By Cecilia Gutierrez |Staff Writer|
As a sorority or fraternity member you reap many benefits.
Membership benefits include leadership, involvement with school affairs, job opportunities,and networking skills.
Juan Herrera, a former brother of Sigma Chi, serves as an example of how these networking opportunities attained from fraternity membership help during the pursuit of job opportunities after graduating from college.
Herrera now works in CSUSB President Tomás Morales’ office (making a fair amount of money) and traveling on behalf of CSUSB.
What gave him the upper-hand? Being a part of a fraternity.
Many of us have seen movies that reflect the Greek Life, however, how many of us really know what these fraternities and sororities do?
CSUSB’s Greek Life encompasses more than what stereotypical movies portray.
Friendship, justice and learning are the three core values Sigma Chi looks for in potential members.
“We’re all about grades, we’re all about community service, and we’re all about our brotherhood,” said Connor Dickson, a freshman Sigma Chi fraternity member.
Dickson continued, “I think that a lot of people, even older adults, probably think that all we do is party.”
“I definitely think that movies like ‘Animal House’ and ‘Neighbors’ do not really help because that’s all they do in the movies,” added Dickson.
Indeed, stereotypes frequently portray a “party,” “up until dawn” image towards sorority and fraternity members and some do fit that profile.
The leadership board of Sigma Chi, however, pushes their brothers away from the negative standards society has set.
Sigma Chi’s Public Relationships Chairman of Organization, Tyler Hicks, mentioned in a recent interview that there are seven standards he and his brothers live by.
These include being a man of good character, a student of favorability, living with ambitious purposes, a congenial disposition, good morals, having a high sense of honor and personal responsibility.
Not only is character necessary to be a member, but the expectation to participate is also vital.
Hicks couldn’t help but laugh when asked how much time he devotes to his fraternity.
“That’s an interesting question because the way I place myself in Sigma Chi and CSUSB is that I’m consistently giving back to the organization at all times,” said Hicks.
Hicks lives near and works on campus for the Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) office, which strengthens the bond with his brothers as well as his networking opportunities.
In this way he contributes to not only the organization but to the campus as a whole.
“But I mean when you’re having fun ,it’s not really a time commitment. I’m doing it because I want to,” said Hicks.
Though the benefits of partaking in a fraternity or sorority sound helpful in the pursuit of experience and career, costs may hinder participation.
Expenses, specifically for the Sigma Chi fraternity, include a $300 quarterly fee, or a $900 annual fee.
Do the costs really outweigh the benefits? That’s really up to you, the student, to decide.
If interested in pledging in a fraternity or sorority, Fall and Winter are the times to pledge.
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