Fraternity & Sorority Resources
The Fraternity & Sorority Life team of staff advisors provides a high level of care to each individual chapter and council. If you have questions or are in need of additional support, please contact a member of the FSL team or reach out to [email protected].
Quick Links
- Registration
Fraternities and sororities must complete the student organization registration each year online through Engage.
Fraternity & Sorority Life at GW also requires each chapter to:
- maintain membership in one of the four councils overseen by FSL
- be formally affiliated with an inter/national fraternity/sorority
- be incorporated operate under the provisions of Title IX of the Educational Amendments and IRS Code Title 26, 501.c.3, which permits the organization to admit exclusively men or women
- provide current certificate of liability insurance with a minimum of $1 million coverage
- provide a copy of the organization's anti-hazing policy or policies
- be in good standing with their inter/national headquarters
- have a minimum of one alumni/alumnae advisor recognized by their inter/national organization and actively engaged with the chapter
- complete the annual GW Fraternity and Sorority Recognition and Accreditation process
- Chapter Management, Recognition & Accreditation
The Fraternity and Sorority Recognition and Accreditation (FSRA) program creates community-wide chapter responsibilities, expectations, and benchmarks for success and excellence in these areas and beyond. It provides a framework by which our chapters can quantify and document activities and successes and creates a pathway for chapters to receive individualized feedback and recognition. Chapters will be evaluated on activity occurring during Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 in three ways:
- Chapter Responsibility Checkpoints: FSL staff will automatically verify or evaluate a chapter’s success in meeting the listed baseline chapter responsibilities. No action or submission is required from the chapter for these items, however, if your chapter has not met one of the listed chapter responsibilities, you may have an opportunity to do so prior to the deadline.
- Chapter Report: In each section, chapters will submit a brief written description or data on outlined topics. Based upon the information gathered through this process and scoring by a review committee, organizations will receive a Chapter Designation along with written feedback that identifies unique challenges, opportunities, and strengths. The information will also directly inform recognition via community awards, including Chapters of the Year among others. Chapters that fail to submit materials for FSRA will be receive a Chapter Designation of Rebuilding Chapter and may lose organizational privileges
- Chapter Presentation: Each chapter will deliver a virtual oral presentation on their chapter’s accomplishments and successes over the most recent academic year. The presentation is an opportunity to tell your chapter’s story, highlight its greatest successes, and demonstrate its excellence over the past year through photos, videos, testimonials, narratives, and other creative elements.
Based upon the information gathered through this process and scoring by a review committee, organizations will receive a Chapter Designation along with written feedback that identifies unique challenges, opportunities, and strengths. The information will also directly inform recognition via community awards, including Chapters of the Year among others. Chapters that fail to submit materials for FSRA will be receive a Chapter Designation of Rebuilding Chapter and may lose organizational privileges.
- Policies & Guidelines
Student Organization COVID Policies
To report a student organization policy violation, including hazing, discriminatory harassment, or unlawful discrimination, please submit an incident report form.
- Hazing Policy & Prevention
GW and our associated councils and chapters have zero tolerance for hazing.
To report a student organization policy violation, including hazing, discriminatory harassment, or unlawful discrimination, please submit an incident report form.
To better inform decisions related to organizational membership, the Division for Student Affairs publishes a list of student organizations with conduct violations (PDF).
Every report will be treated with respect and will be addressed by the FSL and the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability teams.
GW Hazing Policy
Hazing is any action taken or situation created intentionally, with or without consent, whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Groups will be held responsible for the actions of their members, including pledges, associates, and any other pre-initiates.
The negligence or consent of the student/participant or any assumption of risk by the student/participant is not a defense to an action brought pursuant to the policy.
The adjudicating officer or body, not the alleged victim, will determine whether the action taken or situation created violated university policy.
