Saturday, February 22, 2014

Greek chapters aim to provide added value to college degrees

The income gap between college graduates and high school graduates is at an all-time high — and Utah State University’s fraternities and sororities are actively working to make a university education even more valuable.

According to a Feb. 11 report from the Pew Research Center, a full-time worker with at least a bachelor’s degree will earn an average of $45,500 annually, while a worker with no college degree will earn only $28,000.The report is based on a study, also conducted by the center, which surveyed employment and economic data from the 2013 calendar year.

Those benefits can be further extended through the networking opportunities offered through Greek organizations, said Brian Speckhard, president of the Delta Sigma Phi chapter at USU.

“The networking opportunities are endless,” Speckhard said. “Being able to talk to any Delta Sig and have an instant connection is really cool.”

Delta Sigma Phi hosts leadership conferences for student and alumni members at its headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. And a group of fraternity members from USU had the opportunity last year to meet with John Bilprey, a fellow Delta Sig and CEO of the Hershey’s chocolate company.

 “The CEO of Hershey's – that’s a pretty big connection to have,” said Delta Sigma public relations chair Kody Riker.

Riker also noted academic assistant benefits that often come with membership in sororities and fraternities. 

“We work closely with the Academic Resource Center,” Riker said. “They provide our house with study tools, and help us to enhance our study methods.”

But Maren Stromberg, an assistant director in USU’s Career Services office, said all extracurricular involvement — not just Greek affiliation — is valuable on a résumé.

“Employers like to see that you can multitask while earning your degree,” Stromberg said. “Even if it represents a lower GPA. Employers want to see collegiate involvement and leadership which that involvement provides.”

Steven Kratz, the Los Angeles branch manager for Peak Technical Staffing, a nationwide recruiting company that specializes in matching engineers with lucrative jobs, said Greek affiliation can add value to a resume, but anything that indicates an ability to work with others is more beneficial.

“When you’re involved with a fraternity, you get voted in. There’s not much more to it,” Katz said. “For a student-athlete, for example, it shows stick-to-it-iveness, determination, and the ability to work on a team.”

According to Katz, the primary advantage with Greek affiliation is networking, though he said he has not personally observed any cooperation based on Greek affiliation.

Cailey Chaney, Matthew Thomas, Morgan Pratt, Cristina Johnson and Kylee Hopkin contributed to this report.


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