With the school year approaching, you may realize that almost every girl at every school is cramming the phrase "GO GREEK" into your head. Also, they're probably saying it with the voice that you just read that in. Unfortunately, but also fortunately, I'm about to do exactly the same thing. My sincerest apologies, in advance, for my future redundancy.
In addition to the obvious reasons to join a fraternity or sorority (lifelong friendships, academic support, leadership opportunities, community service opportunities and really fun events), Kennesaw State University's growing Greek Life is even more rewarding than you may have realized. Yeah, yeah, we don't have big, fancy houses with our letters on them. I don't want to talk about it either. Aside from that, though, here's a few incentives to Go Greek that you may not have thought of:
1. Go Greek because it's cheaper.
Not to bring up the sore subject again, but we don't have houses. Even though that sucks (a lot), it does in fact make fraternity and sorority dues cheaper. Without having to pay for a house, the upkeep of that house, the staff of the house and food in the house, KSU students only pay for their events and certain fees that go straight to headquarters. Most students in the Greek community support themselves in some way, whether its by paying their own rent or their own tuition. Several of these kids pay their fraternity or sorority dues in addition, which proves that KSU Greek organization payments are easily manageable for broke college students, such as myself.
2. Go Greek because you'll find your home.
There is no "bad" sorority or fraternity at Kennesaw. With only six Panhellenic sororities on campus and one colonizing this fall, there are only good options. Sure, there are still stereotypes attached to each fraternity and sorority, but people don't realize that Greek Life goes beyond the stereotypes. Each organization is wildly diverse, including every kind of person. Because of this, there truly is no bad option. Generalizations made about individual sororities and fraternities are entirely based on personal opinions and biases. There are great, genuine people in every single Greek organization. Instead of worrying about joining the sorority/fraternity with the best name or reputation, Kennesaw State's Greek Life lets you focus on what actually matters — finding the people you belong with.
3. Go Greek because we're all equal.
That being said, there's also fewer unofficial competitions between Greek organizations. All of that "Old Row" and "New Row" crap doesn't exist here. All of that "well we only mix with this sorority and that fraternity" stuff doesn't happen here. Sure, there are contests such as Lip Sync, Greek Grind and the Greek Games. However, everyone attends everyone's philanthropy events, everyone has friends in each sorority and fraternity, and it's completely normal for girls from different sororities/guys from different fraternities to live together.
4. Go Greek because it helps in the long run.
Both Atlanta and its surrounding suburbs (Kennesaw, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, etc) are booming with business right now. With so many businesses, so many organizations and just so many potential jobs and careers in the area, it is so important that you have connections. By joining a sorority or fraternity, you go from having your same bubble of connections to having over 150 more connections, each with their own connections to add. A sorority sister's dad who works with the Georgia Dome may be able to put you on the event staff for the SEC Championship (yeah, that happened). A fraternity brother's uncle could set up an interview for you at the Coca-Cola Company headquarters. With so many amazing job openings waiting to be filled, you may find a direct route to that position with the help of the connections that your Greek colleagues can provide.
5. Go Greek because it takes you places.
As mentioned, Kennesaw is one of the suburbs surrounding Atlanta. With it's convenient location, Kennesaw State students are a reasonable distance from tons of desirable venues. Not every sorority or fraternity in the world gets to have formal at the Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta or at a mansion in Buckhead and can still make it back home before sunrise. You think this is a dumb reason? Remember reading this when you're dancing with your sisters/brothers in the Georgia Aquarium. It's pretty cool.
6. Go Greek because you can change the future.
Seeing as the oldest sororities at KSU were both colonized in 1989, and the oldest fraternity in 1987, one could gather that Greek Life is relatively new at the school. Because of the young age, there's plenty of room for traditions, reputations and changes to be made. You're considering joining an organization with less than 30 years under its belt that you will be a part of (whether active or alum) for hundreds of years to come. These sororities and fraternities are still developing and improving each and every day, so your presence within them will help shape the organization that your grandchildren might one day be a part of. Each member helps make improvements and lasting legacies/traditions. That being said, please realize and understand that you will also influence the overall reputation of that group. Once you join a fraternity or sorority, you represent both yourself and a brotherhood/sisterhood that is way bigger than just yourself. The easiest way to make people like you is to both respect yourself and to respect others. If, as a whole, your sorority or fraternity is respectful, people will have a harder time making the harsh assumptions about you that later on lead to the stereotypes that can make or break you.
7. Go Greek to find a family within your home.
On a lighter note, KSU's fraternities and sororities take the whole "Big/Little" thing seriously. Sure, every school's Greek organizations have littles, bigs, grand-bigs, and so on, but more often than not, they are not especially close. At Kennesaw, your big is your mentor and your coach throughout the highs and lows of Greek Life and college life. They teach you how processes work, help you study for that test you're worried about, talk you up when you're running for a position in the organization, hold you accountable and push you to be your best, and really just support you all along the way. This may sound dumb to anyone outside of KSU Greek Life, but introducing someone as "my big" rather than just "my friend" has an entirely different meaning.
If you're still on the fence about going through recruitment now, join each organization on the Campus Green on Aug. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. to get a better feel for what Greek Life is all about. If you're even more sold on the idea of going through recruitment now, awesome. I did my job. If you think it's not worth your time, that's cool, too. Going Greek is not for everybody, but it can also be one of the best decisions you'll ever make.
"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it."
Don't forget signups for recruitment end on Aug. 17! Tick tock, make it rock, y'all.
