“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.”
- Rene Descartes
The first fraternity was founded in 1776 as a means for young men attending college to discuss topics that were not taught by their faculty. Since that time, academic achievement, referred to as scholarship within fraternities and sororities has been an integral part of membership. Members are required to meet specific grade point requirements in order to be initiated in a fraternity or sorority and to remain active. Friendly competition within chapters motivate members to reach individual and small group academic goals. Often, chapters compete with each other to be the top chapter each semester.
Each fraternity and sorority has its own Scholarship Chair, an upper-class member who works with other members to set academic goals and identify ways for each individual to reach her or his respective goals. As a new member, the Scholarship and Member Education Chairs will work with you to identify what resources on campus will best assist you to meet your academic goals. Chapter houses have designated study spaces and quiet hours for members living in and out of the house. Several chapters utilize the Academic Collegiate Enhancement (ACE) resources through the Orientation and Student Success Office and have designated Faculty and Alumni advisors to assist members with academic achievement. Study tables at chapter houses, course notes in chapter libraries, and study teams are all readily available for both new and active members.
Regardless of which fraternity or sorority you join, it is your responsibility to utilize the resources provided by the chapter to meet membership grade point requirements. The Greek community continues to identify ways in which to enhance scholarship and support individual member’s academic successes.
Although fraternities and sororities are considered to be social organizations, NDSU is home to two chapters that have a career focus and require you to be in a specific major when joining: Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Co-ed Fraternity and Sigma Phi Delta Fraternity (Engineering & Architecture). The other 13 chapters are open to all academic majors.