Within the past couple of weeks, I've noticed an increasing number of articles popping up about why certain people decided to leave their Greek organization and how it was the best decision of their lives. A lot of them seem to say the same thing. They talk about they all originally wanted to join an organization because they wanted to feel included, but then ultimately found out that if they did something wrong or something other than what the members want them to do they would be immediately be excluded from everyone else. Other things would happen such as hazing, bullying, etc. that led to their final decision to leave Greek life. While I can understand and respect people's choice to speak out against the faults of Greek life, I would just like to point out that a few bad chapters do not make up the whole system.
I will admit that I had my reservations about Greek life. During high school, I had watched a lot of movies depicting Greek life as one big party scene, and that sorority girls were all blond, skinny, and pretty enough to be super models. Now, I do not fit any of those categories. I am a short, plus-size, Asian girl who would much rather be staying in watching Netflix and eating pizza rather than spending my weekends drinking the nights away. Because of these reservations, I stayed away from anything Greek related for the first semester of my freshmen year. But, I started to meet a few of the girls from what would be my future chapter. My mind started to change about Greek life and the misconceptions I originally were soon proven wrong.
I am going to start off by saying that not all chapters believe in hazing their new members. In fact, my chapter is staunchly opposed to it. Some of you may think that I have been brainwashed to believe that, but if you saw our new member process, you would agree with me. You would also be surprised at how many people also are against hazing and want to see it be eliminated from the norm. Hazing does nothing but brings people's self-esteem down, and I would not have joined my chapter if I were forced to do anything I was not okay with.
Secondly, sisterhood or brotherhood is not something you achieve in one day. It's not like you are initiated and then all of a sudden you are close to every one of your sisters or brothers. This is one of the most common misconceptions about Greek life that I hear all the time. Even within these organizations, there are members that we are not as close with and maybe don't like very much. If you want to feel like you are a part of the chapter you are in, you have to work for it. It takes time and effort, and sure, there are days where I feel like just getting up and leaving would be so much easier. But, then I would also throw away some of the best memories I've had with my sisters.
Being a part of Greek life is a lot of work, but once you reach that point where you really feel like you're a part of your organization, you realize that it has paid off. Going off of that same point, you do not "buy your friends" when you join Greek life. You pay monetary dues, sure. But, nowhere in our bylaws does it say that you must pay your dues in order to be friends with the other members. Friendships in an organization form the same way any other friendship forms. You can choose who you are closer with and who you keep your distance from. Even if you leave the organization, that doesn't mean you have to stop being friends with them.
Are there flaws in Greek life? Absolutely. But, not everything is perfect. It has gotten better, but there is still a lot of work to be done. With that being said, it is time that the misconceptions about Greek life are overturned and people start to look at the system differently. At the end of the day, we are just normal students working to better something we are passionate about, and I hope that others will see that.