How to meet and welcome Greek students during NSO

Here are some helpful things to know about meeting Greeks on campus during the New Student Outreach (NSO) season:

1. As part of your spiritual preparation, consider doing a prayer walk on campus along “Greek Row,” the street where most of the sorority and fraternity houses are located.
2. Greeks are incredibly busy, so the beginning of the year is not always the best time to meet them: freshmen are going through recruitment and sophomores, juniors, and seniors are hosting it for the first 3+ weeks. Additionally, after recruitment, Greeks are busy with initiation.
3. What is helpful but might seem counterintuitive to those outside the Greek system is to do “old chapter outreach”—that means if you were connected with a Greek student last spring before summer break, reconnect with them in the Fall.
4. Proxe stations are not usually a great way to meet Greeks. They perceive the proxe like other tables on campus where they are trying to be sold something and may be quick to dismiss the proxe station as socially awkward.
5. When someone is wearing their letters (i.e., the Greek letters for their sorority or fraternity), you can ask them about their fraternity/sorority: “Hey, can you tell me about your sorority/fraternity?” This is a great way to start a conversation about them and Greek life.
6. Meeting and building trust with a Greek student is deeply rewarding - and strategic - in that, they are likely connected to 50, 100, or 200 other students in their chapter as well as other Greeks on campus. Their network mapping potential is huge if you can help them catch the vision of God working through the Greek system.
7. For many non-Greek InterVarsity leaders, Greek IV can be counterintuitive. Greeks live in a mission field: most of their friends are not Christians. So, what they need most is solid discipleship, as the intersection of Christian faith and Greek life is difficult to navigate.
8. When discipling Greeks, use a stair-step approach, especially with guys: 1) First, meet up once to listen to their story; 2) For the next ask, invite them to meet for 3-weeks to be mentored in being Greek & Christian (“mentor” may be a more attractive term than discipleship); 3) then ask to continue in mentorship for the rest of the semester.
9. When coordinating group discipleship, pair with Greeks who are similar. For example, pair someone who has a high-Greek identity with someone who is similar. Try not to pair someone who is not too into the Greek system (low identity) with someone who is.
10. Greeks are super busy, if they flake you, it’s not personal—be resilient!

Key resources

Greek-Specific Discipleship Content: A 12-week guide includes everything needed to disciple your students through the Letter of Ephesians. 

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The Greek and Christian Podcast: real, honest conversations about how to approach Greek Life from a Christian perspective including things like recruiting and pledging, drinking and drugs, sex and dating, leadership & philanthropy, and much more. 

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