When Megan England, a political science senior, entered OU her freshman year she was looking to rush a sorority, like many other incoming freshmen girls. Numerous girls from her hometown in Plano, Texas had bragged about the fun and excitement that came along with rushing a sorority. So, it seemed like the right thing to do; besides everyone she knew was rushing as well. She went through rush, signed a bid card and became a pledge for Pi Phi. However, once the pledge process began, England realized that despite being with a wonderful group of girls, this was not a good place for her to grow in the ways she felt she needed to during her college years. She dropped out, and sought out a group that would help her grow spiritually. That is when England stumbled upon Kappa Phi, a nontraditional Christian sorority.

There are more than 30 nontraditional fraternities and sororities that have made a home at OU. While these groups might not be as well-known, they are gaining popularity and more nontraditional Greeks are popping up all over campus. These nontraditional fraternities and sororities highlight many different aspects; of the most popular being religious, academic and service.

Kappa Phi is a Christian-based sorority that concentrates on Christ, service and sisterhood. England has now been a part of this group for four years and has held such offices as pledge mom, president and Chaplin. KP, as most of the members refer to it, is considerably smaller than the other sororities on campus, but that is one of the aspects that drew England to it. She loves the intimacy that a nontraditional organization provides. She feels like she knows every girl inside and out on a level that she could not have reached in a traditional sorority with over 200 members.

"I chose Kappa Phi specifically because of the fostering atmosphere and their dedication to Christ and service," England stated.

One of the many nontraditional fraternities that focuses on academics is Alpha Lambda Delta. It encourages superior academic achievement and setting meaningful goals for their roles in society. For John Tyler Mosmeyer, a finance junior and junior advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta, the decision to join this organization was a relatively easy choice. He took into consideration that his primary goal at OU is to excel in academics, so it only made since to become involved in an organization that facilitated his needs.

Alpha Lambda Delta is open to new freshman students who have a minimum of 12 credit-hours during the fall semester, at least a 3.5 GPA, no failing or incomplete grades, completion of their application and fully paid dues. While this organization's focal point is academics, it also does some academic based service projects like arranging a book drive for needy schools.

"The ability to meet a diverse group of students, participate in a variety of events and continue the goal of maintaining high academic standards is by far the biggest advantage I have found in choosing a nontraditional fraternity," Mosmeyer said.

Alpha Phi Omega is a service fraternity that centers around four areas, service to the campus, community, nation and children. More commonly known as APO, it helps out with such organizations as Children's Theatre and Feed the Children. The organization also takes part in many campus-wide activities, such as Shack-A-Thon and Dance Marathon. APO is looked at as being one of the most diverse organizations at OU, because it encourages anyone and everyone who loves to do community service to join.

Mario Brown, a human relations senior, got involved with Alpha Phi Omega his sophomore year at OU. Brown actually thought about rushing a traditional fraternity his freshman year, but decided to wait. When his sophomore year came around he yet again opted not to rush because he had heard so many wonderful things about APO. Brown did a lot of community service during his high school years, which is why he loves APO; it filled that niche that was vacant. He loves that its focus is community service and helping out their fellow man.

"Out of all the service opportunities that APO does, I would have to go with random acts of kindness as my favorite because we can do anything nice that is random, such as paying for peoples meals in the drive-thru, giving out cookies or soft toilet paper to residents in the dorms," Brown exclaimed.

Many students look at joining traditional fraternities and sororities to meet new people and enhance their social lives. The nontraditional quality not only provides those aspects, but most members also use it as a stepping stone to their futures. One thing that most can agree on is there is nothing wrong with participating in both.

"Keep an open mind and give them both a shot. No one can tell you what is right for you, so listen to your heart," said England.

This article taken from Sooner Yearbook. For more information please click the link below.
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