Sorority Stereotype

I've noticed all of my life that there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding sororities. It didn't really bother me until recently.

When people find out that I am a member of a sorority they often say: "You joined a sorority? You don't seem like the type."

Recently a friend of mine from high school posted on facebook saying "this applies everywhere - sororities and fraternities are idiotic, elitist, and downright meaningless." I commented on this post saying that this wasn't true of ALL sororities/fraternities and he deleted it, which is annoying but completely within his rights. But it's also within my rights to stand up for my sorority which is not idiotic, elitist, or "downright meaningless."

1. We are not idiotic. A sorority is just another kind of club. The main thing that unifies a sorority is that the members are all female. In my sorority, we are all female and we are also all believers in Christ.

We don't do hazing. I'm not saying it doesn't happen in other sororities or fraternities, because it does. I have heard horrible instances of hazing, I'm just lucky that I didn't have to go through that. And if someone had tried to haze me, I would have said no and reported them to the university and the authorities. If you were hazed, I am very, very, very sorry. If that did not stop you from staying in the sorority/frat, I beg you: DO NOT HAZE NEW MEMBERS. It is not okay. Break the chain. Hazing is abuse. It is disgusting and wrong. DO NOT LET YOUR BROTHERS OR SISTERS HAZE NEW MEMBERS. It just shouldn't happen. It needs to stop now. It reflects badly on all sororities and fraternities, JUST DON'T DO IT.

2. We are not elitist. I am assuming that he was referring to the normal process of joining. Typically, you go to a bunch of events and meet the members of the various sororities and you visit the houses and eventually bid day comes around and you find out which sorority/fraternity wants you. I admit, I have not been through this process. My sorority is not Pan-Hellenic. We do not do this process. We have events for prospective new members, but it is up to the new member: they decide whether they want to join or not. We do not turn ANYONE down. We do not pick you, YOU PICK US. For this reason, my sorority attracts girls from all walks of life. We are a very diverse group of girls who share a belief in Christ.

3. We are not "downright meaningless." My sorority is a huge group of supportive women. We support each other through tough times, we study together, we pray together, we worship together, we serve together, we give together.

All sororities and fraternities have philanthropies that they raise money for. SOME do bad things like hazing, but please don't lump us together.

Another thing I heard when I joined a sorority was that I was paying for friends. This person was referring to paying dues. All clubs need money to operate during the year. Dues are one way of collecting money for the operating costs of an organization. If I was paying for friends, I would be offering people money to hang out with me and that's not the same thing at all. My sorority hosts events and we go on retreats, these things cost money and our dues help to pay for them.

I hope you'll consider going greek this year.

Until Next Time,

Sharon