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Announcement: CU Denver is Celebrating 50 Years

Whether you’re an alumnus, current student, member of the faculty and staff, donor, or neighbor, you’re a valuable part of the CU Denver community. Help us celebrate the last 50 years and a future that works for all.

Learn More

Sorority & Fraternity Life

Student Life & Campus Community

  • SFL - FAQ Families
  • SFL FAQ Interest- ed Students
  • SFL - Chapter Resources
University Quick Links

Provided below are questions frequently asked by students interested in joining or curious about Sorority & Fraternity Life. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at sfl@ucdenver.edu or call Addison Lemons, Assistant Director for Student Organizations, at 303-315-3523.



Why Join?  

Deciding to join a fraternity/sorority at the University of Colorado Denver is to make a lifelong commitment to better yourself and your community. The student participants in SFL will be some of the most engaged students on campus. Sorority and fraternity members will be leaders in developing an atmosphere of community involvement and CU Denver pride. Joining an organization can also open many doors to other opportunities, such as positional leadership, connection to friends, personal and professional mentorship, and more! 1 content - click edit to update]

One of the benefits of fraternity and sorority membership is the provided professional and personal development opportunities.  These opportunities (workshops, trainings, alumni speakers, etc.) help members develop important skills useful throughout one’s life.

  • Sororities and fraternities provide a learning laboratory for members to practice leadership and the “soft skills” needed for whatever path a student chooses after college.
  • Development opportunities include holding leadership positions, development of project management and networking skills, as well as participation in enriching personal experiences (like community service and fundraising for your national philanthropy) that lead to personal reflection and meaning-making. 
  • Sororities and fraternities also provide access to a large alumni network that proves beneficial during and after college.

Members of sororities and fraternities have ample opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Organizations will have roles and positions that provide hands-on experience.  Positions will range from Social Media Manager, various Committee Chairs, and typical officer positions such as President and Vice President.  You may also find leadership roles for Community Service and Fundraising. Additionally, SFL members will participate in the Chapter Excellence Program, a leadership development curriculum that utilizes campus workshops and programs to develop knowledge and skills for today’s leaders.  

CU Denver selected six groups to begin our Sorority & Fraternity Life community.  Four of them will join us during the 2021-2022 academic year with the other two following later.  Below are the first four groups:

Alpha Phi - Women's Fraternity

Alpha Psi Lambda - Co-ed LatinX Interest Group

Delta Chi - Men's Fraternity

Delta Lambda Phi - Men's Fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men

Lambda Sigma Upsilon - Latino Men's Fraternity 

How to Join?

The process to join a fraternity or sorority is called recruitment. Fraternities and sororities select their members through a series of recruitment events, including information sessions and get-to-know-you activities. Interested students will need to register for recruitment through Student Life & Campus Community who will verify your eligibility (such as grade point average). Keep an eye on the Sorority & Fraternity Life website and social media for registration information.   All students must have a 2.5 minimum grade point average to participate in recruitment. 

Sorority & Fraternity Life applies the deferred recruitment model for first-semester students. Deferred recruitment means that students must have completed one semester at CU Denver to be eligible to participate in the recruitment process. This does not apply to transfer students who have completed at least one semester of education at a previous college or university. The deferred recruitment model allows students new to the college environment the opportunity to focus on academics, adjusting to university life, and the opportunity to learn about the complexities of making a lifetime commitment to a social sorority or fraternity. 

To participate in recruitment, the Student Life & Campus Community office requires:

  • a minimum 2.5 grade point average at CU Denver,
  • to be in good standing with the Office of Student Conduct,
  • and to have completed 12 post-high school college credits. 

Please note that each organization may choose to have a different GPA requirement above 2.5. 

During recruitment, organizations are looking for students who reflect their values and are looking to make an impact on the chapter. Interested students also need to ask questions of the members to see if an organization aligns with their values and what they are looking for from their CU Denver involvement experience. Below are a few questions to consider when looking to join an organization: 

  • What have you gotten out of your experience as a member? 
  • What opportunities do you have for leadership positions and development? 
  • What are the financial obligations for joining this organization? 
  • What is the time commitment to join this organization?  
  • Are there any other membership expectations? 
  • Tell me about a meaningful thing you have learned about yourself a member of this organization.  