Maryland Law:
§ 268H. Hazing students prohibited
(a) Haze defined. - In this section "haze" means doing any act or causing any situation which recklessly or intentionally subjects a student to the risk of serious bodily injury for the purpose of initiation into a student organization of a school, college, or university.
(b) Violation constitutes misdemeanor; penalty. - A person who hazes a student so as to cause serious bodily injury to the student at any school, college, or university is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
(c) Consent of student not defense. - The implied or expressed consent of a student to hazing may not be a defense under this section.Virginia Law:
§ 18.2-56. Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials
It shall be unlawful to haze, or otherwise mistreat so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school, college, or university.
Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless the injury would be such as to constitute a felony, and in that event the punishment shall be inflicted as is otherwise provided by law for the punishment of such felony.
Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing or mistreatment shall have a right to sue, civilly, the person or persons guilty thereof, whether adults or infants.
The president, or other presiding official of any school, college or university, receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall, upon satisfactory proof of the guilt of any student found guilty of hazing or mistreating another student so as to cause bodily injury, expel such student so found guilty, and shall make report thereof to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such school, college or university is, who shall present the same to the grand jury of such city or county convened next after such report is made to him.
GW and our associated councils and chapters have zero tolerance for hazing.
To report a student organization policy violation, including hazing, discriminatory harassment, or unlawful discrimination, please submit an incident report form.
To better inform decisions related to organizational membership, the Division for Student Affairs publishes a list of student organizations with conduct violations.
Every report will be treated with respect and will be addressed by the FSL and the Office of Conflict Education & Student Accountability teams.
GW Hazing Policy
Hazing is any action taken or situation created intentionally, with or without consent, whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Groups will be held responsible for the actions of their members, including pledges, associates, and any other pre-initiates.
The negligence or consent of the student/participant or any assumption of risk by the student/participant is not a defense to an action brought pursuant to the policy.
The adjudicating officer or body, not the alleged victim, will determine whether the action taken or situation created violated university policy.
District of Columbia Law:
Hazing is any initiation of applicants to or members of a student or fraternal organization in which a person or people knowingly or recklessly organize, promote, facilitate or engage in any conduct, other than competitive athletic events, which places or may place another person in danger of bodily injury.
Any person who hazes or takes part in hazing activities on or off the property of any university located within the District of Columbia shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction, is subject to a fine of up to $1,000, or imprisonment of up to 6 months.
Any fraternity, sorority, or group recognized by any university within the District of Columbia who knowingly or recklessly permits hazing on or off the property of any university located within the District of Columbia shall be subject to a fine of not more than $5,000.
The implied or expressed consent of a student shall not be a defense under this section.
Maryland Law:
§ 268H. Hazing students prohibited
(a) Haze defined. - In this section "haze" means doing any act or causing any situation which recklessly or intentionally subjects a student to the risk of serious bodily injury for the purpose of initiation into a student organization of a school, college, or university.
(b) Violation constitutes misdemeanor; penalty. - A person who hazes a student so as to cause serious bodily injury to the student at any school, college, or university is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
(c) Consent of student not defense. - The implied or expressed consent of a student to hazing may not be a defense under this section.
Virginia Law:
§ 18.2-56. Hazing unlawful; civil and criminal liability; duty of school, etc., officials
It shall be unlawful to haze, or otherwise mistreat so as to cause bodily injury, any student at any school, college, or university.
Any person found guilty thereof shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless the injury would be such as to constitute a felony, and in that event the punishment shall be inflicted as is otherwise provided by law for the punishment of such felony.
Any person receiving bodily injury by hazing or mistreatment shall have a right to sue, civilly, the person or persons guilty thereof, whether adults or infants.
The president, or other presiding official of any school, college or university, receiving appropriations from the state treasury shall, upon satisfactory proof of the guilt of any student found guilty of hazing or mistreating another student so as to cause bodily injury, expel such student so found guilty, and shall make report thereof to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such school, college or university is, who shall present the same to the grand jury of such city or county convened next after such report is made to him.