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Pillars of Greek Life

Chancellor speaking with sorority members All fraternal organizations are based on specific ideals and beliefs that are significant the membership and help set each organization apart from one another. At the same time there are four areas or "pillars" of Greek life that are universally embraced by all fraternal organizations.

The four Pillars of Greek Life are:

Scholarship
Service
Leadership
Friendship

Many of the programs, events, and actions of our chapters fall under one or more of these pillars and our chapters strive to maintain a balance between all four.

Scholarship

Fraternities and Sororities at UNCW are committed to excellence in academic pursuits. Historically, Greek-letter organizations were founded on the principle of academic success and friendship. Today, UNCW fraternities and sororities continue to promote scholarship by providing many options for their members. Tutoring, academic advisors, study buddies, scholarships, and awards are just a few opportunities available through a fraternity or sorority.

Spring 2011 Academic Snapshot
All- Greek GPA	3.10	All-Undergraduate GPA	3.05
All-Sorority GPA	3.25	All-Female Undergraduate GPA	3.16
All-Fraternity GPA	2.89	All-Male Undergraduate GPA	2.88

Service

At UNCW each fraternity and sorority prides themselves on their service to the UNCW community and the Wilmington community.Each fraternity or sorority has philanthropic organizations they work closely with each year. Greek students promote service events on campus and often are highly involved with service projects on campus. They do this through donating their time and fund-raising to help others.

For the 2010 - 2011 academic year UNCW fraternities and sororities donated over 15,000 hours of community service and over $50,000 raised for philanthropic groups

Some great examples of philanthropic and community service events held by our groups are:

Sigma Alpha Epsilon's "Pumpkins for Munchkins" where they provide pumpkins for children to decorate during the Halloween holiday.
The Panhellenic Council's Adopt-A-Highway program where the bring the community together 4 times a year to clean Wrightsville Beach Avenue.
Sigma Alpha Omega's Midnight 5K Run which benefits Ovarian Cancer Research and participants run on campus wearing glow in the dark t-shirts.

Leadership

A University is the ideal place for you to develop your leadership potential. Joining a sorority or fraternity provides individuals with numerous opportunities to demonstrate leadership. Whether it be as an officer or committee member, valuable experience will be gained, experience that will be well used in future endeavors. 85% of Fortune 500 executives, 76% of US Congressmen and women, and all but two United States presidents since 1825 are Greek! Before becoming career successful, UNCW Greeks also hold important offices and positions outside of their organizations. Greeks earn valuable skills that cannot be developed by non-Greeks.

Fraternity and Sorority Life has developed an number of leadership programs to help fraternity and sorority members develop their leadership skills. These programs include the:

In addition, each fraternity and sorority attending leadership programs and conferences at the local, regional and national level which also provide an opportunity for members to sharpen their leadership skills.

Friendship

Sorority Women A very important and often unspoken aspect of being Greek is the sisterhood and brotherhood that is shared. The bonds that are shared between members of Greek organizations are what set them apart from non-Greeks. It is more than friendship. It is the understanding that each member has taken a vow to uphold the foundations and values of the organizations. Being a member of a sorority or fraternity is like having a second family.