Rush week has come and gone, pledgeship is in full force, even though SMU is a non-hazing campus, big-little reveal is almost (if not already) here, and the prominence of Greek life is everywhere.
Being a “GDI” during my first two semesters at SMU, I was not affiliated with any sorority and I didn’t mind it–in fact, I liked it. Just because I wasn’t involved in any Greek organization did not necessarily mean that I was ostracized or that I had lost friends who decided to rush, it just meant that I was doing my own thing. Honestly, it was a pretty good experience.
The next fall, I decided that I wanted to be in a sorority. More specifically, I wanted to be in a sorority where I could surround myself with Christian girls, so I decided to rush Sigma Phi Lambda. As most of you already know, I love my sorority and it’s the best decision that I have made so far in my college career. However, ever since I joined, I have constantly heard comments like, “Phi Lamb isn’t a real sorority–y’all are just super uptight.”
At first, these words would hurt. The idea of people hating on a sorority when they hadn’t even met some of the girls confounded me. People deem Phi Lamb as something that isn’t “real,” as if it we are a fictitious group of girls who meet for chapter every Monday. As I continued to think about my "fake" sorority, I started to understand exactly why people would say something like this.
1. Phi Lamb doesn't have a house.
In order to be considered a sorority, the organization must have a house. Sigma Phi Lambda chapters across the nation want to keep dues low and they don’t want to turn girls who want a sisterhood for a reasonable price away, so this automatically means that Phi Lamb is a fake sorority.
2. Phi Lamb doesn't have parties.
We actually do, we just don’t provide alcohol. It’s clearly impossible to host a party if a considerable amount of booze isn’t present.
3. Phi Lambs are uptight.
One of the first things that you learn as a Phi Lamb is that we try to follow the rules of God and not man. We try to live moral lives and sometimes this means that we don’t participate in certain activities. Although I know so many Christian girls in Panhellenic sororities who do the same, Phi Lamb as a whole is just too uptight. So, collectively, Phi Lamb isn’t real.
4. Phi Lamb isn't Panhellenic.
One organization determines the legitimacy of a sorority. This makes perfect sense.
