The new school year is about to kick off and with a new school year comes fall rush. Many people don't like Greek life because of the negative connotation associated with it. I'm not going to sit here and defend Greek life because my opinion probably won't change yours but I will tell you why Geneseo Greek life is far superior to that of other schools.
1. Informal rush
Informal rush takes place both semesters at Geneseo, while formal is only is the spring. Informal rush is where you have the choice to rush solely the organization that you feel best suits you. Since fall rush is only for upper classmen, most already know where they think that they will fit in the best.
2. Locals
The majority of the organizations on campus are local excluding five national fraternities and four national sororities. Most of these locals date back to the late 1800s/early 1900s and have rich history. While most schools look down upon local organizations, Geneseo's alumni and current students take pride in their locals. They are not "underground" organizations and are still regulated by the school just not nationally.
3. "Mixing"
We don't really use the word mixing but when it comes to social events everyone "mixes" with everyone. This includes sports teams, local sororities, Nationals, etc. This unifies Geneseo as a campus and is a big reason as to why Greeks are so abundant on campus.
4. Relay for Life
At Geneseo we partake in "Relay For Life" each year. Every single year Greeks are always in the top running for what organization raised the most money. Every single Greek organization attends and stays until at least midnight and many Greeks are involved in CAC (Colleges against cancer).
5. Community Service
Yes, every Greek organization is mandated to do community service hours but the difference at Geneseo is the overwhelming support from other organizations. There are walks on campus run by Greeks and many other Greeks go. All of our Greek week activities raise money to support a philanthropy of some sort.
6. Greek Week
Greek week isn't a competition at Geneseo. It's a way that Greek organizations raise money for their philanthropies with the help of other Greek organizations but in fun and creative ways. This includes AOPi's Greek God, Out of the Darkness Walk, Lipsync, etc. We all come together for this week long event and support each other.
7. Variety
Because of the overwhelming number of organizations there is literally something for everyone. I'm not just saying this like every other school does, I 100% mean it. For the most part I've only discussed social organizations but we also have professional fraternities such as ones for business, medical, and community service. All of the locals have created a reputations for themselves. ADE has siblinghood events instead of sisterhood events so that everyone feels comfortable with their own identity. Gamma, though recently dissolved, was our first social fraternity that opened its doors to anyone. Our national organizations have broken their national reputations to be something that they wish to stand for alone. Because of this we don't judge each other based on who's a top tier organization. We are all comprised of different types of people with different aspirations and goals. Literally no stereotyping here.
8. The Greek Tree
One of the best parts of being Greek is getting to go in the middle of the night and paint the tree. With your pledge class you will climb to the top and see how high you can paint, then protect the tree with your life. It's the greatest feeling seeing your letters painted on the tree the next day.
So with all this being said, Geneseo welcomes you to go Greek. It's a decision that you will never regret.
