, Greek life is consistently identified as a way to make friends and become more active in the community. But as the university presents itself to prospective students, the question arises of how much attention Greek life deserves in information sessions and on campus tours.
Information session leaders notice that the topic of Greek life comes up when the audience is given a chance to ask questions, even though it is not a focus of the presentation.
“About 60 percent of the time, someone will ask about Greek life anyway, and it’s a good way to get the conversation going,” says Mike Drish, one of the senior assistant directors at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Drish thinks that Greek life should be given more emphasis, especially since the audience so often prompts the topic anyway.
Some agree that Greek life does not receive adequate attention.
“For some people, it (Greek life) is really important, so it might be beneficial for them to know more about it before they make their decision,” said freshman Sarah Corapi. Corapi also said Vanderbilt should supply more information about student activities in order to make Vanderbilt a more attractive candidate for prospective students.
“It would be relevant to mention Greek life, just as it is relevant to mention ASB or student government,” said Kristin Torrey, the director of Greek Life. Torrey says a student-led tour might be a more natural time to discuss Greek life, although the tour does not walk by Greek Row. Torrey said she would expect information session leaders to be able to answer prospective students’ questions pertaining to Greek life.
Although Greek life involves almost half of the campus, most do not regard it as the sole way to be involved in the community or to have a social life. Drish pointed out that though almost half of campus is a part of Greek life, it is not a majority, and that the campus was, by no means, “divided along Greek lines.”
Torrey agrees that while being Greek is a very popular option on campus, it is not the only one.
“The Greek community is a very important part of student life, but there are lots of different communities,” Torrey said. “Any student could get involved in any number of communities.”
One of the tour guides for prospective students, junior Xiomara Trotman, also said Greek life defined neither the communal dynamic nor the social experience on Vanderbilt’s campus.
“A lot of parents ask me about Greek life because they are worried their kids won’t have a good experience if they’re not a part of it,” Trotman said, “and I tell them that I went two years without being Greek.”
Torrey said a prospective student’s choice to attend Vanderbilt shouldn’t be based on the prevalence of Greek life.
“A student’s decision to attend Vanderbilt should be based on what they’re most looking for getting out of attending college,” Torrey said. “A large Greek community should not be the only reason to come to Vanderbilt.”
Hayley Karlan also contributed to this article.
