The wide extent of the collegiate Greek-letter fraternity system may not be readily realized by an observer whose perspective is based only on his own campus organizations. There are fraternities at more than 600 colleges across the United States and Canada, approximately half a million undergraduate members, and several million graduate members. There are almost 60 national fraternities and nearly 30 national sororities.

The fraternity system in the Unites States and Canada has weathered many storms since its founding. Opposition amounting to outright hostility failed to daunt it in its youth, and world wars and depression have failed to kill it since its maturity. It has sometimes been sharply criticized, even by its friends, but has exhibited the vitality of a system which fills a basic human need. As long as fraternities continue to serve the specific purposes for which they were founded, and as long as they remain sensitive to the realities of campus life, they will continue to serve students, colleges, and our nations well.