Fraternities, sororities gather to celebrate performance in classroom

Cody Moslander
Antelope Staff

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Greek life places a high importance on academics. The all-Greek Grade Point Average has been consistently higher than that of the general student population and this year was no different.

The annual Greek Scholarship Banquet was held Monday, Jan. 30, to gather and to celebrate the emphasis on academics and those that were academically successful in the previous semester.

“It’s nights like these that show just how great it is to be part of the Greek community,” said guest speaker John Gibbs, former UNK Greek  and now academic counselor for the university. “It’s nights like this that I am proud to be a Greek alum in this institution.”

Gibbs said he is cognizant of negative perception about Greek Life, “This scholarship honors night is breaking down those negative stereotypes surrounding our Greek organizations.”

Gibbs was eager to praise his time here as a member of a fraternity, “My time on campus as a student and in this Greek community as a brother has been ripe with lessons of hard work, of diligence, of care, and of persistence. These are the lessons that will carry me and carry you all to great successes both now and for the rest of your lives.”

The numbers verified Gibbs’ statements. Both the fraternity and sorority average GPAs were higher than that of their non-affiliated male and female students.

Students who attained a GPA between a 3.5 and a 3.99 the previous semester were recognized and names were read aloud from each sorority and fraternity. Many students in attendance achieved 4.0 GPA and they were rewarded with a cookie with “4.0” written in icing on it.
A big part of the night is the competition for fraternities’ and sororities’ highest chapter GPAs.

Cassidy Bruns, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major and Vice President of Scholarship for the Panhellenic Council, was hosting the event. “GPAs are a big thing for all of them; they kind of compete against each other to get the highest GPA. It’s a big deal.” Bruns believes there are academic advantages to students who choose Greek Life. She said, “In the chapters, everyone is holding each other accountable, so everyone is more aware of their grades.”

Ivy Prater, president of the Alpha Phi sorority, accepted the award for the highest GPA among sororities.

“Greek Life can push you into good study habits,” says Luke Grossnicklaus, a junior business education major and also president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, which took home the Nester Cup for the highest GPA among fraternities at UNK. “Nights like these bring out the good in Greek life and we can celebrate nights like these.”

The night ended with a fun raffle with the fraternities and sororities providing the items being raffled off. Hoops and hollers of excitement roared as gift cards, shirts and foam fingers were handed off.

The banquet showcased the successes of the Greek community in the field of academics and the importance of which they treat that success. Gibbs said that the night “shows just how dedicated each chapter is to academics. It shows how accountable the members have to be of that education and how supportive we have to be in each other’s successes.”

Fact Box:
All student average GPA – 3.04
All Greek average GPA – 3.34
All women average GPA – 3.18
All sorority average GPA – 3.42
All men average GPA – 2.81
All fraternity average GPA – 3.20