Today, while I was in a cab, the cabie, out of the blue, asked me and my two friends to be Roller Derby girls. I was taken aback by his odd offer. Never once, have I thought I would be asked to be a derby girl like Ellen Page in "Whip It." I imagined very manly looking girls on an oval raised track going in circles and trying to kill each other. But in reality, the cabie, Derek, told us there is no violence involved, in his all player run league, and the track is level. After, learning roller derby was completely opposite of my original thinking, my mind quickly switched to images of girls from my house playing roller derby (It was quite funny to think about if you could imagine!). I feel as though this same concept, of being misunderstood, can be applied to the Greek community of Michigan State. Out of all the Big Ten Schools, in my mind, we have the lowest percentage of student body involvement in Greek life.

I think a majority of this has to do with our image. I am not about to rant about how we need to change what we are doing to show we are better people, because I think we are doing all the right things we just aren’t advertising ourselves right. Just yesterday I read an email that Michigan State was the 4th largest collegiate donor to the Relay for Life organization. I wonder why that is?? Well, I think many of you know the answer to this question…Greek Week. In the email there was no breakdown of what organizations contributed this magnificent feat. Here was our opportunity to show how we contribute to society and nothing. No one, not even our own community, went out of their way to show this great accomplishment.

This is something big we have missed in trying to change the perception of our community. Something small is the involvement Greeks have in the MSU community at large. In my house alone, there are girls who are on the boards of such organizations as the Habitat for Humanity club and UAB. As well as, our house creating IM teams and being on club team sports such as water polo. Going out and being a part of the Michigan State community and showing people the members of our community and the great things they are, is what will encourage people to want to be a part of our community. This brings me back to the first thing Derek told me about Roller Derby, “It is nothing like you see in the movies.” The first time I heard that phrase this year was when I went to my Recruitment informational meeting in September. *If you want to know more about Roller Derby in East Lansing check out this website www.mittenmavens.net, or do a Google search and all the teams will come up.