Running Head: The Greek Community
Academic Achievement and Emotional Wellbeing:
Affect the Greek Community at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Lexi Tiller and Kristin Kitchell
Rhetoric 105, Section C3
1
Running Head: The Greek Community
2
Abstract
Through anonymous surveys on Facebook and handout sheets, we examined how
Sororities and Fraternities on the University of Illinois campus impact the students
involved in them. We focused our study on whether or not the Greek community affected
student’s grades and emotional states throughout each individual’s four years of
undergraduate study. We determined students’ academic success through the collection
and interpretation of GPAs, major, year in school, gender, and involvement in or out of
the Greek community.
Participants also rated their emotional state on a scale from 1-10 regarding their
overall happiness at that current moment and answered whether or not they believe their
involvement in the Greek community was a positive or negative experience.
We compared the data we collected for students involved in Sororities and
Fraternities to those who were not involved in the Greek Community to see whether or
not there was a difference. We made sure to survey a wide range of students from
freshmen to senior year and varying ethnicities so that our data was not biased. We also
looked into secondary sources that provided further in depth analysis on our topic.
Running Head: The Greek Community
3
Introduction
While joining a fraternity or sorority is not an unusual thing to do, individuals join
the community for different reasons. Some students “go Greek” because they want to
make friends, others join for the social events, some join so that they can give back to the
community, and some join the Greek community so that they are involved here on
campus. Being part of the Greek community means something different to each
individual and can have both negative and positive affects depending on the student. A
study done by Pascarella, Flowers, and Whitt 2001, “found that those individuals with a
Greek affiliation, were more likely to graduate on time, but their alcohol consumption
levels were higher than those individuals who were not affiliated with the Greek
community” (Pascarella, Flowers, & Whitt, 2001). Increased drinking can potentially
alter ones ability to get school work done, which could be a negative result of Greek
involvement; however, graduating on time for students is a positive aspect associated
with Greek involvement because spending less time at college lowers the amount of
money students and parents spend.
Surprisingly, the Greek system at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
(UIUC) consists of “approximately 22% of undergraduate students, which is the largest
number of members in the Greek community on any college campus” (Fraternity and
sorority, 2009), and both of us are affiliated with sororities, which sparked our interest in
how the Greek community impacts students here on UIUC’s campus. The goal of our
project was to collect data on the effects of individuals’ involvement in the Greek
community and its affect on their GPA and emotional state. We assumed that the data we
received would be random and not show a huge correlation between being part of the
Running Head: The Greek Community
4
Greek community and GPA or being part of the Greek community and overall happiness.
Further, the data for each individual we assumed would vary from individual to
individual depending on how involved each individual was in the Greek community and
how much they valued their grades. We chose to interview anonymous individuals that
were part of the UIUC network on Facebook, and we also handed out surveys in the
dining hall, on the quad, and at the ARC so that we could get a wide variety of students.
The data we collected is of interest to the community and UIUC because Greek
life is one of the largest communities here on campus. Greek life effects a large
population of the student’s here on campus. Information about students’ study habits and
usage of campus resources at UIUC is important for the professors and academic advisors
at UIUC to know about so that they can make the university’s resources more available to
students and more effective.
Running Head: The Greek Community
5
Body
The main focus of our study was to understand whether or not a student’s
academic success and emotional state is effected by the organization he or she affiliates
his or herself with. Our group chose to measure this by surveying students that are part of
the UIUC network on Facebook and asking them questions about their gender, year in
school, ethnicity, GPA, and happiness rating on a scale of 1-10, and their relationship to
the Greek community.
We began by creating a survey account on the website surveymonkey.com. I
attached the link from the survey to a Facebook group and invited all my friends that are
part of the UIUC network, which means that they attend UIUC. The survey questions are
attached in Appendix 1. There were a few slight problems that we came across, however,
because mine and Kristin’s groups of friends are not racially or ethnically diverse, and
the survey website only allowed us to survey 100 people. Therefore, we took our survey
to the Ikenberry Commons dining hall, the quad, and the ARC. In doing so, our survey
consisted of a more diverse population that was larger than 100 people and better
represented UIUC. We ended up surveying a total of 400 people.
