Fraternities and Sororities: They're present on almost every college campus, and you can usually spot them walking around in their Greek letters. You may see them sitting behind a table in the Student Union or quad with some sort of fundraiser or bake sale. Regardless of how you know your local Greeks, it's common for people to make general assumptions about those involved in Greek Life (most of the time, it's negative).

When I first told some of my friends that I had joined a sorority, they scoffed at me and said, "why would you want to be apart of a cult?" I tried to laugh it off as best as I could, but inside I was still bruised because I knew that my sorority (or any sorority/fraternity for that matter) was not a cult, and I didn't quite understand why people felt that way about us.

The more time I spent with my sorority, the more I realized there are some people who believe these stereotypes about Greek Life, and how much it tarnishes the whole community's image.Here are some common misconceptions about Greek Life, and why none of it is true.

1. We certainly aren't cult members.

We are not submitted to the Greek organization we are in. We welcome all who want to be apart of Greek Life/our organization specifically, and we don't turn people away. We do not manipulate, use, or brainwash people. Members of Greek Life are free to leave at any point. We are not a cult.

2. We don't just party.

Believe it or not, parties aren't the only thing Greek Life is good for. In fact, Greek organizations do a tremendous amount of fundraising and donating to the community: Kappa Delta works with Girl Scouts, Phi Kappa Tau donates to SeriousFun Children's Network, Alpha Delta Pi contributes to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Alpha Chi Omega donates and volunteers at local Domestic Violence shelters, Sigma Pi works with Habitat for Humanity, and Kappa Sigma works with the Red Cross.

That is only a short list of Greek Organizations and their philanthropies; all sororities and fraternities have some sort of philanthropy, and they put so much time and effort into all of them. So yeah, we may party every now and then, but parties should never overshadow the countless hours and days we spend contributing to the community.

3. We're not all "entitled rich kids."

I think the biggest misconception about Greek Life is that we all have money because we pay a lot to be apart of our Greek organizations. The idea that "daddy's money" is what allows us to participate in Greek Life is completely absurd; numerous students work tirelessly to be able to pay their dues.

Sure some student's have parents who can pay their dues, but how is that a bad thing? Having support from your parents doesn't make you "rich" or "entitled". And having a job to pay for your dues doesn't make you "rich" either.

4. We love everyone, regardless if they're in some sort of Greek Organization.

We love our non-greek friends just the same! We don't completely tune the outside world out! In fact, we encourage non-greeks to participate in our fundraising, recruitment, and social events! We completely understand that Greek Life isn't everyone's cup of tea, but we still engage with everyone!

We care about the college community as a whole, not just the Greek community!