No. Initiation into a social sorority or fraternity is an agreement to lifelong membership to the organization. If you have been initiated into a social sorority or fraternity at another institution, you cannot be initiated into another organization. If you are a transfer student and are a member of a sorority or fraternity that also exists at CU Denver, please check with your national organization about transferring your membership from one campus chapter to our campus chapter.  

 

Other CU Denver student organizations use Greek letters for their names and also borrow the language of social sororities and fraternities.  They are though not "social" organizations. An example is Alpha Phi Omega, which is a co-ed service fraternity. They are a community service organization focused on community service, leadership, and friendship and use the language of brother/sister in their student organization.  So, you can be a member of multiple Greek-lettered organizations - but only one "social" sorority or fraternity.


The best way to decide if a chapter is a good fit is to meet current members and ask questions. Fraternity and sorority information sessions and recruitment events are a perfect chance to learn more information about each fraternity and sorority to decide if its values are in line with your own. It is important to find people you connect with.  

No. Organizations will have a limited amount of new member slots each semester or academic year set by their national organization and Student Life and Campus Community. Additionally, just as you are trying to figure out which organization you fit best with, chapters are determining which students would be the best fit for their organization, goals, and values. Many times this is based on specific criteria such as grades or involvement in campus activities or community service.

We encourage students who do not receive a bid to an organization but still want to get involved, to fill out our Involvement Calculator.  This form will be processed by a Student Involvement Ambassador who will create a curated list of involvement opportunities for you to try out. If there is a large number of students who do not receive a bid or invitation to an organization, Sorority and Fraternity Life will explore opening up the expansion application process to add more organizations to campus. 

 

Sorority & Fraternity Life is committed to having organizations that any student can see themselves represented in. However, organizations have limited capacity for membership and all identities were not represented in our first wave of SLF expansion. Expansion is the process whereby organizations apply to join our campus program and the university reviews, interviews, and selects groups, and extends an offer to join our campus SFL Community.  Once our new community is established, the Sorority and Fraternity Life program will open expansion to add additional groups to our program with a focus on adding more identity-based groups.  

Membership Expectations

Each organization has a New Member process where new members are oriented towards the organization’s values and programs and form bonds as a new member class. The New Member process can look different for each organization and typically lasts 6-8 weeks. 

The cost of joining each organization varies significantly. Dues may cover expenses like national insurance, leadership development opportunities, programming offerings, and initiation/national fees. Additionally, the first year of membership may cost more in comparison to the following years due to one-time fees related to initiation, education materials, and paraphernalia.

Most organizations offer payment plans for members and we encourage students to ask questions about membership costs before joining an organization in order to fully understand the financial expectations of membership. 

It depends. Joining a fraternity or sorority and the time associated with that group varies greatly.  This will be based on the chapter you decide to join and the type of involvement you seek within the organization. During the new member education period there are new member education meetings where you learn about the organization, its values, and membership requirements. After this period, you will attend required weekly chapter meetings. Most chapters offer a variety of additional opportunities in which a member can participate in, or may be asked to complete, such as brotherhood or sisterhood events, academic success workshops, educational programming, social programming, and service and philanthropy opportunities. Groups may also require academic study hours so that you maintain your grades. 

Initiation into a sorority or fraternity is an exciting, yet serious, ceremony that conveys the purposes and special values of the respective sorority or fraternity. These ceremonies often are referred to as Rituals. Sororities or fraternities pride themselves on the Rituals that their chapters were founded upon. These Rituals are full of the traditions and values that make the chapters unique. An organization’s Ritual is what links its members to one another. It is a shared experience no matter when or where a member joined. Thus, the Ritual is a meaningful experience just for their members. It is important to note that none of these Rituals include hazing or other inappropriate activities. 

Common Concerns & Perceptions

The intention of fraternities and sororities is to provide support and assistance in a student’s academic career. It is our belief that these organizations should help improve a student’s academic performance by providing resources, academic support programs, and incentives for success. 