After taking our survey to more public places, our results changed drastically. The
racial and ethnic groups did not only contain white individuals, but Asian, Hispanic,
Black, Pacific Islander, and other ethnicities as well. There was also a better ratio
between male and female participants. Our data is recorded in the Table of Raw Data in
Appendix 2, but there are a few main results that we felt were important to focus in on.
First, we wanted to see how many students we surveyed were affiliated with the Greek
Community here on campus. Of those students surveyed, 221 students were involved in a
Running Head: The Greek Community
6
sorority or fraternity. One hundred seventy nine students were not involved in either.
Two hundred twenty one students is a little more than fifty percent of the sample that we
surveyed, which shows that a huge majority of the students here on campus are involved
in either a sorority or fraternity. We were shocked to see that more than half of the
students surveyed were involved in the Greek Community.
Second, we looked at student GPAs in order to analyze their academic success
here on campus, which can be found in Appendix 3. One study done by Farley Grubb
found that undergraduate seniors that were affiliated with the Greek system “averaged a
one to two percent lower cumulative GPA by their senior year than their non- Greek
counterparts” (Grubb). Grubb also discussed in this study that although these students
had lower GPAs, “they were in a better position to graduate on time because relatively
more had GPAs above the minimum 2.00 requirement and relatively more had declared
majors compared with their non-Greek counterparts” (Grubb). Later on, Grubb discussed
that one of the main reasons students GPA’s were lower was due to the long hours spent
at the house for pledge ship or not focusing as much time on homework for social events
with the Greek house. Students did, however, graduate on time and declare a major
because they were supported by their fellow sorority and fraternity sisters and brothers to
do well in school and plan ahead for their future.
We found it interesting, however, that our results contradicted the results from
Grubb’s study. All students were at either a 1.5 GPA or above. Two hundred and eighty
of the students fell into the “C”, 1.5 to 2.5, and B, 2.6 to 3.5, ranges, but 260 of the
students fell into the “A” and “B” GPA ranges. The GPA and letter grade scale is shown
in Appendix 3 continued. This means that the majority of students are receiving mostly
Running Head: The Greek Community
7
“As” in their classes and a few “Bs”. In the school year Fall 2008 to Spring 2009, the
Office of the Dean of Students recorded that the Fall 2008 average GPA of all men was a
3.03 and all women was a 3.19 compared to the Fall 2008 average GPA of all Greek men
was a 3.09 and all Greek women was a 3.34. In the Spring of 2009, the average GPA of
all men was a 3.02 and all women was a 3.17 compared to the Spring 2009 average GPA
of all Greek men was a 3.10 and all Greek women was a 3.37 (Fraternity and sorority,
2009). In both semesters, the average Greek GPA for both men and women was higher
than the men and women average GPA. This means that many Greek affiliated students
care about their academic success and want to receive good grades in his or her classes.
The reason that many individuals had higher GPAs could be because individuals
or their parents are paying for their education, and they want a return on their investment.
Some parents are probably not willing to spend thousands of dollars on their son or
daughter’s education if they are not going to take it seriously or succeed. Many students
are also applying for graduate programs, which are competitive and will only accept a
certain number of students. UIUC is also a very prestigious university that accepts top
students from high schools all over the world. Those who did well in high school are
probably more likely to do well in college because they already have good study habits
and care about their academics. This could be a main reason why so many individuals
surveyed had higher GPAs.
Finally, we looked at how students viewed their overall happiness and whether or
not the students involved in the Greek Community had a positive or negative experience
in their sorority or fraternity house. Two hundred and seventy one students rated their
happiness at a level seven or eight. There were twenty-four people out of the 221 people
Running Head: The Greek Community
8
in Greek houses that felt that being involved in the Greek Community has been a
negative experience. Being involved in any community is not always a positive
experience, but it was surprising to see that about eighty nine percent of students felt that
their sorority or fraternity was a good experience for them.
