Student start-up carves space for Greeks online

Hunting for a job in NYC? Scouting campus for the perfect chapter? Need to reconnect with your long-lost pledge class?

Andrew Dudum has your answers, and more.

Dudum, a Wharton sophomore and Beta Theta Pi social chairman, created myGreek.org - which went live three weeks ago - as a Facebook-style Web site for Greeks. The site helps users find and communicate with fellow Greeks on campus and nationally, and it can also be a valuable tool for students searching for information during spring rush.

"The idea came from my frustration over the summer," Dudum said. "I was in San Francisco. I had four different friends in four different fraternities in four different schools. I was shocked when I didn't find any networks like this . and pretty soon it just clicked."

Dudum and some friends designed and coded the site from the ground up and funded it out-of-pocket. He now involves himself on a day-to-day basis, making edits and collecting feedback, and said he is interested in adding capabilities catered to students' needs.

MyGreek.org displays user profiles, discussion boards and "memory books," or photo albums. It also offers a variety of special tools, including an events calendar, alumni search and discussion boards for sorting out issues within a chapter. Freshmen or students in high school can join as "prospective members" and get in touch with brothers or sisters of a particular Greek organization.

While Dudum acknowledged that there are some similarities between Facebook and myGreek.org, "I'm not Mark Zuckerberg," he said, laughing. "I promised my dad I won't drop out of college."

Since January, over 4,000 members from 200 campuses have joined myGreek.org by word of mouth alone. Looking to boost that number, myGreek.org's "passionate marketing team" has recently been making efforts to expand the site, reaching out to campus administrators, alumni and Greek leaders around the country.

"We've gotten tremendous reviews from IFC [Interfraternity Council] and chapter presidents across the nation," said Dudum, "and that's really encouraging."

Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said OFSA is not involved with the Web site, but it seems like it could be a helpful resource.

"There are a lot of opportunities for communication," he said.

Jon Strauss, College junior and Phi Gamma Delta president, said he is making efforts to get his fraternity involved in myGreek.org. "It's a fantastic idea," he said. "Within a couple months, this could be really big . the possibilities are staggering."

"What's key," said Dudum, "is that no other system lets you interact, share and communicate in the same way. We bring together the entire Greek community to one place, and that's what's most important."

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