All fraternities and sororities as well as the student councils overseeing them must maintain recognition by the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life and must possess a valid and active charter with its national organization. They must abide by the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities and the Student Organization Policies of the College as found in the Student Handbook. Every three years, organization presidents will sign the OSFL Relationship Statement for the Fraternity & Sorority Community and Wofford College. Organizations will undergo an annual review each spring with the OFSL.
All social events held at Greek Village must follow the Greek Village Social Event Policies. In addition, all student organizations hosting events on-campus or off-campus must:
The Stewart H. Johnson Greek Village opened in 2016 and features 11 Greek Revival-style 2,050-square-foot houses for each of college's Greek-letter organizations as well as the Meadors Multicultural/NPHC House. The non-residential houses are used for meetings and social events. Greek-letter organizations sign 5-year leases with the College to utilize the houses during academic terms. To maintain access and use of the space, organizations must abide by the stipulations of their lease agreements and pay rent to the College by the deadlines outlined in the lease. A copy of the Fall 2021- Spring 2027 lease is linked here.
At the beginning of each semester, organization presidents will be given their chapter roster to review. Updates to the roster will be due to the OFSL by the second Friday of the semester.
Any time the organization receives a new member (i.e. transfer student or reaffiliating member) or removes a member from your roster (i.e. member is removed, drops, or transfers) the organization must submit that information to OFSL within 72 hours.
For Greek-letter organizations, they must continually recruit new members. It is the charge of GLOs to enhance the experience of new/prospective members by providing membership education and utilizing ritual. During their recruitment practices, organizations must ensure that all new member/membership intake activities reflect the core values of the College, including honor, academic excellence, and integrity.
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life operates under a deferred recruitment model. A student must successfully complete at least one semester of college before being eligible for recruitment and/or the intake process. Any student wishing to join an organization must be a regularly enrolled, full-time student in good standing with Wofford College.
In order to become a member of an organization, students must have a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA and must not be on academic probation or academic exclusion. Organizations offering COB (continuous open bids) or snap bids must submit the names of students to OFSL to check eligibility before bids are offered.
Formal Recruitment for Panhellenic and IFC organizations typically takes place the second week of the spring semester and all students going through Formal Recruitment must register in advance.
The Wofford Panhellenic Council and Wofford IFC each have specific rules around recruitment. Links to those rules for this year will be posted during the first weeks of the fall semester.
Greek-letter organizations must submit a New Member Education Plan at least 2 weeks prior to the first day of Formal Recruitment or Intake to the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life.
The New Member Education process (including Initiation/New Member Presentation) must not extend longer than seven weeks after the formal/informal recruitment/rush/informational meeting and must be completed no later than two weeks before the final exam week for the semester.
Hazing is strictly forbidden by Wofford College and is a violation of South Carolina state law. Hazing is defined as any action taken or situation created by any organization or person(s) that would produce or result in mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule regardless of whether that person is a member of a group or a team, whether new or not, and regardless of that person’s willingness to participate. Organizations will submit a signed copy of the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life’s Hazing Compliance Form as well as a copy of their national organization’s hazing policy with their New Member Education Plan.
Activities and situations considered hazing include, but are not limited to:
If you are still unsure, ask yourself these questions to determine if an act is hazing:
If a hazing incident is occurring in real time, please call Campus Safety at 864-597-4911. If an event happened recently, you can report that hazing anonymously, 24 hours a day, by calling 864-597-2222 or filling out the Campus Safety Silent Witness Form. Please select "hazing" in the drop down menu under “type of incident.” You will not be required to identify yourself, though it is extremely helpful for investigation purposes if you are willing to do so.
Each chapter must have an alumni/chapter advisor and a faculty/staff advisor in accordance with the structure prescribed by the national organization. The Wofford College Student Handbook also requires a faculty/staff advisor.
At a minimum, the alumni/chapter advisor team will oversee the following areas: recruitment, standards, finances, scholarship, and chapter operations.