Frequently Asked Questions

Recruitment

Where will I live? (Fraternity)

• Fraternity houses are owned by Ohio Wesleyan University and are managed by local fraternity house corporations. Ohio Wesleyan provides the fraternity house corporations with the payment of the fraternity member's room and board finances. These finances are used to operate and maintain the chapter house as well as the kitchen facility.
• Fraternity members move to their chosen fraternity's house when they become members. This move will happen the semester following their initiation (per the MOU). For instance, a student who joins in the fall may move in for the spring semester.
• First-year students who join a fraternity will move into the house at the beginning of their sophomore year.

Where will I live? (Sorority)

• As a sorority member, you will continue to live in residence halls, themed houses, or small living units (SLUs), as OWU sororities are nonresidential.
• Sorority houses are located on West Winter Street and downtown Delaware, one block north of the residential side of campus. The groups use these houses for meetings and events. Ohio Wesleyan does not own the sorority chapter houses.

What happens to my meal plan? (Fraternity)

Those joining Chi Phi, Phi Delta Theta, and Phi Gamma Delta remain on their current meal plan. The procedures below are for students joining Alpha Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

1. You will accept your bid by signing the Fraternity Status Change Form with the Interfraternity Council and the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL).
2. Your Fraternity Change of Status Form is approved by the Student Involvement Office and forwarded to the Residential Life Office.
3. Residential Life enters your new meal plan into the University's administrative computing system. This results in your current meal plan being switched to the fraternity meal plan. Since this process usually occurs after the start of the semester, Residential Life will prorate the cost of your meal plans based on the date your paperwork is submitted. This financial adjustment will be applied to your student bill as a charge or a credit and varies depending on the cost of your meal plan at the time you joined the fraternity.
   
   The fraternity meal plan charge is between the rate of the Gold and Platinum plans. Visit this website to learn more about the fraternity meal plan rate.  Students with the silver or gold meal plan will see a charge on their account after the meal plan adjustment. If you do not pay your own meal plan bill, please inform the responsible party immediately.
4. Fraternity meal plan funds are allocated to a fraternity House Corporation that manages the funds for the fraternity kitchen. The funds do not become a part of the undergraduate operating budget.
5. Any remaining dining dollars on your card will be deleted and you will no longer have access to Anytime Dining. Each Fraternity House Corporation makes a decision whether to add dining dollars or block meals to your plan, as well as how much to add to each option. This will give you the option to eat at other dining venues on campus. Please discuss these options with your fraternity before making purchases at these locations.

What happens to my meal plan? (Sorority)

Sorority members continue on the traditional food plans. For more information on these, please see the Dining Services website.

What is the cost? (Fraternity)

When a student joins a fraternity, members are charged dues, which vary based on the chapter. These charges cover brotherhood, philanthropic, operational, and social expenses.

Additionally, several chapters have an in-house dining program.  Members of those chapters with in-house dining programs will move to the 'Fraternity Dining Plan', which may be at a higher cost depending on the dining plan a student was on previously. 

For all chapters without an in-house dining program, members can choose between any of the regular university dining plans.  The housing charges associated with living in a fraternity house are the same as our non-fraternity Multiple Occupancy housing spaces.

What is the cost? (Sorority)

Sorority members are charged dues, which vary by chapter. These charges cover house-related expenses (utilities, repairs, etc.), sisterhood, philanthropic, operational, and social expenses.

What is the time commitment to become a new member?

The New Member Period can last from 4 to 8 weeks. During the New Member Period, new members learn more about the national organization, the chapter at OWU, chapter functions/operations, traditions, the purpose and values of each group, as well as the active membership. At the conclusion of this process, new members are initiated and become active members.

New Member Education is an additional time commitment, comparable to taking an academic class.

What is the community's view on hazing?

Ohio Wesleyan and its fraternity and sorority community oppose Hazing in any form. It is counterproductive to the mission of fraternity and sorority life.

Hazing Policy (as found in the Ohio Wesleyan University Student Handbook)

Ohio Wesleyan University desires to create and maintain an educational atmosphere throughout the campus. The protection of health, safety, and welfare of members of the University community is essential to the educational mission of Ohio Wesleyan University; thus, hazing is prohibited.

Hazing is defined as any mental or physical requirement, request, or obligation placed upon any member or prospective member of an organization (varsity team, club sport, group, Greek chapter, etc.) by other members of that organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of discomfort, pain, fright, disgrace, injury, personal degradation, or which violates any federal, state, local statute, or University policy.

The OWU Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils support the definition of and position on Hazing and Pre-initiation Activities presented by the Fraternity Executives Association, FIPG, Inc., and the Ohio Wesleyan University policy, as stated in the most recent version of the OWU Handbook.

Hazing is a crime. People and organizations that haze can face University sanctions, as well as criminal and civil charges. Charges of Hazing can be filed not only against the person who committed the act but also against witnesses to the incident, people with first-hand knowledge of the incident, and individuals who were hazed. The president and officers of an organization, the advisor, and/or any national headquarters could be liable. In addition to individual charges, organizational charges can be filed.

• Hazing Prevention and Education
• Report Hazing Online