Stepping foot on Villanova’s campus, there were two things that I knew for certain: I would be double majoring in Education and English, and I would never, ever join a sorority.      

Sitting here typing this as a senior Journalism/PR student right after my sorority’s chapter council meeting, I realize that my predictions were slightly off. Coming to college, I never felt like I needed more friends or needed to join more activities. I had a tight-knit group of girls that I knew I could always count on and was busy with my new position as a newspaper editor and with other groups on campus. I felt like I was thriving in more ways than I wasn’t.     

Somewhere in the beginning of my sophomore year, I wrote an article for our school newspaper, The Villanovan, about a new sorority that was set to come to our campus. Once Alpha Gamma Delta was named the new sorority, I interviewed Greek Life administration and got student reactions.  People were genuinely excited about the opportunity to start something new on campus and to leave their mark. This got my wheels turning almost instantly. I didn’t pinpoint myself as a sorority girl, the prototype designed by media standards and what I understood Greek Life to be.   

Flash forward to two years later. I am a founding member of Alpha Gamma Delta’s Lambda Gamma chapter, a member of chapter council and the recruitment team. I would describe myself as pretty actively involved in the sorority that I didn’t think I would be a part of. I have made those “quick friendships” everyone who talks about sororities speaks of. I used to roll my eyes at that. Now I’m living it. So why the change?    

Once I spoke to countless international headquarters representatives for my sorority and went through stressful recruitment rounds, I was opened up to different personalities who all clearly shared the same vision, the same morals, the same ultimate goal. This was something I could get behind. I felt welcomed before I was ever even initiated. That’s the beauty of sororities. You are a part of something bigger than yourself.   

After reading the New York Time’s article titled Greek Letters at a Price, I am left questioning the very foundation of Greek life and more specifically, sororities. The reporter, Risa C. Doherty, talks about the stresses and concerns among initiated members and new members alike. The dues, fines and other fees were raised as a large concern, and the reporter cited that Universities need to micromanage, more or less, these organizations so that they inform their potential new members of what they can expect from their involvement.  She states that sororities are governed by their own guidelines and universities fail to intervene because of Greek alumni connections.  

I read this article top to bottom more than five times. Every time I read it, the same quote stuck out to me.  “If you’re going to join a sorority,” Jessica Rodgers, former sister of Alpha Xi Delta in 2012 said, “you must dedicate your life to it.” Yes, being in a sorority requires immense dedication and for it to be run smoothly and successfully, each member should put forth their best effort. It takes up a TON of time. Multiple meetings per week, hours spent planning and organizing and discussing. But your whole life? Every single bit? Being a sister of Alpha Gamma Delta is a huge part of my identity, it’s my family away from home, the girls I have grown with as a college student and the girls I’ll come back to school and visit years from now.  Some will be my bridesmaids, others I may never talk to again. Alpha Gamma Delta will forever be a part of my life, for my whole life. But it is not my whole life.  

I’m not alone in this view.    

This article focuses on one aspect of sororities. The price. The commitment. This is one side. In the long run, you get what you’re paying for. 

Jess Wolfert, sister of Kappa Delta at Villanova, noted the many things sororities do give their women. “You have an outstanding alumni network of women who share similar experiences and values as you,” Wolfert said. “Free tutors, free support system, friendships that, yes, are free. We pay to be a part of something so that we can sustain it. But what we get from it, those things have immense value, too.”  

Sorority president of Alpha Gamma Delta at Villanova University, Katie Brindley, pointed out where this article is failing.

“Sometimes women find themselves in need of a community within their greater university life, and what better than to join an organization who's purpose is to bring people together and provide them with skills they might not learn anywhere else in college life,” Brindley said. “Conflict-resolution skills, leadership skills and confidence are just a few of the things that any individual member of a chapter can gain. And that's not even including all the wonderful values each individual organization holds central to all of their activities, and how membership can foster those values in each one of you. Sororities are not just about the friendships, although those are a major benefit you can gain. Sororities are about making their members better people, and yes sometimes that messages gets a little lost in the details when you're spending hours and hours crafting or other things that seem excessive; however, it's the little things, the feeling you get when you see that someone cares enough about you to spend that time, that's what makes it all worth it.”    

