The headline on the Greek Life Web site seems to typify the Vanderbilt experience: “We study. We serve. We play. We support.” But as Vanderbilt continues to bring in increasingly smarter students with each new academic year, is its “work hard, play hard” image still as true as ever for Greek life and undergraduates?
Over the last four years, Panhellenic recruitment has seen a consistent interest. According to the Office of Greek Life, the number of females registered for Panhellenic recruitment only dropped by 10 people from 2009 to 2010 with 526 registered for the upcoming spring.
“As a first-year student, I know that about 50 percent of Vanderbilt students participate in the Greek system. It seems like most upperclass students I have met participate in Greek life,” said Christine Gerwin. “Compared to other universities, it feels like our school has more students involved in Greek life.”
Even so, to some students the social scene at Vanderbilt may be very different than it was four years ago.
“My freshman year it wasn't uncommon to see nearly 10 fraternity parties on a Friday or Saturday night,” said Jason Horowitz, senior and president of the Sigma Nu fraternity, “whereas now there are almost always fewer than five.”
This trend may be a result of the unprecedented number of fraternities that have been on probation recently. According to the Office of Greek Life, 15 of the 17 Interfraternity Council chapters were on probation in the 2008-2009 school year, although that number is now down to one.
According to the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Conduct, the university’s alcohol policy has remained relatively unchanged since 1995. The most notable alterations regarded clarification of the immunity rule and the ban of liquor at social functions in 2006.
“If there has in fact been a change in the social scene, it is not because of a change in policy from the administration,” Torrey wrote in an e-mail. “Now, more than ever, the leaders in the Greek community understand the importance of properly managing their social events and the potential consequences for failing to do so. The leaders know that our community cannot afford another year like last year and they have made some changes internally to their chapters and to the social scene that students may likely see.”
But according to Daniel Swinton, assistant dean of student conduct and academic integrity, alcohol use has been as prevalent as ever.
“We still continue to receive a lot of reports,” Swinton said. “From a disciplinary standpoint, our caseload has increased over the last four years, starting probably around 2005.”
However, the reasons behind the trend are unclear.
“I don’t know if I could point to any causal factor,” Swinton said. “I think VPD (Vanderbilt Police Department) is more present on campus. I don’t know if there’s been a concerted effort to crack down, but it seems to me as if students are drinking as much as they ever did."
According to Vanderbilt Student Government President Wyatt Smith, the Greek system will remain an integral part of Vanderbilt’s social life.
“From my perspective, the Greek community has always been and will continue to be a major social scene on campus,” Smith said. “… I have more fun my senior year in a fraternity than I did as a freshman.”
But as the students enrolling at Vanderbilt become increasingly diverse, so too does the makeup of the Greek community.
“I think the most noticeable difference in recruitment is the one we see at Vanderbilt in general: The average student concentrates more on academics, is less likely to be from the South, and is more likely to be from a diverse background than three years ago,” Horowitz said.
And Greek Life agrees.
“The students are changing, which is translating into membership make up,” said Tanner Marcantel, assistant director of Greek life. “The Greek community is more representative of students coming here.”
Vanderbilt’s increasingly competitive admissions standards may be directly changing the types of students enrolling in the university. If the university is truly losing its “work hard, play hard” image, it may due to a more academically driven student body.
According to the Vanderbilt admissions office, the admission rate has decreased from 23 percent for the Class of 2012 to about 20 percent for the Class of 2013. The 50 percent SAT score range was 1350 to 1520, up from the previous class’s range of 1330 to 1500.
“As Vanderbilt gets smarter, they may not choose to spend as much time with extra-curricular activities and more time focusing on academics,” Torrey said. “Our community is what students make it.”
Matthew Taylor and Sara Gast contributed reporting to this article.
