Twenty-eight years after it started, UNCG's Greek family comes of age.

Alpha
In October, Ron Grant '00 will watch his bride walk down the aisle. And standing beside him will be those who know him best — his brothers. His fraternity brothers.

Like others who have invested the better part of their UNCG years in a Greek organization, Grant has lifelong friendships with the men of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I moved down here from a small town in New Jersey and I was looking for that same small town feel,” he says. “I was not interested in only a party house. Philanthropy, community service, study hours — I wanted all those things.”

His fraternity delivered.

“If I take a look back and take stock of what I've accomplished, I can trace all of it back to that one decision to join the fraternity.”

Grant says his grades went up every semester. As a two-term president, he developed leadership skills and learned to work with university administration, which led to his first job after college in the UNCG Office of Student Life. That job paid for graduate school at UNCG, which then led to law school. Today he works at Bank of America in Charlotte as part of a software contracting group.

He's not alone. Member after member will tell you the benefits of being involved in a fraternity or sorority: learning time management, developing leadership abilities, giving back to the community, developing connections and a sense of being at home.

Surprised? Let's face it. Greek organizations have something of a bad reputation. Most can recite the stereotypes: Fraternities are beer-guzzling party houses. Sororities are full of girls who pick their friends based on whose daddy has the most money. And let's not forget hazing.

True? Not at UNCG, they say.

“I didn't see the stereotypes,” says Jacqueline Kayler DeBrew '91 of Alpha Delta Pi. “I expected pearls and blonde hair. What I found was uniqueness.”

DeBrew, now a clinical assistant professor in the UNCG School of Nursing, proudly displays her sorority paddles on her office wall. Initially, she had no plans to join a sorority. “I had been an involved high school student and when I got here I had a bit of withdrawal. I didn't think the school was active enough. So I thought, I'll check it out.”

DeBrew's mother was appalled. “I thought you were against exclusive clubs,” she told her daughter. Her roommate's boyfriend chided her, “Are you going to pay for your friends?”

In spite of the negative comments, DeBrew knew she had found a good fit. The service aspect of the sorority drew her and she loved how busy she had suddenly become. All the little things they did — studying in the library, having lunch together once a week at the Caf, having movie night with the girls — cemented lifelong friendships.