The Common Misconceptions of Greek Life

Stereotype - noun - a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image of idea of a particular type of person or thing 

When I think of the word "stereotype" naturally my mind drifts to the many times I've watched movies like "The House Bunny" or "Legally Blonde" or the time I reluctantly watched the television show on TLC called "Sorority Girls". All of these portray sororities and Greek life in general as an understated group of people with shallow morals. The media even does a fine job of shining a negative light on Greek life, capturing only the bad and rarely the good. 

Being Greek myself and coming from a Greek family, I thought it would be unfair for me to preach about the common misconceptions I hear regularly. So, to make sure the common misconceptions were in fact authentic, I took it upon myself while writing this blog post to get an outside perspective on how non-Greeks view Greek life and here is what I found.

1. "Everything Greeks do revolves around partying in their house and getting drunk" - False. Each chapter of each Fraternity or Sorority has a national board overseeing their activity and regularly sending regional representatives to chapters do to check-ups. Granted we're in college and college students like to let loose on occasion but to say that Greeks only care about partying and getting drunk is like saying the football team only cares about pumping iron and getting jacked. There's much, much more to Greek organizations than what meets the eye.

2. "Greeks haze their new members" - Speaking from a sorority affiliated with NPC (National Panhellenic Conference) there are strict guidelines to determine what is considered "hazing" and what is not with the safety and well being of new members constantly in mind. If a chapter neglects to follow those rules and regulations the appropriate actions will be taken, including fines, the chapter being suspended, having their charter revoked, and even termination of the chapter as a whole. Additionally, why would you want to be a part of something that made you feel as though you are less amazing than you already are? The purpose of Greek life is to build you up, not break you down. 

Delta Zeta sisters showing their bid day t-shirts

3. "They are all the same" - Absolutely not. Each chapter is so incredibly unique because each chapter is made up of different girls. The only things that remain consistent from chapter to chapter is the respective values and traditions each individual sorority upholds. Yes, some sororities and chapters wear matching outfits during recruitment season or during a special time of year but the sole purpose of that is to be identified as unit, a group, a sorority - not because we are all identical clones of one another.

Alpha Omicron Pi sisters and campus rep KateLynn Dotson

4. "Daddy must pay for everything" - First, I would like to speak from my own experience - I have worked full or close to full time throughout my entire college career which, at this point, is going on 5 years. I have always been an extremely independent person and I would never rely on my parents to support my extra curricular activities or anything else in my life, I'm 22 years old. With that being said, I know hundreds of sorority women and fraternity gentlemen who are also working their way through college to pay for not only their chapter dues but their basic needs as well. 

5. "You pay for your friends" - I hear this one the most and it was no shock to me that I heard it again when asking non-Greeks how they feel about Greek life. Let me lay this out for you, any Greek organization is exactly that, an organization. You have to pay a membership fee for a variety of organizations so does that mean you're paying for your friends in organizations such as the environment club or colleges against cancer? No. Each chapter has a set amount of dues, a portion stays local to support the chapter and a portion goes to their national board to support their efforts. If your chapter has a house, there are house dues to pay as well for regular house maintenance. When I paid my first set of dues I didn't automatically have 100 new best friends. Friendships, like everything in life, take time and effort. It takes time to form those deep connections and no amount of money could ever "pay" for that. 

Kappa Tau Epsilon sisters, Olivia, Nicole, and Kaitlyn (me!) - bonding at a formal event

6. "You will never get a "real world" job being in a Greek organization" - This misconception really threw me for a loop because being Greek has taught me so much more about myself than I could have ever imagined. I've learned and polished my time management skills, social skills, speaking skills, marketing skills, conflict resolving skills, team building skills, team work skills, and the list could go on. My point is that being Greek has given me and many others the opportunity throughout college to work together for a common goal. Isn't that what the "real world" is all about? In my personal opinion, being Greek has been more beneficial for me than anything else I've done in my life thus far. By the time I graduate I will have almost 4 years of "real world" experience working in my career field and about the same being involved in Greek life serving on different boards and committees - the two paired together sound like a dynamic duo if you ask me. 

Greek Statistics

7. "Greeks don't care about their grades" - Each chapter sets a GPA minimum that each member must at least maintain to remain active in their chapter. In addition, each chapter sets a minimum amount of study hours that must be completed each semester. Greeks are serious about their grades and it shows as statistics have proven that individuals in Greek life have, on average, .15 grade point markings higher than those who are not affiliated with Greek life.

