The mean grade point average among GW’s Greek-letter community is slightly lower than that of the general student body, according to a Greek Life and Student Activities Center joint report.
GW’s average undergraduate student GPA for the fall semester was 3.30 while the average GPA of students involved in Greek-letter life was 3.19.
Among the Greek-letter organizations, Delta Sigma Theta sorority had the highest mean GPA, averaging 3.45 last semester. The Alpha Delta Pi sorority ranked second, with a mean GPA of 3.42 and the Sigma Nu fraternity ranked third overall and highest among fraternities, with a mean GPA of 3.37.
“These numbers aren’t significantly different from previous years,” said junior Claire Low, president of the Panhellenic Association.
Low stressed that membership in a Greek-letter organization has both an academic and a social focus.
“We’re working with the other chapters to make sure our standards stay up,” Low said. “We’re also making sure those who need (academic) help get that help.”
The mean GPAs of fraternities were slightly lower overall than the mean GPA of sororities. The average of all sorority members’ GPAs is 3.25 while the fraternity average is 3.13.
“The (averages are ) a little lower this year than in the past couple of years, but not by much,” said junior Bob Kickish, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council, “We’re making academics a high priority in this coming year.”
Many fraternities already have systems in place to emphasize academics and encourage studying.
“Many chapters have study hours with pledging, and this boosts grades during pledging,” Kickish said. “A lot of chapters have a point system; they get points for going to study hours, and they can use them to get cheaper tickets for formal or things like that.”
Junior Matt Mihalik, president of Sigma Nu, emphasized the importance of having academic resources for fraternity members, like required study hours, for example.
“Our GPA has always been strong,” he said. “It’s something that we take very seriously.”
