To senior Bobby Senter, Greek life has offered more than just a community of brothers.

Senter, a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, said he got an internship at Citigroup through a fraternity brother who had connections with the company.

While job positions are limited, especially in the current economy, the networking that comes along with the Greek system can help students get over that hump, he said.

Brad Hancock, director of the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center, said Greek organizations give members a network that can help them with ideas for a business, finding people to join them in it or finding funding for the business.

“Most entrepreneurs and even job seekers are using their networks that they’ve developed to help them, whether it’s launching a business or finding employment,” Hancock said. “Fraternities and sororities are part of any student’s network.”

Nancy Stockton, administrative assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life, said about 40 percent of the student body was in a Greek organization last year.

Senter said the connections build upon themselves. He got his current job at Merrill Lynch through connections he made at his previous job at Citigroup, he said.

“Joining a fraternity helped out in meeting new people,” Senter said. “But the majority of jobs my friends have gotten have been through a fraternity and through people they’ve met through their fraternity.”

Logan LaPosta, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and a senior finance major, said his fraternity offered contacts and networks that helped his business gain exposure outside of just the university community.

Greek organizations can be the ideal network for young entrepreneurs seeking to make their way into the business world, he said.

Fraternity and Sorority Life Coordinator Gaius George said the leadership skills Greek members develop would help improve the skills of members starting their own business or improving their business.

“I think that anything one can gain from being a member of these organizations is something that they will definitely put to use later in life,” he said.