Feb. 13—Fraternity and Sorority programs and services at the University of Oklahoma will welcome incoming freshmen to Greek Preview Day on Friday, March 1.

Jack Paylor, a junior at OU and member of Delta Tau Delta, serves as a student public affairs specialist for the Interfraternity Council, and he said the organization holds this event every year, especially soliciting high school seniors who plan to attend the university in the fall.

Founded in 1905, the IFC is the umbrella organization that serves 18 fraternities at the University of Oklahoma. It currently has over 2,400 members.

“It’s an orientation for students coming in the fall. They can get a sneak peek of what’s happening in August. They can come and get information on costs and that kind of related thing,” Paylor said.

Registration is required.

The event starts at 9 a.m. at the McCasland Fieldhouse. The last activity will wrap up by 5 p.m.

Kylie Frisby, associate director of Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services, said it is important that the organization is student-led.

“Like most of our programs, the planning and coordinating is a joint effort of staff and our student leaders. The students are very involved — we love getting to work together to showcase their community and organizations here at OU,” Frisby said.

She said about 30% of the undergraduate population is a member of a fraternity or sorority.

“Fraternity and sorority life is an area of campus that is special to so many students,” Frisby said. “These organizations support the campus and local community through philanthropy and service projects.”

Greek organizations, she said, also keep students engaged and excited about learning.

“We know that students succeed when they have community and a sense of belonging — the fraternity and sorority experience provides that for over 6,700 OU students,” Frisby said.

Paylor said he is expecting a record-setting 2,000 incoming freshmen to show up to Greek Preview Day, and that they can expect some big changes this year directly related to conference realignment.

“Moving into the SEC, it’s going to be very interesting,” Paylor said. “Greek organizations at SEC schools are rich in the culture of their schools.”

Paylor didn’t announce any new fraternities on campus, but he said certain organizations may be expanding their membership.

“There’s definitely going to be a pretty big shift. All the talk about new chapters coming to campus happens behind closed doors. Administration is going to figure that out,” he said. “We anticipate several of the current ones on campus to expand in size.”

He said a few of OU’s smaller fraternities, like Kappa Alpha Order, have a small presence on campus, but have a large presence at schools like the University of Alabama, the University of Texas, the University of Mississippi and other SEC schools.

“We anticipate a pretty decent culture shift when it comes to OU tradition surrounding that,” Paylor said.

Frisby said membership costs and fees differ from one organization to the next.

“There are currently more than 50 active Greek organizations on campus and they each set their own fees and membership costs based on chapter size, whether or not they have a chapter facility, national costs, etc.,” she said.

Costs for membership range significantly. First year students can expect to pay anywhere from $105 to $5,321, depending on the organization they want to join.

The rates for first year students are as follows: Affiliate Circle, $150-500; Interfraternity Council, $1,200-3,700; Multicultural Greek Council, $105-760; National Pan-Hellenic Council, $900-3,000; and Panhellenic Association, $2,418-5,321.

Greek Preview Day precedes Admitted Student Day, Saturday, March 2, where incoming freshmen will have a chance to explore the university.

To register for Greek Preview Day or for more information, visit ou.edu/admissions/visit/events/admitted-student-day.

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.