Fraternities and sororities are trying to evolve to meet the needs of today's students, many of whom must work to pay for school and some of whom thrive in the structured environment that fraternities offer. Fraternities must be on the right track, Westol said. After watching numbers dwindle since 1990, membership levels have had a resurgence during the past 18 months, he said. At UNT, where more than 5 percent of undergraduates are members of the school's 30 Greek organizations, memberships levels are the highest they have been in years, Coy said. For Theta Chi, the gains are probably because of the groups' pledge to have alcohol- free houses by 2003, Westol said.
Grades are up.
The move toward alcohol- free houses is one of the ways that fraternities are trying to clean up their acts. Others are taking a more holistic approach to their members, with education and personal development opportunities emphasized throughout the students' college careers. Students say they know that they are a part of something different. They say they are eager for the day when members agree with and live by higher ideals. Negative news coverage of these issues is pervasive and may serve to reinforce exaggerated misperceptions of actual substance use norms.