Winter term is finally coming to a close and spring term is en route, which means that the monster known as finals is waiting to eat us alive while the library is at maximum capacity.
Each term, every chapter in Fraternity and Sorority Life works hard to maintain a high overall GPA. Each house on campus has a minimum GPA requirement, and if a member falls below the requirement, he or she can be placed on social probation, or prohibited from attending social functions. A scary thought to many, this punishment pushes each member to work especially hard to keep his or her grades up so that they don’t slip through the cracks.
Houses are constantly coming up with creative solutions when it comes to motivating their members to do homework and stay on top of grades. Emily Fett, Chi Omega’s director of scholarship, plays a daily role in creating incentives for her house. Winter term, Chi Omega jumped from number four in grades to number one. This large leap came with a few new strategies to get members motivated. Fett admits that she and her team started early. “A lot of it had to do with our recruiting class. We did focus on finding girls with holistic characteristics … but also finding girls that were stronger in grades,” she said.
A new addition to this academic initiative is Fett’s plan to help sisters ease into classes. “Next term we are planning on making a spread sheet for different classes that girls will be taking so we can set up networks for them. Girls will send in schedules so they can see who is in those classes with them and you can see who has taken the class in the past,” said Fett.
Along with Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi has been consistent in having a high overall GPA. Jackie Dutton, vice president of member development for the house, knows how important grades are in Pi Phi, as well as in the FSL community. “Last term was the first time in a while that we haven’t gotten first in grades, and everyone took that really hard,” she said of her sisters’ reactions.
Each sorority on campus is required to hold study tables as an easy way to get homework done in a quiet environment. Pi Phi decided to switch things up by having intermingle study tables in an effort to also make stronger FSL connections. “This term we actually tried a few new things. We are doing a study table with Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Mu during dead week,” Dutton said.
President of Alpha Epsilon Pi Sam Gutin was proud that his fraternity ranked number one in grades this term. Rather than giving immediate incentives, AEPi members know when they join that there are high standards for grades. “Brothers learn when they are first joining AEPi that school is the number one priority. The ability to manage one’s schedule is also a benefit that comes from joining a Greek organization,” Gutin said. “Nationally, AEPi has the best grades of any fraternity there is, so there is a lot of encouragement from our headquarters to keep our grades up.”
Each term, fraternities and sororities strive to do their very best in the classroom. By making studying creative and fun, Fraternity and Sorority Life strives to make scholarship its first priority.