Fraternity/sorority, usually an organizational associated with colleges or universities but occasionally organized on community, statewide, or nationwide basis having no academic affiliation. A fraternity/sorority consisting of women members is known specifically as a sorority. Housing of the members is frequently a function of the college or university Greek letter society. Although most individuals think of fraternities/sororities as being organized primarily for social purposes, some of these groups are primarily honorary or professional, in addition to being a means of providing social intercourse for the members. The organized of typical fraternity/sorority includes a national office with a paid staff, a magazine are house organ distributed a local chapters, national and local dues paid by every active member, and in some cases, regional officers appointed to serve without pay in visiting and inspecting local chapters in various areas of the nation. The typical group is organized around a certain oath, or pledge, and is usually secret concerning its initiation and ritual. The two or three Greek letters by which the society is known are chosen to symbolize the goals of the group. From time to time, social fraternities/sororities have been opposed as being snobbish, discriminatory, and unwise in their initiation policies. These criticism have been met in part by the National Interfraternity Conference, representing the social fraternities; the National Panhellenic Conference, representing the social sororities; and national offices of the various fraternities; these agencies have insisted that the local chapters maintain certain standards, and that they refrain from any activities which might arouse criticism. They have also encouraged competition in scholarship among these tuitions, the average scholarships or organized students have been reported higher than the average scholarship of so called independent students. Fraternities/sororities other than those affitiated with colleges and universities include fraternal orders organized primarily, or ostensibly, for the purpose of enjoying a recreation center and the collective advantages of forms of group insurance, but sometimes, also to indoctrinate members and potential members in political, religious or other matters.