Sororities and fraternities help make such a large university seem smaller and help
students feel as though they belong somewhere. Greek houses provide the opportunity for
individuals to meet other individuals in higher grades that know the campus better, which
can be comforting when an individual first gets to campus and needs advice on situations
that are new to him or her. Greek houses can also give these individuals that are new to
campus an opportunity to meet people their own age and have friends to say hi to on the
quad or when they are walking around campus.
Although these results help to show the academic success, happiness ratings, and
involvement in the Greek community of the various students here on campus, there may
be a few confounding variables that affect our data collection. The number of individuals
in each GPA range may be slightly skewed because there may be some confounding
variables. An individual’s major, for example, could affect an individual’s grades because
the more difficult a major is, the more challenging the coursework and ability to receive
an “A” in that course. Also our survey included more freshmen than other years in
school, which could affect our results about student’s GPAs because freshmen begin with
introductory courses to their majors. Seniors, however, are taking classes that require a
certain level of knowledge that freshmen do not have yet and in some cases are more
advanced classes that relate to their major, and they have more classes to add into their
cumulative GPA, which could either hurt or help them.
Running Head: The Greek Community
9
Our data could also have been affected by confounding variables because an
individual’s overall happiness rating could have nothing to do with the Greek community
they are part of. They could be upset with a grade they just received, their parents, or the
weather for instance. We surveyed people at the ARC, which means that some of them
had just finished working out. After working out, endorphins are released; “endorphins
have been suggested as modulators of the so-called “runner’s high” that athletes achieve
with prolonged exercise.” The “secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria,”
which generally makes individuals happier because of the adrenaline rush (Stoppler,
2011). This may be why the majority of the students surveyed gave themselves a higher
score of seven or eight for overall happiness at that point in time, which we did not think
of until after we had conducted our surveys. Further research may be helpful to compare
student’s happiness after coming from the gym versus an academic class.
A student’s perspective, positive or negative, on their sorority or fraternity could
have also been affected by confounding factors because we surveyed students at the
dining hall. The dining hall consists of more underclassmen. Underclassmen may be
more interested in a sorority and fraternity because it is newer to them and more exciting,
as opposed to, seniors who may not want to deal sorority or fraternity “drama” and live
further from campus so it is harder for them to get to different sorority or fraternity
events.
Although individuals’ academic scores and happiness ratings were both high and
low, our results do not show that being apart of the Greek community is good or bad, but
that there are both positive and negative affects of being involved with the Greek
community. In 2001, Pascarella, Flowers, and Whitt found that having a Greek
Running Head: The Greek Community
10
affiliation, on one hand, “has been linked with increased levels of satisfaction with
college (Pennington, Zvonkovic, & Wilson, 1989; Pike & Askew, 1990), continued
persistence in college and a higher probability of subsequent degree completion (Astin,
1975), and an increased ability to function in groups (Pike and Askew, 1990). On the
other hand, they found that having a Greek affiliation “has been linked with increased
levels of alcohol consumption (Tampke, 1990; Wechsler, Kuh, & Davenport, 1996),
higher levels of academic cheating behavior (Kirkvliet, 1994; McCabe & Bowers, 1996),
and lower levels of principled moral reasoning (Sanders, 1990; Kilgannon & Erwin,
1992)” (Pascarella, Flowers, & Whitt, 2001). UIUC’s academic advisors and Greek
houses should work together to find ways that will better motivate students to try their
best academically and keep schoolwork a high priority.
