When most girls decide to join a sorority, they are accepting to find their “home” in an organization of young women who share common values, interests, and passions. Beyond providing a home, acceptance into a sorority also gives young collegiates a community unlike the ones they were raised in, the Panhellenic community. The National Panhellenic Conference, in both its national role and at individual schools across the country, is an association of greek fraternal (I know they’re sororities but called fraternities, just roll with it) organizations for women. The idea of Panhellenic can seem a little confusing, and at times even irrelevant, to Greeks and non-Greeks alike, so in honor of March being the Month of Sisterly Love, let’s break down Panhellenic and give it the credit it deserves.
Panhellenic itself functions very similarly to the organizations which it encompasses. There is an executive board, consisting of nine members from many different sororities. The positions on exec, like the president, vice president, recruitment coordinators, and VP of Philanthropy, are very similar to those found on the executive boards of individual sororities. The Panhellenic Association meets weekly, with the executive board and delegates from each member sorority coming together to discuss budgets, upcoming events, bylaw changes, and support one another. Recently, Panhellenic has been ending their meetings by having a different sorority share a problem or challenge their chapter faces and having the group discuss and suggest solutions. The result has been that different sororities are finding that they share common issues and learning valuable insights from one another on how to best run their organizations. Another recent Panhellenic development is the establishment of sister sororities. Houses were randomly paired and must participate in three events together in the next year, encouraging members to venture out from their organizations and build friendships across the Greek community.
Panhellenic not only strives to bring organizations together, but also champions a really amazing charity, the Circle of Sisterhood. The Circle of Sisterhood is the national philanthropy for all 26 different member organization of the Panhellenic Conference and strives to provide women across the globe with a good education. It may not seem like a cause that would make much of a difference, but studies have shown that an increase in women’s literacy rates can be directly linked to local economic development, a reduction child brides, and women having fewer children later in life. Panhellenic puts together the Circle of Sisterhood carnival every fall to raise money and has planned several events for the Month of Sisterly Love. Recently, Panhellenic held a percent night at Ladles to benefit Circle of Sisterhood and a screening of the documentary "Half the Sky," which follows the empowering stories of women who have faced unimaginable hardships.
The Greek system can be easy to misunderstand. Those on the outside often view sororities as elitist and superficial, and those on the inside often don’t understand the amazing opportunities they have. Acceptance into a home and the Panhellenic community can give a collegiate so many opportunities to explore their passions, provide leadership, and truly make a difference. Whether or not you are in a Greek organization, next time you see a Greek booth in cougar mall consider stopping by and asking about what they're doing. You may find a wealth of opportunities and friendships you couldn’t get anywhere else.
