Greek life, or the presence of fraternities and sororities, exists at many colleges and universities. According to Michael Grandillo in an Encyclopedia article, "there are more than 5,500 chapters on 800 campuses in the United States and Canada." Although Greek life is so common, participation in such organizations can be a controversial topic, especially when critics suggest that hazing can harm students' health and their college careers. For those who don't know much about Greek life or the process one goes through to affiliate with this system, first there is a week called "peak week", where fraternities and sororities organize parties to try to cajole students into joining their group. organizations. If members of a fraternity or sorority like a particular student, they will vote to give that student an “offer,” which will give them the opportunity to commit to their organization. If the student accepts the offer, their engagement process will begin, which typically lasts between six and ten weeks. Assuming the student makes it through, he or she will be admitted to the organization and will be rewarded with the benefits of membership for the rest of his or her life. Despite the fact that some Greek organizations engage in intense hazing practices that can result in lower grades for pledges, it is beneficial for students to participate in Greek life because the organizations force students to create strong bonds between them while learning important lessons. for their future careers, and they provide students with excellent networking opportunities. Often when we hear about fraternities or sororities on the news, the program has to do with hazing and a death or injury it caused to an innocent person... middle of paper......sometimes in the past this has not and will not prevent students from wanting to enroll, because of the meaningful friendships that can be made and the networking opportunities. Works Cited Gordon, Julie. “Should You Join a Fraternity”? Business week. May 24, 2006. the web. December 6, 2011.980726.htm>.Grandillo, Michael. “Social Fraternities and Sororities.” Encyclopedia of Education. 2002. Web.December 7, 2011. Korry, Elaine. “Fraternity hazing gone wrong.” National Public Radio. November 14, 2005.Web. December 6, 2011. .Skorton, David. “A Pledge to End Fraternity Hazing.” The New York Times. August 23, 2011. Web.December 6, 2011.hazing.html>.