When it comes to college Greek life, there are a lot of mixed reactions from enthusiasm to uncertainty and the occasional scoff and other forms of negativity. Greek life has a lot of stereotypes, and these stereotypes can create a lot of myths about what it means to join Greek life on your campus or if your kids want to join Greek life when they get to college.
1. You pay for your friends.
This is one stereotype that personally drives me crazy. If I'm paying for my friends by being in a sorority I'm not paying nearly enough for the quality people I get to call my friends and sisters and I know some boys in fraternities feel the same way. We are not paying for our friends. Yes, we pay dues and depending on the type of organization you join these dues can be national or local but they go towards the organization as a whole. This way we can afford to put on events such as formals, philanthropies, sisterhood events and many, many more. Most clubs and organizations have dues too, and these dues go to paying for events. No, I'm not paying for my friends, I'm paying to help my organization and to do really fun things with my friends.
2. They're not real philanthropists.
Oh really? Let me first begin by saying my own sorority raised over $8,000 for Relay for Life and we were the top fundraising group on our campus. Some Greek groups at my school go to places such as Gifts to Give every single weekend without fail Others are constantly trying to bring awareness to their own philanthropies such as Autism Speaks, the Make a Wish Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity so by saying that those Greek life aren't really philanthropists is taking away from what my peers in Greek life do every single day. We care so much about community and it can be daunting to volunteer alone, so by going with a brother or sister you're not alone and you are having more fun with someone else than you could alone.
3. They don't care about academics.
Every organization at my school has a GPA minimum to get in, and if you are initiated and fall below that minimum you are placed on academic probation and people immediately try to help you get back up to being above the line. Many students in Greek life at my school are Medical Laboratory Science majors, psychology majors, biology majors, pre-med, pre-dental, and pre-veterinary. We care about academics, I haven't met a single person who says they don't care about their education while at college. Also, by being in Greek life you get connections that can help you in the future to get jobs, internships, and the leadership aspect of Greek life really boosts a job application.
4. It's all about the parties.
If you don't want to go out, you don't need to. Chances are you'll find another sister who is staying in and you can watch movies or paint with them so you're having a great night of your own and bonding with this sister. Nobody forces you to go out, you always have a choice, so don't worry about waking up in the morning feeling like P Diddy like Ke$ha in Tik Tok. Honestly the appeal of Greek life to many people is the support system you gain from joining any Greek organization because suddenly you have people cheering you on when you're having a great day and offering you a shoulder to lean on when you have a bad day.
5. Hazing is huge.
What would any list of busting Greek life myths be without including hazing? It's true, hazing is a huge factor in the media and is very prominent in movies. In real life, however, hazing is very, very illegal. Schools across the country have taken action against hazing and there are numbers to call if you are being hazed even with these rules and laws. Yes, there are cases where new members have been hazed but the majority of Greek organizations do NOT haze their new members. They want people to join because they want to, and they want people to stay once they get their bids. Hazing would turn many new members away. Next time you watch Animal House, please take the hazing parts with a grain of salt and while we're on the topic of Animal House, no, we do not hit each other with paddles. We put too much time and effort into decorating paddles to hit each other with them.
