Iowa State’s greek community offers numerous leadership, social and community service opportunities all year long, and becoming a part of this community is a process all of its own.

If you are interested in joining the greek community, you should first consider what you are looking for in a fraternity or sorority and start looking at the chapters that meet your needs. Think about the size, commitments and expectations you want in a fraternity or sorority and narrow your search to those chapters.

During orientation, go to the session put on by the greek community on one of the two days to learn more about the community and to have any questions you have about the community answered. You can also visit the Office of Greek Affairs in Room 0355 of the Memorial Union.

Additionally, all fraternities on campus will be open for house tours and talking with its current members throughout the summer.

“If [a student] doesn’t [know much about the greek community], is a first generation student or if they’re the first [person] to go greek in their family, coming to our session is a great place to start,” said Katy Cran, assistant director of greek affairs.

Once you are confident in the fraternity or sorority you want to join, follow the recruitment process according to which council the chapter is in.

Fraternities in the Interfraternity Council allow men to join at any time, but most men will join the summer before or during their first semester at Iowa State. Anyone interested in joining these fraternities are encouraged to visit the ISU greek community website should visit the websites of the chapters and stay in touch with the fraternities they want to join.

“Part of what a student has to do is just reach out and contact the person [in charge of the fraternity’s recruitment], and that joining process can start pretty immediately,” said Billy Boulden, assistant dean of students and director of greek affairs.

Women who are interested in joining a sorority in the Collegiate Panhellenic Council will have the opportunity to do so during formal recruitment, which occurs the week before classes start. Anyone wanting to participate in formal recruitment must sign up for it on the Office of Greek Affairs’ website and will move into their assigned residence hall room the week before classes start and participate in a week of activities that may lead to an invitation to join the sorority.

Most fraternities or sororities in the Multicultural Greek Council or National Pan-Hellenic Council require an established cumulative minimum GPA and attendance at events such as Meet the Greeks. Most people will not join these fraternities and sororities until the second semester of their first year at Iowa State at the earliest, but maintaining a constant line of communication with these chapters is highly recommended until then.

“It’s about getting to know the organization over a period of time,” Boulden said about joining a Multicultural Greek Council or National Pan-Hellenic Council chapter.

If a fraternity has offered you membership and you would like to move into its house, you can do so by breaking your contract with the Department of Residence on or before August 1 and forfeiting your $125 prepayment. If you break your contract after August 1, you will forfeit your $125 prepayment plus a 15 percent cancellation fee.

All sorority houses are full at this moment, but obtaining membership into these chapters can lead to a chance to live in these houses in the future.

No matter which fraternity or sorority you join, they all focus on four unique values: philanthropy and community service, brotherhood or sisterhood, academics and leadership.

“You can join a chapter that ranges from two members to 120 members,” Cran said. “Building those intimate relationships outside of the classroom is important not just for those four years or six years — it’s forever.”