She also touches upon something that the article brings up, attendance requirements. She notes how these are designed to make sure that the girls who are investing so much, financially and otherwise, have the opportunity to gain the wonderful benefits of membership in Greek organizations. Yes, they’re annoying, even a sorority's recording secretary or Vice President of Operations would admit that. But these rules are put in place to have a fully functioning organization. What’s the point of investing so much time and money into something if you’re not going to show up for it? For the events that are designed to make it better? To help future women like you develop as a student, a woman, or better yet, a human being. 

“First and foremost, sororities are not just a school club, they’re a national organization, and that’s an important realization to make,” Kelsey Meehan, sister of Kappa Delta at Villanova University, said. "Being a national organization, they can take more time and money than a standard club. But that’s exactly why you join.”   

She repeats the quote made by Jessica Rodgers of Georgia State: that sorority members must put their whole life into their organization. She notes its pure redundancy.   

“For me and for the girls I know and the sisters I have, we realized that when we joined our sorority, it was for life,” Meehan said. “That was the appealing part; it’s not a club that ends when you graduate.”    

The fees, the excuse notes, the dues and apparel orders seem monotonous and even a bit overbearing to someone who is on the outside of Greek Life. Vice President of Campus Relations of Alpha Gamma Delta at Villanova, Shannon Wynne, touched on the importance of understanding and compassion for our sisters.       

“Sisters come rushing to help during a medical emergency,” Wynne said. “We do not fine sisters who, for example, have a brother who has an emergency appendectomy and must go home, or a woman who has a bad case of mono for months. Each sorority has an excuse note system, where if you know you have a huge test the day before an event, you can get excused.”   

Wynne explained that sororities are not money pits, nor a way to pay for friends.  

“The friendships I have made in my sorority are ones I cherish deeply,” Wynne said. “However, I have many friends outside of my sorority. My whole life does not revolve around my sorority, but I am forever grateful for the leadership roles I have been given the opportunity to fulfill, the lasting friendships, and the sense of community of which I am a part.”   

Sororities create leaders, volunteers and responsible compassionate adults ready to enter the working world. We are women readily prepared to work for the corporations of the world. We are more likely to be hired by employers after leading groups of sometimes 150 women or more. We build connections and job prospects with alumni of our chapters. We grow through this organization because of what we put into it. 

After talking with one of my long-time friends, Morgan Chicchelly, who was the founding president of the Upsilon Delta chapter of Chi Omega at University of Miami after its recolonization last year, things were put into perspective more than I had once thought.  Chicchelly was model initiate of her class yet like me had no interest in joining a Greek organization until seeing the difference she could make in a new chapter. 

“I had no reason to join a sorority. I had two years of college under my belt, multiple internships, tons of friends who each joined their own respective sororities, and I was happy,” Chicchelly said. “It didn’t seem worth the financial commitment because I was already financially independent and accruing student loans. However, when Chi Omega won a spot to colonize, something changed. The opportunity to be a part of 170 years of tradition and more than 300,000 like-minded members is not something I could pass up. I went on to join, lead and grow for one year. In that year, I connected with women across the country professionally and personally just because I was a Chi Omega. Upon graduation and moving to Washington D.C., I found housing with two Chi Omega sisters, saving me hundreds of dollars a month. The investment in your life by joining Greek life cannot be understated. It will always be your home away from home – no matter where you go.”    

These organizations may be expensive. They may be stressful and at times, sorority women may find themselves drowning under a pile of unfinished crafts and unworn apparel. When you sift through the stuff, you get to something bigger. The small moments you share with your sisters, the honor of sharing in a special bond with hundreds and thousands of women across the country and sometimes the world. The feeling you get when you welcome new members into your friendship.  What you are a part of becomes your haven, your home, your safe place and some of your greatest memories—if (and a very big if) you put in what you want to get out of it.  

Risa C. Doherty may be right in pointing out the stressors of sorority life and the need for more university intervention in some organizations, especially at the tradition heavy schools. Yes, wearing Greek Letters may come at a price. But if you ask me, it’s well worth the value.