8. "Greeks have no respect for their universities or community" - Each chapter sets a minimum amount of philanthropy hours that must be completed each semester in order to maintain active membership. Those philanthropic endeavors can be completed either on campus, in the community, or on a regional level. We strive to give back to what surrounds us as much as possible.

Kappa Tau Epsilon sisters participating in Tau Kappa Epsilon's Zombie Run For Reagan Philanthropy Event

Campus rep Brooke Benson and her littles at Leigh Valley's Kidney Walk

Panhellenic Women from Central Michigan University volunteering at a mobile food pantry - featuring one of our campus reps, Lucie Sertich

9. " Greeks live and breath by Total Frat Move (TFM) and Total Sorority Move (TSM)" - Both websites are intended for fun and fun only. What is stated on those websites are by no means what each person in Greek life lives by. 

10. "Greeks act like they love each other but really they all hate each other" - I can't speak for everyone at every university but I'll speak for the Greeks at my university. My university has a small Greek population with three IFC Fraternities and three NPC Sororities making us a very tight knit bunch. I'll share a short, tragic story from this past year to hopefully give you a better idea of just how close we all are. Within a matter of two weeks a Tau Kappa Epsilon alumni passed away and a brother of Phi Kappa Tau lost his battle with cancer. This hit our community hard, not because we all knew the individuals or because we were very close with either of the gentlemen but because they're part of our Greek family. I've never been more proud to say I belong to a group of people than I was in that moment when we all came together to support and help those suffering the most from the losses. The best way that I could possibly explain it is we're like literal brothers and sisters, we may have disagreements and not see eye to eye but at the end of the day we're always there for each other. 

Saginaw Valley State University Greek Life Fall 2013

The point I'm attempting to make is that being involved with Greek life is much more than what it's "cracked" up to be. This goes back to how the media portrays Greek life because from an outside perspective, that is really all you see. Do a lot of girls and guys in Greek organizations fit the "stereotype", sure but a lot of girls and guys who are NOT in Greek life also fit the "stereotype". Not every chapter is a cookie cutter and not every organization is 100% perfect, nothing in life ever is. Along with all the decorated paddles, the mixers, and the formals there is hard work, dedication, and integrity that goes in to being Greek. If you're considering going Greek I strongly encourage it because I can promise it will be one of the most rewarding things you ever do in life. If you're not, I hope this post helped to debunk some of the common misconceptions associated with Greek life.

XOX & LP,
Kaitlyn

Quote of the Week: September 19, 2013

"When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us?"

Whether you are best friends with your entire chapter, or just a small group of girls, what matters the most is that you are all sisters, and you have each other.  This is something that no one can change and it is a bond no one can replicate.  College can be such a trying time for many girls, being away from home, difficult classes, and just general stress can easily get the best of you, and this is the time that you need your sisters the most.  They are your family away from home, a shoulder to lean on and a group of girls you can vent to about anything.  Your sisters are the ones that will be there for you when you need them most, so stand together and no one else will stand a chance.

XOXO- Taylor S

You Don't Have to be PRVP to do Public Relations

So many women think that they have to be their Vice President of Public Relations to actively represent their sorority, FALSE! Anyone can, and technically everyone is always representing their chapter.

"You are always wearing your letters." 

If you are your respective chapter's Public Relations Chair like I am, I have some useful information for you to think about and potentially implement on your campus. SOCIAL MEDIA! Use it, it can be your best friend and it is a quick and easy way to keep the world up to date on what is happening, and doing it in real time. It is great for big events on campus like homecoming! Check out how I have been keeping our campus up to date on our chapter's successes during homecoming!

Members of our Battle of the Brains team right before the event! 

Here is a tip that I have learned, if you are managing multiple pages, make sure that you are posting to the desired page you want your information on, and not your personal page. Being a PRVP is definitely in need of a someone who is paying attention to the details! I have flubbed a few times where I have posted to my personal page, which is great because I am promoting my chapter, but then I have to go back and fix that post and send it to our page! Here is the most recent flub I had the other morning!

The post after our team won 1st Place in the Battle of the Brains Competition.

If you are using social media from a chapter stand point make sure that you are following up on what you have posted before, especially if it is a series of events, i.e. Homecoming or Greek Week.

