Tom Farrar was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon when he was a student at LSU. Farrar graduated from the university in 1970, but he still calls his fraternity brothers around once a month to try and stay in touch as much as possible.
Greek organizations can play a major role in student life at LSU, and for people like Farrar, the friendships formed within Greek Life can go beyond graduation.
The Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Delta was the first sorority at LSU, chartered in 1909. Sigma Alpha Epsilon was the first fraternity on campus when it was established in 1867. According to the LSU Greek Life website, there are now over 6,000 members in the 35 chapters on campus.
Farrar, who now runs a family-owned hearing aid dispensary, decided to join a fraternity after seeing how much his parents enjoyed Greek life when they were in college. He believes that the bond he made with the people in his fraternity was the most beneficial part of his experience.
“What I have gained is primarily lifelong friendships,” Farrar said. “Greek life isn’t for everyone, but I would advise to be open-minded and experience new things.”
Larry Howard, a construction management alumnus, joined the Acacia fraternity in 1981 to have a small group of people to socialize with.
“I enjoyed the fraternity because it gave me a home on campus, a place to go during the day if I lived off-campus, or a room if I chose to live in the house,” Howard said. “You are not ‘best’ friends with 200 people, but you do develop a close friendship with 15 to 20, and then you are a part of the bigger group.”
Howard said that although the intramural athletics and parties were fun, he really enjoyed meeting everyone for lunch and dinner throughout all four years.
“I think Greek life enabled me to feel comfortable in new environments later in life, such as joining a new company and fitting in at work,” he said.
Now, Howard sees many of his fraternity brothers several times a year. He noted that it did get harder to stay in touch after they separated and left Baton Rouge, but that the effort is worth it.
Delta Gamma alumna Janet Bergeron Vidrine graduated in 1984 with a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in secondary education. Vidrine, a retired high school math teacher, serves in the office of the Delta Gamma alumnae chapter as an adviser for the LSU chapter.
Vidrine said she wanted to join a sorority in college to make new friends, get involved on campus and make LSU “seem smaller.”
“I believe that the connections I made through Greek life have been very useful later in life,” Vidrine said. “My sorority sisters sponsored me for the Junior League and encouraged me to get involved in other volunteer organizations in Baton Rouge. Through these volunteer organizations I have made friends with people I may have never crossed paths with.”
Vidrine said her favorite and most memorable parts of being in a sorority were events like the Jambalaya Jamboree, the scavenger hunt during Homecoming, the around-the-clock flag football games on the Parade Ground for the MD Marathon that raised money for muscular dystrophy and their philanthropy event, Anchor Splash.
Like Farrar and Howard, Vidrine still keeps in touch with her sorority sisters today.
“I think the biggest benefit after college is knowing you have a group of friends who you can count on to be there when you need them,” Vidrine said. “I am fortunate to have very close friends from my sorority who were in the chapter 20 years before me and 40 years after me.”