Yes! All organizations were screened to be open to students who identify as their respective gender in the expansion application process. Please contact sfl@ucdenver.eduif you have questions or concerns based on your gender identity. 


Hazing is illegal in Colorado per Section 18-9-124(2), C.R.S. CU Denver and the national organizations we have selected to join our campus community have zero tolerance policies for hazing. Per the Student Code of Conduct, hazing is defined as: engaging in or planning any act, typically associated with belonging to a group of peers, which may produce, or is intended to produce, mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule, or any acts which are humiliating, intimidating, or demeaning, or that endanger the health and safety of another person, including, but not limited to:

  1. Paddling in any form
  2. Inducement of excessive fatigue
  3. Required exercise inconsistent with the mission of the organization, team, or group
  4. Physical or psychological shocks
  5. Personal servitude
  6. Forced or coerced consumption
  7. Forced or coerced engagement in public stunts, morally degrading or humiliating games and activities, drinking games, late work sessions, other unorganized activities, and other obligations that interfere with scholastic pursuits. 

The University asks that you share any information that fits the definition above so that we may investigate and take action as appropriate.  If you have a concern about activities that are taking place in an organization, please contact sfl@ucdenver.edu or 303-315-0208.    You may also submit a report to the Dean of Students Office / Student Conduct here. 


In terms of education for new members, chapters require their new members to participate in alcohol programming through chapter-specific training or online modules such as GreekLife.edu. All participants of the SFL program will participate in alcohol and substance use education through partnership with the Wellness Center and Counseling Center. As a general policy student organizations at CU Denver do not host events with alcohol. Any sorority or fraternity event (ex. Formals) in which the group would like to request an exception must go through an extensive review and approval process through a committee facilitated by the University of Colorado Risk Management office. If approved, that organization would be required to take risk management training prior to hosting that event. 

 

All participants in the Sorority & Fraternity Life program will be required to complete Bystander Intervention training. Chapters will also earn points toward the Chapter Excellence Program through participating in programming from The Phoenix Center of Auraria (PCA) and Office of Equity around the prevention of sexual violence. In addition to CU Denver’s programmatic offerings, national organizations will have their own educational programs for members. 

One of the greatest arguments for joining a sorority or fraternity is that it satisfies the fundamental need to belong. Joining a sorority or fraternity will help connect you to a group of peers with similar values. Feeling connected will make you more satisfied with your college experience and therefore more likely to succeed and graduate. Sororities and fraternities are also connected to a national network that students can use for career opportunities or lifelong involvement. The Student Life staff welcome conversations with parents to address concerns. Parents or students can reach out to sfl@ucdenver.edu to set up a meeting.  

Miscellaneous Questions

Sorority & Fraternity Life. There is a national shift away from the term "Greek Life." Social Greek-letter organizations are identified as sororities or fraternities. Also note that some women’s groups are recognized as "fraternities," based on when their organization was founded and the language available at the time.

No. The Sorority and Fraternity Life program at CU Denver was approved on the condition that our organizations will have no group housing. The organizations we have selected have agreed to this. Being in downtown Denver, the feasibility of housing is not realistic. Additionally, some of the organizations we have selected do not sponsor housing. Thus, in order to be equitable, no organizations will have housing.  

You are a descendent of a member of a particular sorority or fraternity and may be specially considered for membership. Each organization will have its own policy for legacy membership. Please connect with an individual organization to inquire about legacy policies.  

Sororities and fraternities are a special category of student organizations. The Student Organization program is part of the Student Life & Campus Community office and they oversee Sorority & Fraternity Life.

  • The Assistant Director for Student Organizations acts as the campus program administrator for all CU Denver sororities and fraternities.
  •  Groups will receive advising support from their Chapter Advisor(s) who are national organization volunteers typically local to Denver. 
  •  Additionally, each group will have a Campus Advisor who is a CU Denver staff or faculty member. 
  • Student Organizations
  • Sororities & Fraternities

Student Life & Campus Community

CU Denver

Tivoli Student Union

900 Auraria Parkway

#303

Denver, CO 80204


StudentLife@ucdenver.edu

303-315-7288

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