Date of Defense

Spring 4-20-2005

Department

Marketing

First Advisor

Ann Veeck, Marketing

Second Advisor

Stacey Spoors

Third Advisor

Debbie Amantagelo, Panhellenic Council

Abstract

The Greek system began at Western Michigan University in 1916 with debate societies. These organizations were recognized as national organizations in the 1950s. In recent years, the Greek system at Western Michigan University has seen a decline in its membership, as well as in the number of students participating in the recruitment process. In 1997 there were 28 social Greek organizations, but as of spring 2005, there are 23. With interest diminishing, a marketing research project was conducted to determine why people are no longer interested in women's fraternities and what might draw people to them. A series of 70 surveys were collected in order to gain an overview of the attitudes and opinions of the student population at Western Michigan University. It was found that students do believe in some degree of stereotypes of the Greek system. Furthermore, the aspect that is most discouraging is time commitments. This data provides a comprehensive view of the students of WMU and their opinions. With this information, decisions can be made as how best to proceed with the marketing and promotions of the Greek system. It is recommended that Western's Panhellenic Council use a variety of activities in order to recruit women.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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Marketing Commons

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