Greeklore

An important feature of student life at IU is the Greek System of fraternities and sororities. Since the arrival of he first fraternity, Beta Theta Pi in 1845, IU has had a thriving Greek life. Each year some 5,000 students get active in one of 60 chapters on the IU campus. As in any community of this size—roughly 20% of the student population of IU’s Bloomington’s campus participates in Greek life–folklore has gained importance and serves to define the Greek experience at IU. Greek folklore is tied to recruitment, life within the organization, and relations between rival organizations. It can show kindness and generosity just as easily as the coarser side of student life at IU.