Like I said earlier, you don't have to be your chapter's Public Relations Vice President to promote your chapter positively. You can talk up your chapter, post videos that inter/national headquarters provides, talk about events, successes, and just how awesome your sisterhood is! Social Media will get what you want out to the world quick but you know that saying "actions are louder than words" it is so true, even more so in the sorority world.

As members of sororities we are under such scrutiny from the public and those who do not know how awesome and special Greek Life is. Show your campus how awesome Greek Life is through you actions. Create a service project for around campus, volunteer in your local community, sit in the front of the class, get to know your teachers, be prompt on all assignments, and easiest of all WEAR YOUR LETTERS! You paid good money for them, why not flaunt them, I know that they are all adorable so why are you hiding them!

I love all of my letters! 

You are always wearing your letters, they are forever imprinted on your heart, make sure that the world knows that, and you as an individual have to remember that you don't have to run your chapter's public relations to help promote your chapter, for true success it has to be a chapter wide effort. I hope that this post has empowered you to get out, promote your chapter, and truly your letters and the organization that you are a part of.

My Greek Life Experience: Christine Cassimus

Going Greek wasn't much of a decision for me. It was something I had wanted to do ever since I saw my brothers join Fraternities at the University of Georgia. I've never actually admitted this but I immediately ruled out schools that didn't have any kind of Greek life at all. At Queens, sorority recruitment is usually in September so the potential new members (PNMs) have quite awhile to wait. 

For me, it was pretty easy to go through recruitment because both my roommate and the two girls who lived next to us were also doing it. I had someone to rush around and get ready with. You know that old saying that you “shouldn't talk about what house you’re prefing”. Well we didn't keep to that. Every night after the parties we would talk and gossip about the different houses. All four of us had different opinions about the four sororities on campus. Preference night came and went and we were told that Bid Day would start at noon the next morning. We were also told that if someone didn't receive a bid, that girl would get a phone call early in the morning so she wouldn't have to show up. Of course this made my mind race about in fear; I thought I was going to be that one girl who didn't get a bid. My nervousness woke me up at 7AM the next morning and for the life of me I couldn't go back to sleep. So what did I do instead? What any good sorority girl would do instead: shower, shave, and make myself look perfect for bid day. I was the very last girl in my Pi Chi (rho chi for some schools) group to get my bid and when I did it was the happiest moment of my life. 

As fate would have it, I went KD, my roommate went Chi Omega, and our next door neighbors went ADPi and Phi Mu. We were still the best of friends but that didn't mean we were destined to be sisters. You can’t fight fate after all. If you are on the fence about going Greek, do it. I can promise that you won’t regret it.

Welcome Back to Recruitment

 
Every chapter has their own ceremonies, traditions and events, but there is one thing that every chapter has in common, recruitment.  Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about recruitment, whether they love it or hate it, its something that has to be done in order to make your chapter the best possible.  As an incoming senior I’ve experienced my fair share of recruitment on both sides of the fence, and over the years I have come to understand, and maybe not completely always enjoy, but appreciate everything that recruitment has to offer. 

There is the obvious, which is adding members to your chapter.  These girls not only boost your chapter total but they add to your family.  They become your littles, grand littles, or even great grand littles.  They create an image for your chapter on campus and even though it’s hard to imagine, those incoming freshman will be the ones that can make or break everything you have been working toward and will be the ones leading your chapter one day. 

Though the goal of recruitment is to add new members, a common misunderstanding is recruitment isn’t all about them. I come from a large school with a lot of girls in my chapter and though everyone tries their best, it is hard to get to know everyone during the year.  When recruitment rolls around, that all changes.  Everyone spends two weeks together, basically 24/7 working toward the common goal of having the best recruitment week ever, but what also ends up happening this week is that everyone learns more about each other and themselves.  

This is the time that you hang out with girls you might not necessarily hang out with, and you become even closer with the ones you do.  It’s where you learn songs that you will never get out of your head.  Dress up in crazy outfits to boost moral, and try to win that coveted tank top for most spirit.  You share funny stories and your deepest secrets.  You laugh, you cry (happy tears of course) and you become closer with your “sisters” than ever before.  This is the time that your sorority becomes your family and at the end of the week your family gets a little larger.  

Though recruitment can be daunting and stressful, and sometimes even seem unimportant.  Recruitment is a memory you will always look back on fondly and remember the laughs you had, the bonds you made and the sisters you gained along the way. So whatever you do, don’t take the week for granted, though your sisterhood last a lifetime, college and recruitment does not.

XOXO- Taylor S