Going into my freshman year of college, I was nervous. Nervous to meet people, about moving from the North to the South, and about starting over in a new place---all of it. I was worried I wouldn't fit in, or people wouldn't like me, or I wouldn't find true friends. To try to avoid that, I decided to rush, and thank god I did. I was taken under the wing of an older girl in our sorority, and I know without her, my freshman year would've ended up completely different. After rush was over, she approached me and said: "Hey Hannah you should come to a date party with me!" Her boyfriend was the philanthropy chair of a fraternity on campus, and I figured if she liked them, then I probably would too. So I threw caution to the wind, went to a date party with a friend of hers, and had the absolute time of my life. I met so many of the guys and instantly loved them all. They were smart, engaging, genuine, funny, and all around great guys.

I began spending the majority of my time with them, getting to know everyone from freshman to seniors. Even thought I hated fraternity parties, I loved going to their parties just because I felt comfortable with them. I would show up straight from the library sometimes just because I knew they wouldn't judge me by how I looked, even when they poked fun at my norts and oversized t-shirts. They were my brothers. I knew I could call any one of them to hangout whenever and someone would always be down. They were not only my friends, but I saw them as family.

I had no idea that some people viewed Greek life as "tiers." The tier system is an unofficial placement of importance that every sorority and fraternity has on campus. It is usually based mostly on reputation and who can party more — and has absolutely NO real base of value. I thought it was all very superficial, and laughable almost. How can people rank organizations when they don't even know the people in them? I didn't think people actually cared about tiers until I started telling my friends that I would attend this specific fraternities functions.

I would always get the same responses, "Ew why are you going to (fraternity) parties? Don't you know they're bottom tier? That's embarrassing, you're better than that." And these comments wouldn't end---- I got them all year. I would get backlash from my guy friends in other fraternities, hearing them make fun of people they had never even met, just because they were told they weren't as good as them. It was exhausting, frustrating, and honestly downright stupid. I'd spend hours upon hours defending these boys because they were my friends, and hell would freeze over before I let anyone talk badly upon them. They were the most genuine, kind, and amazing people I had met that year and it made me sad that they had such a bad name, just because they were a new organization on campus.

If the backlash I received this year taught me anything, it's that the concept of "top tier" doesn't mean shit. Fraternities and sororities shouldn't be judged by how hot their members are, or by how many parties they have, or how hard they "rage". You should judge them by if they're good, hardworking individuals who stay true to their values. The tier system does nothing but divides the Greek community---which is supposed to be cohesive. Your organization should not define you--- in fact, YOU should define your organization. Shame on you if you hold these beliefs with high regard without actually getting to know the people in the organizations first place.

So thank you, bottom tier boys. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms, for being people I could always count on, and for making my freshman year unforgettable. You guys are my family, and I love you all.