“Ugh, why do all the sororities here actually like each other?”
This weekend, a close friend of mine came to visit for my school’s Homecoming Celebration. In that time, I must have heard this comment at least three times. When other sororities went up to perform in our Homecoming showcase, I clapped for them – and even cheered when they won! My friend was amazed and almost appalled by the fact that I was having conversations with girls in other organizations and (gasp!) even hugging them.
Don’t get me wrong, my campus definitely has its moments where it isn’t all Brady Bunch in Greek Life (mainly during Greek Week). We all complain about other Greek orgs. and do our fair share of shit talking every once in a while. There are certainly people who don’t buy into the unity and who think that everything has to be a competition.
However, that’s not the norm.
I have incredible friends in almost every other sorority. My roommate (and bffl) is in another NPC sorority and we spend more time with each other than we spend apart. I have a Panhellenic Big and two Panhellenic Littles from another organization and I love them to death. The amount of inter-sorority best friends and roommates on my campus is too high to count and we absolutely love it that way. It keeps us all close and encourages us to support each other.
Our school has 21,000 students and a mere 900 Greeks; that makes us less than 5 percent Greek. Because of our small numbers, we have to be there for each other. Only by working together and supporting each other can we continue to help Greek Life thrive and grow. We co-sponsor events and donate to each other’s philanthropies, and know that the favor will be returned. On top of that, we genuinely like each other. It's a common sight to see a group of all different letters sitting in the Student Center and laughing with each other. Having such a small community is part of what makes our unity so strong. Almost everyone knows each other, and if you don’t know them, you can be sure one of your sisters does.
I love my sisters and my sorority and I know that I picked the right org for me. At the same time, I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of the Greek community as a whole. Having my 86 sisters to lean on when I need help is invaluable, but it’s even greater knowing that I'm surrounded by 900 plus people who generally have the same goals and values as I do. My friends in other organizations help me see things from an unbiased angle and even teach me different ways that my own sorority can approach things. We help each other to be the best organizations we can be. We’re Greek because we’re leaders, and that keeps us connected. We support each other through charity events, performances, and even hard times.
Some might say I’m blind or maybe too idealistic, but I genuinely love this Greek community and believe that the unity we have on our campus is enviable. You keep doing you, MSU Greeks.
