<p>It is a big decision to go Greek. Some are very against it, while others are equally for it. Some Greeks fit the stereotypes, others don’t. With the possible it exception of the SGA, a GDI can do anything a Greek can. I gave the idea serious thought and decided it was not how I wanted to spend my college years. Sure 25% of the student body is Greek, but then 75% isn’t. People from all over the country become Greek, but the culture of each fraternity/sorority differs between different organizations and the different chapters within a single organization. Most parents want their children to do what the parent wants them to do. When the child does fulfill the parent’s desires, the parent is obviously happy. However, a parent needs to stand beside their child when the child decides to take a slightly different path because that may be what’s right for that child.</p>
<p>Peg, UA actually has a long history of Jewish students. During the Great Depression, UA advertised its lack of quotas, warm weather, and low OOS rates to Jewish students in New York and New Jersey and they came in droves. When combined with the Jewish students who were raised in the south, Jewish students made up a third of the campus population. While that percentage has gone down since then, it is not uncommon to have a Jewish kid from New York come down to attend UA because (s)he is a third or fourth generation student. The campus Hillel organization is very active and is even building a new building for themselves just off campus.</p>