Multiple studies have found that being part of a community, whether it is Greek
or not has a big influence on an individual’s actions and decisions. A major theme of
social psychology asserts that our “cognitions is distributed – not encapsulated within our
brains, but extended and empowered by tools (both physical and conceptual, crucially
including language) and by social resources such as other people and groups” (Smith and
Semin, 2008, p. 56). Individual’s involved in any group, such as, a sorority or fraternity
house are influenced by the decisions of their peers. If many individuals are going to a
social event and not staying in to do homework, one is more likely to follow the majority
and do the same. For this specific reason, being involved in a sorority or fraternity can
influence individuals to procrastinate on their homework so that they can go out and be
accepted by their peers. This is also the case for nights when many individuals are staying
in to get ahead on homework; one is more motivated to stay in too to get things done
Running Head: The Greek Community
11
when they are not the only one. Large groups can also affect an individual’s emotional
state. When others are happier it usually puts one in a better mood. For these reasons, it is
important for the individuals who work to better education at UIUC to recognize that the
Greek community (along with many other groups and clubs) effect many individuals both
academically and emotionally here on campus, and by understanding the ways in which
groups affect students on campus, UIUC can find ways to better the learning
environment.
Running Head: The Greek Community
12
Conclusion
After surveying 400 undergraduate students at UIUC, we found that more than
fifty percent of the students we surveyed were involved in the Greek community and had
a positive experience with their Greek house. Three hundred thirty two students surveyed
were also in the top three ranges for GPA and 271 students rated their overall happiness
level at either a seven or an eight. This data is helpful information for UIUC because the
Greek community effects a large population of the students here on campus. By
understanding how the Greek community affects student’s grades and emotional state,
university academic advisors can potentially find ways to improve student’s overall
academic success and make learning resources more available to students.
One of the main concerns about the Greek life is that it focuses too much on
social events and not as much on academics. In order to encourage academic success and
involvement on campus, the Greek community could focus more on promoting studying
habits and better grades versus partying and social events. My sorority, Alpha Phi, has
individuals put their name in a jar if they received an A on a test that week and then
draws a name out of the jar at the end of the week, and whichever individual is called
gets a prize that week such as a Starbucks gift card or a piece of jewelry. Alpha Phi also
has study parties every Tuesday night with snacks so that girls can ask their friends
questions about homework assignments or help them focus while they are doing their
homework. Each individual sorority and fraternity house could give incentives such as
the name jar or study party to motivate their fellow sorority sisters or fraternity brothers
to do well in school. Some individuals work better with others and are more motivated to
study or do their homework when other people around them are doing it too.
Running Head: The Greek Community
13
Recommendations for Further Research
Those who may want to follow up with further research on this topic could look at
how the Greek community affects student’s study habits, as opposed to, just their GPA,
or one could see how other communities affect student’s academic success and not just
the Greek community. One could also observe an individual’s level of involvement in the
Greek community and how it effects that individual’s rating of the Greek community; for
example, whether or not that student had a positive or negative experience in the sorority
or fraternity based on their level of involvement.
Running Head: The Greek Community
14
Appendix 1
Survey Questions:
Please circle the answer that pertains to you:
Gender: Male or Female
Year in school: Freshmen Sophomore Junior Senior
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Pacific Islander
Asian
White
Black
Native American
Other
GPA: 0-0.99 1.0-1.5 1.6-2.0 2.1-2.5 2.6-3.0 3.1-3.5 3.6-4.0
Major: _________________
Overall happiness in this point in time on a scale of 1-10:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Are you in a… Sorority Fraternity or Neither?
If you are in either a Sorority or Fraternity do you think it is a positive or negative
experience? Positive
Negative
Running Head: The Greek Community
15
Appendix 2:
Survey Question Results on the effect of the Greek Community
On Academic Success and Happiness Rating
Male/Female?
Year in School
Race/Ethnicity
GPA
Sorority, Fraternity, or
Neither?
Positive or Negative
Experience in Sorority
or Fraternity?
Happiness Rating on a
Scale from 1-10. 1
being the lowest.
