OXFORD, Miss. – Sorority and fraternity life at the University of Mississippi has garnered national attention in recent years. Social posts and documentaries show the recruitment process, strolling, cheers and tears, but often do not highlight the organizations’ greatest accomplishments: service and philanthropic activities.
More than 10,000 Ole Miss undergraduate students participate in fraternity and sorority life. Together, they clock more than 90,000 hours of community service and raise almost $3 million for charitable organizations per academic year.
“Our organizations were founded upon philanthropy and community service,” said Traylan Williams, a junior law studies major from Cleveland and vice president of campus and community service for the Ole Miss National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Three organizational councils oversee the Greek chapters on campus:
- College Panhellenic Council, consisting of 11 sororities
- Interfraternity Council, composed of 16 fraternities
- National Pan-Hellenic Council, also called the “Divine Nine,” with nine fraternities and sororities.
All three groups are housed in the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and their leaders work together to ensure the best experience for members, with one aspect being councilwide service and philanthropy.
“Philanthropy and service is at the heart of what makes our fraternity and sorority community so meaningful and impactful,” said Jess Turuc, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. “It’s not just about what each chapter does individually, but it’s about the powerful moment when all of our councils come together, unified in purpose, to give back in meaningful ways.”
While each fraternity and sorority has its own national causes that individual chapters work to support with man-hours and/or monetary donations; the councils work together to contribute locally.
“With the university and Oxford being such an attractive place, holding so many memories and being so special to so many people, a lot of people get a really good sense of fulfillment and purpose from pouring back into it,” said Charlie Whittington, a sophomore accounting major from Jackson and IFC vice president of civic engagement.
“Because Oxford has given people so much, being able to work in the community and give back to it really gives everyone a sense of purpose and brings them together,” he said.
Chances are the volunteers that help make things happen around the community are members of a sorority or fraternity.
“If you go to the Oxford Community Market on Tuesdays or the food pantry on Wednesdays or the OPC soccer games, the student coaches and workers are most likely Greek,” said Grace Hosemann, a junior public policy leadership and Southern studies major from Mobile, Alabama, and College Panhellenic Council vice president of philanthropy.
The councils recently worked together during the spring Greek Day of Service in April. Some 115 members of all three councils met at the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union to organize donated books and then deliver them to Little Free Libraries throughout the Oxford and Lafayette County communities.
