Kent State University has had record numbers of students involved in Greek life recently, despite this, members sometimes drop their fraternity or sorority for one reason or another. 

In 2015, Kent State had 2,228 students involved in Greek life for the first time in campus history. Despite the influx of students joining fraternities or sororities, time and money still cripple members, leaving them with two options: drop out or keep up.

Dropping, or quitting, a fraternity or sorority is an act sometimes seen as treasonous against a chapter. According to an article on TheFraternityAdvisor, if a student drops their fraternity, they should “be prepared for the consequences.” These consequences include being shunned from the fraternity forever and being unable to join another. 

It is stated that “the NIC (National Interfraternity Council) explicitly states that you cannot join another fraternity if you have already initiated into one,” in a TheFraternityAdvisor article. 

“There is a stigma of, like, ‘most people get exiled’ but I think it’s because it is assumed they dropped because they hated their sorority,” said Shannon Mihaly, a senior business management major, about dropping. “But human emotions are just not that black and white.”

Mihaly was a member of the Phi Mu chapter on Kent State’s campus from August 2017 until September 2018. “I was having a lot of anxiety issues just trying to balance everything,” she said, “I couldn’t do it all and something had to drop.” 

“Personally, I think dropping all depends on how you go out,” Mihaly commented on the stigma around dropping. “The way you’re treated post-drop kind of depends on how you treat them during drop.” 

Mihaly dropped Phi Mu after just over a year, “(being in a sorority) is for life, unless you drop.” She left the chapter, and those commitments, behind but the women she met in Phi Mu remain in her life.

She said sororities can be a huge time commitment, which is often a deterrent for students considering joining Greek life. She was awarded Phi of the semester for her work within the chapter, which eventually became too much on top of her schedule. 

“I emailed my president, this fake drop email and I said ‘Hey, I’ll let you know in four days if this is for real or not,’” she recalled. “The relief I felt from having something lifted off my shoulders was insane,” Mihaly said about the email.

Typically, students are to email their president explaining they are dropping and why, then go to the Nationals page and say they are no longer affiliated with the chapter. Afterwards, they should return their pins.

Blocks, or Greek letters, are very important to the chapter. Mihaly said they are similar to a badge, only to be worn by people still affiliated with the chapter. “You can technically get in trouble by Nationals for wearing your blocks after you drop,” she said. 

Once a member is initiated into a chapter, they can never join another. Even in the case of transferring schools, members can only try to join the same fraternity or sorority at another campus.

Contact Samantha Simcox at [email protected].