Categories and Survey
Questions
Male
Female
Freshmen
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Hispanic
White
Black
Native American
Pacific Islander
Asian
Other
0 – 0.99
1.0 – 1.5
1.6 – 2.0
2.1 – 2.5
2.6 – 3.0
3.1 – 3.5
3.6 – 4.0
Sorority
Fraternity
Neither
Positive
Negative
Number of People out
of 400 surveyed
233
167
136
108
58
98
14
290
34
0
2
71
3
0
0
4
64
72
144
116
100
121
179
197
24
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0
0
0
11
17
22
102
169
66
13
Running Head: The Greek Community
16
Appendix 3: Charts and Graphs
Males/Females Surveyed and Those
Involved in the Greek System
Number of Individuals
250
200
150
Male/Female
100
Fraternity/Sorority
50
0
Males
Fraternity
Female
Gender/Greek Affiliation
Sorority
Year in College
Number of Individuals
160
140
120
100
80
Number of Individuals
60
40
20
0
Freshmen
Sophomore
Junior
Year in College
Senior
Running Head: The Greek Community
17
GPA Ranges of Those Surveyed
Number of Individuals
160
140
120
100
80
Number of Individuals
60
40
20
0
0-.99 1.0-1.5 1.6-2.0 2.1-2.5 2.6-3.0 3.1-3.5 3.6-4.0
GPA Range
Race/Ethnicity of Those Surveyed
Asian
Hispanic
White
Black
Pacific Islander
Other
Running Head: The Greek Community
18
Happiness Rating on a Scale of 1-10
(1 being the lowest)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Positive/Negative Experience with
Greek System
Positive
Negative
Running Head: The Greek Community
Appendix 3: continued
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Grade to GPA scale
Grade
Grade Point Value
A+
4.00
A
AB+
B
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
B-
2.67
C+
2.33
C
CD+
D
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
D-
0.67
F
0.00
ABS
0.00
(U n i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s B o a r d o f T r u s t e e s , 2 0 0 7 )
19
Running Head: The Greek Community
20
References
Fr at er ni t y and soror it y l if e s t ati s tics . (20 0 9 ). Unp u bl is h ed
manuscript, Office of the Dean of Students, University of
Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved from
< h t t p : / / w w w. o d o s . u i u c . e d u / g r e e k / a b o u t / g r e e k s t a t i s t i c s . a s p > .
G r u b b , F a r l e y. D o e s g o i n g g r e e k i m p a i r u n d e r g r a d u a t e
academic performance?. American Journal of Economics &
S o ci ol o g y, 65 (5 ), 10 8 5 -111 0 .
Pascarella, E, Flowers, L, & Whitt, E. (2001).
Cognitive effects of greek affiliation in college:
additional evidence. NAPSA, 38(3).
Semin, G.R., & Smith, E.R. (2004). Socially situated cognition:
cognition in its social context. Advances in Experimental
S o c i a l P s y c h o l o g y, d o i : 1 0 . 1 0 1 6 / S 0 0 6 5 2 0 6 1 ( 0 4 ) 3 6 0 0 2 - 8 .
S t o p p l e r, M . ( 2 0 11 , A p r i l 11 ) . E n d o r p h i n s : n a t u r a l p a i n a n d
st ress fi ght ers . R et ri ev ed fro m
<h t t p : / / w w w . m e d i c i n e n e t . c o m / s c r i p t / m a i n / a r t . a s p ? a r t i c l e k e y
= 5 5 0 0 1 >.
U n i v ers it y o f Il l in o is Bo ard o f Trus t ees, In i t i als . (20 0 7 ). U iu c
grading system. Unpublished manuscript, Office of
R e gis t r a r, U niv e r s it y o f Il l i n oi s, U r b a n a Ch a m p aign ,
Illinois. Retrieved from
Running Head: The Greek Community
21
<h t t p : / / w w w . r e g i s t r a r . i l l i n o i s . e d u / s t a f f / r e c o r d s / g r a d e s _ s y s t
e m . h t m l >.