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For many UCLA greeks, affiliation with a fraternity or sorority does not end when their degree requirements are complete.

After graduation, students stay connected to their houses in a variety of ways. Some join alumni organizations that mail quarterly newsletters about the status of their former houses, while others become members of advisory boards that oversee active members’ affairs.

Some just return to their former houses to sleep on the couch every once in a while.

Fraternity adviser Scott Carter said there is a distinct difference between the Greek system and other campus organizations.

“If you join a club, most people see it as something they did in college. If you’re greek, it is a lifelong commitment,” he said.

Though many greeks maintain relationships that they made through their fraternity or sorority after college, it is also common to stay connected to the activities of the chapter after graduation, Carter said.

Students often join fraternities or sororities to enhance their college experience, but as graduation approaches, many utilize the networking opportunities that their organizations afford, Carter said.

Stephanie Greer, a graduating senior and Kappa Kappa Gamma member, will begin working for the radio station STAR 98.7 this summer, thanks to an internship she got through her sorority’s recruitment adviser, Amy Sugarman.

“The only reason I got (the internship) was because of her,” Greer said.

Sugarman is a Kappa Kappa Gamma alumna from UC Berkeley who got involved with the UCLA chapter when she moved to the area.

Sugarman also got her first internship through a sorority sister and has been helping members of Kappa Kappa Gamma find jobs for the past seven years, though she said positions are not exclusively offered to the sorority’s members.

Greer said she was grateful for the opportunity, considering the high level of competition for internships in the entertainment industry, and said she would like to give back to the organization someday.

Though alumni often provide opportunities specifically for younger members of their house, some UCLA alumni have benefited from their affiliation with the greater Greek community, rather than with a specific fraternity or sorority.

James Shinobri, a Sigma Chi alumnus who graduated in 2003, started 575 Productions with two fellow Sigma Chi members.

The company caters specifically to the Greek community, sending photographers to events and displaying digital pictures online. Students can view pictures for free and place orders for print copies through the company’s Web site.

Shinobri, along with recent alumni Craig Harrison and Peter Trinh, decided to start the company because they wanted to continue working together.

Shinobri said his affiliation with Sigma Chi has helped his company expand its customer base. He pitched his product to Sigma Chi chapters at USC and UC Irvine and found that students from various houses were equally supportive of his idea.

“Everyone in the Greek community has the shared experience of being in a house, and everyone (in the Greek community) has wanted to help us,” he said.