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The Impact of Increasing Greek Life Chapters at ECU
Noah Walker
At East Carolina University, Greek life took a hit in the late 2010’s. From 2017-2019,
ECU Inter Fraternity Council removed 7 organizations from its campus, including one sorority.
Slowly but surely, some of these organizations as well as new ones have arrived back on campus,
creating a new culture one at a time.
These groups are usually removed for the same couple of reasons; hazing reports,
alcohol, drugs, endangerment or violating university policies. According to the Director of
Student Engagement John Mountz, this purging of chapters had an unfortunate effect on Greek
participation at ECU, “Some of it is from 2017 to 2018 we’ve lost a number of chapters due to
conduct issues, and obviously you lose those groups totally it impacts [participation] numbers.”
Recently, however, the number of houses on campus has been going up consistently, with around
one new chapter a year.
2020 kicked off the consistent increase in Greek life chapters with Lamba Chi Alpha
rechartering after ten years of being off campus. In the following years, ECU has seen the return
of Tau Kappa Epsilon and Alpha Phi, as well as the founding of Delta Tau Delta. Mountz
explained that these chapters enter an ECU that has many already established fraternities and
sororities with their own culture, traditions, and prejudices.
Newly founded groups come onto a college campus with a clean slate, and an opportunity
to establish whatever reputation and traditions they want. “It gives those new chapters a chance
to come in and not fit to a mold.” Senior Associate Director of Student Engagement Hank
Bowen said. Bowen explained that many of the preexisting organizations tend to be selective
about who they let in, “I think there's a certain mold or demographic of students that each chapter
brings in, without realizing that they are not necessarily excluding certain groups, but they are
not purposefully including them.” Newly chartered fraternities and sororities are given the
opportunity to break this mentality.
Bowen explained how the new chapter’s mindset is “we don't have an expectation, we
don’t have a way we’ve done it we can come in and grab some folks that have may not been
included before.” Many fraternities nowadays rely on first year students, friends from high
school, or students coming from the member’s hometowns. The process of chartering or
rechartering a chapter is one that almost requires the founders to look beyond these types of
people.
As Mountz explained, “I think there's a general mindset of ‘oh well I won’t ask mike,
mikes a great guy but he’s a junior, why would he join?’ and my response to that is you haven't
asked him so how would you know?” New groups look for more than that in their members.
They look for people with leadership experience, students with high GPAs, who are already
involved in a club and may already hold a leadership position, Mountz illustrated. Building a
chapter from the ground up is no easy task, making the member selection process one that has
more weight to it compared to a preexisting organization.
Alpha Phi sorority returned to campus this semester following a nearly three-year
suspension due to hazing, drug and endangerment violations among others. The new class of
girls is taking advantage of this opportunity and hoping to create something beneficial and
positive out of the newly founded sorority.

Sophomore ECU student Mckarem Rahman is among Alpha Phi’s first pledge class. Following a
freshman year of rushing sororities, Rahman did not receive a bid to the sorority she was hoping
for, so she decided not to join any. This year, she heard about Alpha Phi from her roommate and
went to the rush meetings to learn more. “I instantly asked about the philanthropy, what they
liked to do to be involved in the school or with other people in Greek life, and I kinda then told
them that I was committed and the ball was in their court.” Rahman received her bid the next
day.
Rahman likes the thought of being a part of a founding chapter. She gets to be a part of a
sorority while simultaneously being able to get out of it exactly what she wants. She said, “we’re
starting from scratch. We can make alpha phi the most amazing thing ever for ECU or something
that isn't really beneficial.” What sold Rahman to Alpha Phi was the opportunity to be involved
in the campus and to make real change for not only ECU, but Alpha Phi’s philanthropy,
women’s heart health. Beyond the community, Rahman is excited for the opportunity to mold the
sisterhood traditions and have a hand in something that will last much longer than a college term.
Specifically, Rahman is excited about creating a big sister-little sister family tree. “...like
big little for instance. We're all gonna be the starting families, like, that's awesome. You get to
meet so many people but when people look at your family tree you are one of the top names up
there. You really want to set an example for yourself but also for the future pledge classes to
come and enjoy it all and uphold the name.”
This year, ECU is preparing for the return of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity on
campus, following 4-year suspension due to a violation of hazing policies, among others. All of
these new organizations are given a blank slate in an otherwise tradition-based Greek life, and
that is eventually going to lead to a shift in Greek life culture in the years to come. “And then
you give them a couple of years and that start to push the [preexisting] chapters to think ‘what
have we been doing, why don't we have a more diverse group here?’ and so, bringing new
chapters on, it takes some years to break some patterns, but give it a couple of years and it starts
to diversify all of the chapters.” Bowen explained.
985 Words
John Mountz - MOUNTZJ17@ECU.EDU
Hank Bowen - BOWENH@ecu.edu
McKarem Rahman - (252) 503-0010

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The Impact of Increasing Greek Life Chapters at ECU

creating a new culture one at a time.

alcohol, drugs, endangerment or violating university policies. According to the Director of

one new chapter a year.

sororities with their own culture, traditions, and prejudices.

opportunity to break this mentality.

more weight to it compared to a preexisting organization.

positive out of the newly founded sorority.

come and enjoy it all and uphold the name.”

to diversify all of the chapters.” Bowen explained.

John Mountz - MOUNTZJ17@ECU.EDU

Hank Bowen - BOWENH@ecu.edu

McKarem Rahman - (252) 503-0010

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