GREEK LIFE AND THE SOCIAL ORDER

Fraternities and sororities are examples of informal benefits of higher education, offering a lifelong network and support among college-educated adults that is exclusive by design.

• Even into this century, male members of traditionally white fraternities have accounted for large majorities of Supreme Court justices, Fortune 500 executives and U.S. senators, as well as a sizeable share of America’s presidents, according to research by Alan DeSantis, a professor at the University of Kentucky.

Long after racial exclusion bans fell away, historically white fraternities and sororities have remained overwhelmingly so — with about 96% of members identifying as white, according to research published in 2014 by Mississippi State University.