What is Greek Life about at Pepperdine?
Do you have Greek houses?
What about alcohol?
Will I be hazed?
What kind of activities will I be involved in?
How much does it cost?
What percentage of students are Greek?
Will my grades be affected?
Where should I send recommendations?
When and how should I apply?
If you're looking for some of the best friends you'll ever meet in your life...
If you want to sit with the crazy people at Waves athletic events...
If you're looking for an active social life...
If you're looking for leadership experience and training...
If you want to give back to the community,
and become a part of something larger than yourself...
Then GO GREEK!
If you're looking for the "wild party scene"...
The MTV "Fraternity or Sorority Life" Experience...
A cool, "Animal House" set of friends...
Then GO... somewhere else!
By becoming a member of the Greek community, you will join a community of leaders, scholars and some of the most spirited and involved students at Pepperdine. Greek life is a chance for you to grow close to men and women in a safe environment where leadership and excellence are not only encouraged, but mutually practiced and pursued.
Pepperdine is a different Greek system in that we do not have Greek housing. As the campus is located in Malibu, Greek housing is not permitted by the local city council. However, many Greeks live on campus and with the small size of the school, there is a lot of interaction among members. Many upperclassmen choose to live off-campus with fellow brothers or sisters, but there is no formal housing system.
According to campus policy found in the Student Handbook and Student Organizations Handbook, Pepperdine Student Organizations cannot have alcoholic beverages present at any events. Groups and individuals are held strictly accountable to this policy by University administration and the Student Organizations Judicial Board. Simply put, you can rest assured the University and Greek community is committed to maintaining an alcohol free environment.
The "dry campus" policy also extends to events hosted by student organizations off campus, meaning groups cannot simply "take the party elsewhere" without accountability and repercussions.
Since moving to a national Greek system in 1997, Pepperdine has seen a near elimination of hazing of any sort. New Member Education is a time of building new members up and educating them into the group, not a time to belittle them. The Greek Councils and Student Organizations Judicial Board are in place to ensure that no one is hazed and violations of the policy is dealt with swiftly and appropriately.
For a full listing of Greek activities, click here.
Each group has its own fees, and they range from $170-$400 per semester for activities. Many groups have payment plans or fundraising/scholarship opportunities to try to offset some of the costs. Most would agree that the benefits of being in a fraternity or sorority far outweigh the monetary costs.
In a word: HUGE! As of Spring 2007 the overall percentage of Greeks on campus is around 26.2%. Fraternities average about 30-60 members and sororities average around 50-100 members.
Our Greeks put a strong emphasis on scholastic achievement. Most group have an Academics Chair or committee to encourage members to keep up in their studies. In fact, the all-Greek GPA has exceeded the all-school GPA each of the last 7 years, showing that membership can even improve your study habits and academic achievement.
Recommendations are not a mandatory part of a recruitment application at Pepperdine, although many potential new members choose to have an active or alumna member from one of the chapters complete a recommendation on their behalf. These letters can be mailed to:
Student Activities - Greek Recommendation Letter
[Name of specific sorority]
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263-4201
Applications will be available online for both fraternities and sororities! Application will be available online on August 22 and may be accepted through one week before recruitment, which runs September 13-22 for fraternities, and September 12-17 for sororities. More information will be available when you arrive on campus to start classes- keep your eyes posted for events and opportunities to meet members of the Greek system and learn about the chapters!