As a parent, you are undoubtedly interested in the continuing education of your son. Zeta Psi can be an excellent supplement to his college education. We encourage you to explore this website, where you will find countless pieces of information which illustrate just these supplemental benefits. And, of course, should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our International Headquarters staff, who are prepared to assist you.
If you were in a fraternity or sorority while in college, you already know some things about Greek life. However, the Greek environment has changed in many ways over the last few decades, and we would like to highlight some important differences between today's Greek system and that of years past. Likewise, if you were not involved in the Greek system, we would like to debunk many of the myths that may scare some parents into preventing their sons from taking advantage of the benefits of fraternity life.
^All of our chapters have an international directive to prohibit hazing, and most states and provinces have anti-hazing laws to protect the individual. Greek life in general sees very few of the hazing problems that were common in the past. Zeta Psi chapters take pride in their anti-hazing reputations. Our chapters are known on their campuses as being the anti-hazing fraternity. You can easily be assured of our strong anti-hazing stance by talking to the local undergrad and alumni chapter leadership, and we encourage you to do so if you wish.
^Controlled substances are present on all college campuses, and fraternities are not immune to their influence. However, we have taken a strong stance against substance abuse, and illegal drugs are not permitted at any fraternity function, or on any chapter premises. If discovered, the alumni or international organization take swift corrective action, which usually includes the eviction/expulsion of the individual(s) responsible, or closure of the chapter. We realize that any abuse of drugs and alcohol on the part of our members works directly against the goals we have set in terms of leadership and character. As such, we incorporate drug and alcohol education into our pledge/new member education, as well as through our Leadership Training Institutes (LTI).
^In many cases, the average all-Greek GPA is consistently higher than that of the student body at large, and we encourage you to contact the Greek Life or Student Affairs office at your son's college or university to learn more about the academic performance of fraternities in general, and in particular the performance of Zeta Psi. We know from a half-dozen academic studies that membership in fraternities is positively linked to persistence in school. This just makes sense: given the encouragement and mentoring gained by fraternity members through their brothers—freshmen through seniors, graduadte students and older alumni—along with their strong attachment to a large group of friends at their place of study, it is no wonder they are more likely to finish college and use the network obtained through fraternity membership to advance through their careers.
In fact, one of the biggest advantages to fraternity life is the network of support your son will get from his peers. We try to develop an environment where older students and alumni act as mentors for newer members. This social support helps provide for the day-to-day social needs of your son, particularly given that he is in a new environment, and probably far-removed from the parental support he received up till now. We were founded and still exist to provide a home away from home—a second family for our brothers.
It is this social and safety network, combined with the formal leadership and character education your son will receive, which will form the core of his experience as a Zete.
^As a parent, we encourage you to talk to the local chapter's leadership to find out more about our local initiatives. Your son should be able to provide the appropriate contact information for you to do so. We also encourage you to review our Risk Management Guidelines, which are our rules about issues like alcohol and hazing. Please inform our Executive Director if you have any questions, or if you see a violation at one of our chapters.