Some might associate Greek organizations around the country with crazy parties, drunken students or not attending class, but many TCU organizations did not get the memo.TCU Greek organizations have been shown to have just as much success in the classroom as non-Greek students.

Fourteen Greek organizations on campus have cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher, according to records posted on the TCU Greek Web site.

A ranking of the organizations’ GPAs is produced at the end of each semester to show where each chapter stands academically relative to one another, as well as non-Greek undergraduates.

The women of Sigma Kappa, with a cumulative GPA of 3.24, and the men of Pi Kappa Phi, with a 3.31, had the highest average GPAs of Greek groups in fall 2005. The women of Chi Upsilon Sigma and the men of Pi Kappa Sigma had the lowest average GPAs, according to a document on the TCU Greek Web site.

In 2004, there were more than 400 4.0s in the Greek community, according to the TCU Greek scholarship document.

John Stauffer, president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said he was proud of the members of his organization for their efforts in school.

“I know my chapter had 55 guys make above a 3.0, 23 of which were anywhere from a 3.5 to 4.0,” said Stauffer, a junior finance major.

The all-Greek GPA continues to match or surpass the all-undergraduate GPA. Fraternity and sorority members are more likely to graduate than nonmembers, according to TCU records posted on the TCU Greek Web site.

TCU’s Panhellenic and National Pan-Hellenic organizations require a minimum GPA to be considered for membership. Each individual organization sets its own GPA requirements.

TCU Greek organizations’ academic standards are higher than TCU’s and require a 3.0 for incoming freshmen and a 2.75 for transfer students interested in going through recruitment, according to records posted on the TCU Web site.

If the grade requirements are not met, individuals will face consequences such as having to complete community service hours or be placed on academic probation. Each organization has its own set of rules regarding academic standards, said Nikki Elledge, a Delta Gamma member.

Elledge, a senior communication studies major, said she has a daily planner with all of her deadlines for school and organizations, which help her maintain a 3.9 cumulative GPA.

“I start every semester knowing grades are important,” Elledge said. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep performing well.”

Elledge said the DGs require members to maintain a 2.25 GPA before being placed on academic probation, which will restrict members from the organization’s social events and require them to get mandatory study hours. Members with 3.5 or higher are not required to do any study hours.

James Parker, assistant dean of campus life, said the Greek organizations have done a good job of adhering to academic standards.

“Many of students do well for themselves, but also to represent their organization well,” Parker said.