I recently read an article entitled “An Outside View of U of R Sororities” in The Rival. It was a harsh critique of Greek Life in general and the sorority recruitment process at the University of Rochester. My initial reaction was shock. I am not naive, and I obviously know that there are people that aren’t fans of Greek Life; in fact, I used to be one of them. I was shocked though, that an article that was about how sororities are incredibly judgmental, proceeded to judge the entire Greek community at Rochester. I was further perplexed by how someone who had never pledged a sorority and hadn't even gone through recruitment, had so many specific things to say about the whole process. In sum, the article was ironic. It is ironic because there are so many hierarchical structures or restrictive groups at Rochester that require commitment and also create a network. Groups like sports teams, dance clubs, and a capella groups, all of which provide a way of branching out, but that generally require an audition, a try out, or at least some way of judgement that guaruntees entry. There are definitely flaws in the Greek Life system and in the sorority recruitment process, but to attack an entire group of people based on hearsay and not personal experience, struck me as excessive. The article was a brutally honest opinion of sororities, and I appreciate the ability to stand up and speak out about your opinions, but I think with the amount of criticism leveled it is worth taking some time to add an additional perspective.

I am in a sorority. It is not like the movies. It isn’t like TV. It isn’t like sororities in the south. I joined a sorority because I wanted to find another community of people with similar wants and ideas. Is there drama? Of course. Can it get petty at times? Definitely. Those moments are outweighed though, by the incredible amount of good that I have personally derived from being in Greek Life, and that so many others have as well. I know people that would have legitimately transferred colleges if they hadn't joined Greek Life, and I think that really says something about the benefit that being in a sorority or a fraternity can add to a college experience, particularly at Rochester.

I want to say flat out that the information about sorority recruitment cited in The Rival article is false. Every chapter has a different way of deciding who to invite back each day during recruitment. Does it suck that we do essentially have to rank girls because the system for recruitment is computer generated? Of course, but if everyone could be in every sorority that would defeat the purpose of finding people that you connect with and the nature of sororities in general. Is the recruitment process intense? Can it be challenging? Sure, and as someone that has been on the sorority side and also this year as someone who actually ran recruitment, I know first hand that it sucks to feel as if you were judged or to feel like you have to judge people. And further, the reason that people aren’t allowed to talk between recruitment parties, is because we don’t want their opinions to influence each other. We don’t want them to judge sororities based on what their friends think.

But, instead of write an article about why many of the specific points of the article in The Rival are wrong, I want to instead take some time to talk about the things that I have loved about Greek Life. I have loved getting to know individually a diverse group of girls that are involved in so many things on and off campus. I have loved being a part of an organization that stands for something larger than just any one particular chapter. Are there portions of my chapter's traditions that I disagree with? Sure, but ultimately the idea of promoting confidence in women and girls is something that I feel outweighs any outdated remnants of a former sorority culture that I can only assume will get phased out over time.

This year, I was on the recruitment team for Rochester’s Panhellenic Recruitment. This means that I actually had to “disaffiliate” or essentially stop being a part of my chapter for several months. There really aren’t words to describe how rewarding and special the experience of participating in recruitment was for me. I have made so many friends in other chapters, and met truly wonderful people. The Greek community provides not just an experience in your own chapter, but also a chance to connect with those in other chapters.

I didn’t want to join Greek Life when I started college, but now I can’t imagine my college experience without it. I am not fake, I’m not judging people who aren’t in Greek Life, I’m just me. I’m a girl who wanted something more out of her college experience, and I found it. I’m someone that resists hierarchical structures and someone that has a definitive distrust of authority. Sororities aren’t power plays or ways for people to gain popularity as The Rival would have you believe. Sororities are a very real way to make lasting female friendships that I honestly don’t know what I would do without. In fact, despite the stigma that sororities are stifling or commanding, I think that sororities are empowering. I have 80 people that will back me up no matter what and give me the confidence to try new things, to meet new people, and to have faith in myself. Without my sisters, without my friends in other chapters, I would be a totally different person. Being in a sorority has given me a chance to be myself, but over the course of four years has made me more confident, more thoughtful, more understanding, more organized, and the list goes on. Far from “jeodpordizing personal integrity”, my chapter and the University of Rochester Panhellenic community has enhanced my personal integrity. In the wise words of Leslie Knope, “If there’s a law against friendship, then lock me up”.