As my close friends know, I was always interested in Greek Life. While I knew there were plenty of preconceived notions of what being in a sorority may entail, I was hopelessly optimistic that I may find a chapter that embodied everything I believed sisterhood should be: girls who exercised loyalty, support, encouragement, positivity, trust and unconditional love.
When I mentioned my interest in joining a sorority to two of my closest friends over the summer, they warned me to proceed with caution; we had all heard the stories of abuse of power through various forms of hazing, of a part of the rush process labelled “Hell Week.” Still, I was not deterred; I remained optimistic that my school, a small liberal arts school in the heart of the city, was not like the rest. Therefore, by my logic, the fraternity and sorority life at Emerson would not resemble the Greek life of other universities.
In order to pursue a fraternity or sorority, Emerson had a mandatory meeting that outlined the rules, regulations, and requirements of participating in a brother or sisterhood. While the GPA expectations and the due fees were somewhat daunting, nothing was so upsetting as the pages and pages of various types of hazing we discussed.
Of course, this part of the presentation was necessary; it was very strictly against the practice of hazing. All the fraternity and sorority organizations at Emerson comply with the Massachusetts State Hazing Laws, as well as the college’s hazing policies. In short, we were told that Emerson has absolutely no tolerance for hazing.
While that should have reassured me, I left the meeting with far less excitement than I had gone in with. I was suddenly unsure if pursuing a sisterhood was the right decision for me.
It was later that week when I first encountered the sisters of Xi; four of the sisters were seated behind a table outside the Dining Hall, handing out blue slips of paper with bright yellow lettering that read “Nu Kids on the Block.” One of the girls had stopped me to tell me she liked the red pleather skirt I was wearing. After I thanked her, she quickly struck up a conversation about the sisterhood and their rush process, suggesting I attend one of their events.
Even then, in those first few moments, Xi made it very clear that while they expected new members to participate in all New Member Education events and make the sisterhood a priority, they would, under no circumstances, ever force us to do something we were uncomfortable doing.
I admired how open they were about their distaste for hazing rituals or practices. They told me they planned to remain very transparent throughout the New Member process; to ease our minds, they had outlined all of our activities in our schedules.
I left that interaction with the belief that these girls, dressed in lilac and pool blue, would never ask me to do anything that would be emotionally or physically harmful to myself or others.
With that faith restored, I went to one of the sorority’s information sessions. I met with Xi’s president, Maria Santora, who told me the history of the sisterhood: it was Maria who reached out to her freshman year roommate, Amelia Fabiano, in hopes of creating a new sorority. Together, they founded the sisterhood of Xi Gamma Nu last spring.
Alongside 16 other wonderful women, the Alpha class of Xi laid out the founding principles and standards of the sisterhood: among them were the values of open-mindedness, loyalty, confidence building, character development, alumnae engagement, and academic excellence. Xi is a local social sorority with a focus on networking and professionalism.
My interest in Xi grew after hearing about their philanthropy with the Kids in Need Foundation. Kids in Need is a national charity that aims to provide school supplies to students in need. Xi chose the Kids in Need Foundation because it embodies the sisterhood’s focus on academic excellence and empowerment, as well as community support.
Education has always been an important part of my life. My mother is a high school English teacher, and she taught me the importance of words, the power of knowledge, and the privilege of an education.
After we ran through the PowerPoint, Maria encouraged me to come back later that night for the Sisterhood Open House in the Cabaret Theater.
However, I was hesitant to go alone. Recently, I had found a friend in my suite mate, Abby. We were in the process of discovering that we were very similar: both journalism majors, both from the South Shore of Massachusetts, both with the same interests and likes. I urged her to come with me to the Open House. After a little more pestering, she agreed to come with me.
The week that followed was incredible. Abby and I both developed a strong interest in pursuing the Xi sisterhood, and we attended all of the recruitment events together: we dressed up for Gammas in Pajamas, spent our Friday night Doing Good with Gamma where we decorated school supplies for Kids in Need, and were asked to attend to the invite-only event, the Gamma Gala.
After each event, Abby and I could climb into her bed and talk all about how excited we were to be getting to know so many incredible girls. What we were most impressed with was how everybody within the sorority was so unique, yet they were all united by their values. We quickly discovered that Xi was just what we had been looking for.
After the Gamma Gala, Abby and I nervously waited for the phone calls that would reveal whether or not we had received bids; thankfully, we both did. My suite mates gathered in my room when I announced I had gotten the call, jumping up and down with me to rejoice in my accomplishments; they were just as excited as I was! When Abby announced she had gotten the call minutes later, the celebration continued.
We were told to meet by the flagpole in the Gardens the next day; I honestly was not sure what to expect. Even in my wildest dreams, I never could imagine how amazing that day it would be. As Abby and I walked across the lawn together, we were met with cheers from the active sisters. They were dressed in bright tutus and covered in glitter, as excited as we were. We were met with hugs while other sisters who held signs saying, “Welcome Home.”
I could not stop smiling; for the first time, I felt sisterhood. I felt unconditional love and acceptance. I could feel how excited these girls were to welcome me into their lives; I felt that these women sought to support and encourage me.
In the weeks to follow, I began the New Member Education process; during this time, I got to know the active sisters as well as the Beta class a lot better. I found friends and role models in these women, just as I found a home in Xi.
It is with great pride that I can announce that last night, I was initiated into the Xi Gamma Nu sisterhood. As I told the girls at our ceremony last night, I believe that we are better when we empower and encourage each other. The group of people you associate with speak volumes about your character; personally, I think I’m on the right track.
