<p>hah…for your entertainment…I stumbled across this repository of UCSB Greek grades, by sorority & fraternity…look under “Greeks make the grade”
[Forms</a> & Resources](<a href=“http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/OSL/GreekLife/Forms.aspx]Forms”>http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/OSL/GreekLife/Forms.aspx)</p>
<p>Sigma Chi better get their act together.</p>
<p>I love transparency :)</p>
<p>At my kids’ schools, the Offices of Greek Life post a grade report twice a year, showing results by chapter, overall sorority and fraternity GPAs, and undergrad GPA for the entire school. This is actually one of the few places I’ve been able to find GPA info for freshman and overall undergrad classes when I’m looking for it at any particular school (and when there’s no Greek presence, or a small one, I often haven’t been able to find it).</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/greek_life/wp-content/uploads/Sping-Academic-Report.pdf[/url]”>http://www.vanderbilt.edu/greek_life/wp-content/uploads/Sping-Academic-Report.pdf</a>
<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/offices/greeks/documents/scholarship/GPASpring2012.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wm.edu/offices/greeks/documents/scholarship/GPASpring2012.pdf</a></p>
<p>thanks frazzled1…I had never noticed these great repositories of information before.</p>
<p>Some quick googling comes up with a bunch more…
JHU [Greek</a> Grade Information, Spring 2012](<a href=“http://web.jhu.edu/studentlife/greek_life/GradeInformation/greekgradesspring12.html]Greek”>http://web.jhu.edu/studentlife/greek_life/GradeInformation/greekgradesspring12.html)
Cornell (look in the annual reports) <a href=“Identity Resources | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University”>Identity Resources | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University;
Purdue <a href=“http://www.purdue.edu/vpsa/assessment/archives/Academic%20Performance%20of%20Fraternities,%20Sororities%20and%20Cooperatives,%202010-2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www.purdue.edu/vpsa/assessment/archives/Academic%20Performance%20of%20Fraternities,%20Sororities%20and%20Cooperatives,%202010-2011.pdf</a>
U Alabama <a href=“Fraternity and Sorority Life”>Fraternity and Sorority Life;
UC Irvine <a href=“http://www.greeklife.uci.edu/documents/Grades-Winter-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://www.greeklife.uci.edu/documents/Grades-Winter-2012.pdf</a>
UC Davis [Greek</a> Life: Academics](<a href=“http://greeklife.ucdavis.edu/in-action/academics.html]Greek”>http://greeklife.ucdavis.edu/in-action/academics.html)
U Kansas [Greek</a> Life at KU](<a href=“http://www.silc.ku.edu/greeklife/currentstudent-reports.shtml]Greek”>http://www.silc.ku.edu/greeklife/currentstudent-reports.shtml)</p>
<p>I just learned that ADPi (Furman University) is on academic probation. Could this be a reason why the sorority denies deactivation to a member with a 4.0 GPA? Or could it be that they simply want to continue to collect this student’s dues?</p>
<p>Generally speaking, the average gpa’s of students in greek organizations tend to be higher that those of the given university overall.</p>
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<p>Hardly surprising. After all, just above one-half of the students have a GPA above the average. Considering the “assets” available to the Greeks to navigate the quizzes and exams, this is even less surprising. And, finally, one has to consider where greek organizations are finding the most fertile grounds for their campus presence. Not necessarily academic powerhouses! </p>
<p>What do you mean by “assets” - are you talking about test or paper banks, said to be maintained by certain chapters at certain schools? Is your implication that the higher GPAs posted by students in Greek Life are achieved through cheating? </p>
<p>This being CC, I try never to assume what another poster means (certainly by the phrase “academic powerhouses”). The information I posted above comes from William and Mary and Vanderbilt. I imagine most would admit they’re pretty good schools.</p>
<p>^^
Assets are indeed working libraries of older tests and other ancillary documents that make the passing of classes easier, if not entirely trivial. If this constitutes cheating remains in the eye of the beholder. Suffice to say that not everyone has the same access to such “assets” and that such “assets” represent a tangible benefit of being in an association. It is, however, not the sole domain of fraternities as other groups of students --often internationals-- have developed similar banks of past exams. </p>
<p>As far as the “academic powerhouses” comment, there are indeed highly selective schools that remain fond of the presence of the Greeks, but they hardly represent the entire universe. </p>
<p>Fwiw, the higher GPA could also be tracked to the generally higher economic status of the frat members and the poor representation of minorities among the typical Greek organizations. Simply stated, the well-off and the non-minorities are the bread and butter of the Greek organizations. </p>
<p>And some like it just like that! </p>
<p>These “assets” are just one of the many plusses of the Greek system. ;)</p>
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<p>Faculty who recycle exams and try to keep them secret are not being realistic. Better to put the old exams on the department (or other well known campus) web site so that everyone can read them and use them as practice tests on an equal basis (and so that frosh with AP credit can use them to check their knowledge of what the college expects them to know in the course that they may skip).</p>
<p>Another reason that fraternities and sororities may have higher GPAs at some schools is that the pledging rules at those schools require a minimum GPA for rushing/pledging, automatically screening out the worst students.</p>
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<p>Absolutely. This transparency in the availability of “practice” tests and old papers should be a requirement at all schools. The current system rewars people with connections and … means. A fully transparent system would simply level the playing field and diminish the benefit on relying on connections or less than honest middlemen. </p>
<p>Fwiw, this is not much different from the DESPICABLE and CONDONED practices that are impacting the results of standardized tests scores. The College Board --not to single that outfit-- has tacitly supported a cottage industry that straddles the benign “illegality” to the outright criminal action. In theory, only people who took a particular test can purchase an officially released test. Yet, many make a mockery of the system as the tests are easy to obtain – albeit at a price. And this, of course, does NOT even address the issue of outright STOLEN materials that are common fodder in most of Asia. </p>
<p>Again, the best way to punish the cheats --and the shortcutters-- is to make ALL material available to everyone … and thus reward the ones who practice hard and study the material. As opposed to reward the “few” ones who had access and punish the many who were not entirely aware of the availability of the texts. </p>