What it REALLY Means to be a 'Sorority Girl'
Over the past few years, sorority and fraternity life has gotten a bad reputation nationwide. It's no secret that there have been awful reports of hazing, abuse, overdoses, and deaths within Greek life recently. My chapter doesn't condone hazing. I don't condone hazing. But I can't say the same for every Greek affiliate across the nation- just look at the facts. It seems like every other day the news reports another tragedy involving Greek students, and it's heartbreaking. My heart truly goes out to those who have been involved in such heinous activities. Greek life was never meant to be dangerous. Its foundation means so much more than just 'partying' or 'dating'. Greek life is not a negative thing- in fact, it's extremely positive. With Recruitment coming up shortly, I'd love to shed some truth on some of the common misconceptions of sorority life.
We don't just party.
In movies, the media portrays Greek life as one big party and hookup scene with copious amounts of alcohol and drugs. It's true- a lot of college students party, but it's not just Greek students. The great thing about college is that you choose when you want to go out, and when you want to stay in. In my free time, I've spent plenty of nights watching movies or grabbing dinner with my girl friends, but I've also gone to plenty parties and functions as well. I'm so tired of the media showing Greeks drinking all the time, when in reality, we are so much more dynamic than that. Partying isn't what our lives revolve around. Which leads me to my second point, which is:
We care about others.
Every Greek chapter has a philanthropy they support. We host fun events and competitions to raise money for charity, and not just a few dollars. In fact, this past year, my sorority alone raised $55,480.74 for Ronald McDonald House Charities- and we had a blast doing it. Alpha Delta Pi chapters collectively raised upwards of $1.2 million for Ronald McDonald this past year, and since ADPi partnered with RMHC in 1979, we've raised $12 million dollars. That is a TON of money, which brings us to number 3:
We aren't all 'rich kids', and we certainly don't pay for our friends.
Membership dues help us fund the events we put on, the social functions we have, our housing fees, and so much more that I can't even begin to get into it. Like any organization, we have a budget, and need funding throughout the year, but we have payment plans and scholarships you can apply for. I hate the fact that someone decided that means 'paying for your friends'. If that logic holds true, then anyone paying a fee to play sports, join a club, or even go to college, is 'paying for their friends'. Buying a sports uniform doesn't guarantee you'll ever make it off the sidelines. Paying membership dues doesn't buy you friends. Oh, and whoever decided to portray fraternity houses as sparkly clean mansions with fancy cars and piles of cash is wrong: most fraternity houses are large, but never really clean. You're lucky if there's toilet paper in the bathroom during a tailgate. As Dabo would say, BYO-T.P. So the idea that we're all stuck up rich kids is comical to me, because most of us are sharing a bathroom with at least 7 other girls on the hall, borrowing each other's clothes so we don't have to buy a new dress, and carpooling around since we don't all have cars (special shoutout to those who have driven me around the past two years; I'm forever grateful).
We're smart. As Greek affiliates, we have to keep a certain GPA to remain active. Greek life holds us accountable for our academics, and pushes us to take school seriously. We have study hours, GPA submissions, and tutoring available. My sisters are some of the smartest people I know. They aren't the stereotypical bottle-heads that movies love to make sorority girls out to be, because movies are not accurate representations of sorority life. Sorority women are actually some of the most successful women in the world. I have sisters who are engineering majors, education majors, and everything in between, because:
We're not all the same. We have different interests and hobbies. We have different styles. Lizzy's from Kentucky, Liv is from Boston, Kaycie- Tennessee, Bel- South Carolina... the list goes on. We come from different backgrounds. I have friends that love to go out, and friends who'd rather work out. One of my best friends pulls all-nighters in the library regularly because she does her best work then (Liv). One loves food documentaries (Lizzy). Others are super involved in student government (Emma & Rachel). Some are single (me), and some have found really great boyfriends (Bel & Sam). One thing that binds us together is that no matter what our differences are, we make time for each other. Game day brunches will forever be my favorite Saturday morning tradition (even though Bridget started a grease fire that one time).
Words like 'ritual' and 'initiation' sound scarier than they really are. No, you'll never hear us discuss it in detail. You won't be able to Google it (I've checked). It's not anything to be scared of. I promise. When you learn the history of it all, you appreciate it so much more.
Our bond is real. As cliche as it sounds, there's a reason we call each other 'sisters'. We're connected through our core values and mutual respect for each other. We love each other despite arguments or differences. We are not all alike, but that's what makes us close. We're always learning from each other, academically and personally. No, every day is not like the carefully curated recruitment videos we film to showcase our chapter. Some days are spent studying, some are spent at the lake, and some days we don't even leave the house. We don't always look our best, and sometimes we cry over silly things. We're not perfect, but I thank my lucky stars every day for finding these forever friends through ADPi.
To this day, my mom still hangs out with her sorority sisters. They have so much fun together, even years later (she'd hate me if I mentioned exactly how many years later). I can't wait to build these friendships for years to come, because these are the sisters I'll laugh, cry, and reminisce on the college days with. They've monumentally impacted my college experience, and I have my sorority to thank for that.
Pi love to all my sisters out there!