Every week, I spend my Friday sitting on panels for accepted students and their parents, giving tours, and answering a plethora of questions regarding all aspects of the University. As a woman involved in a sorority, my most common inquiries almost all pertain to Greek life and its reality as a presence on a college campus. Parents and students are increasingly more concerned about the role that these organizations play in student’s lives and their portrayal and reputation in the media. Parents often come in with prejudices regarding the nature of Greek life and what their child will be expected to do or partake in should they join. Speaking from experience, they almost always expect the worst. They assume that their son/daughter will be subject to hazing, forced drinking, extreme stunts like jumping from roofs or doing drugs, and public bullying or humiliation.
Fielding questions from this perspective is both a tricky balance of being honest and still being supportive of Greek life and it stirs concern about the likely inaccurate representation of these organizations in today’s media. The fact that these students and parents come into discussions about sororities and fraternities armed with extreme misconceptions or stories about particularly radical organizations makes me worried that Greek life isn’t getting the credit that it deserves for building relationships and creating a home for students.
My answer with regards to questions about my participation in a sorority address the concerns of the student or parent by first pointing out that the extreme actions of certain organizations are not representative of Greek life as a whole. Despite the fact that the media publicizes and emphasizes stories about sororities and fraternities hazing or doing other explicit activities, it almost always fails to mention the positive benefits of Greek life. Besides the common philanthropy fallback, these organizations have been around for decades and were often essential in the foundations of student activity at the universities themselves. Often, our parents and even our grandparents were involved in sororities and fraternities and they can cite legacy and tradition that far supersedes some of the debauchery that occurs today and that likely has always occurred to some extent.
To this day, Greek life is still the reason why I feel at home at my school it's and almost the entire source for the amazing group of friends I now call family. When parents and students come to me with concern regarding stories that they’ve heard about Greek life and ask if the traditions of their University years have been tarnished, I make sure to point out that, for me, my sorority has been invaluable in terms of integrating me into my school and for making me comfortable as a part of the wider campus culture. I encourage those who are concerned to not let those stories that are widely publicized come to characterize Greek life as a whole, because that tradition of giving, acceptance, and charity is still at the core of almost every Greek organization.
