Don’t believe every stereotype: How I found a home in Greek life
By Ann Shelley // Opinion Editor
I’ve heard fellow classmates describe Greek life as “pointless” or “buying friends,” but I see it in a much different light. I’ve been involved with Greek life since my freshman year, and in my experience, I haven’t seen any resemblance to the negative stereotypes associated with Greek life. For the past three years, my sorority has instilled confidence in me as an individual through the countless opportunities it has given me. During my time on council for my sorority, I learned a lot about how to act professionally in certain leadership situations through my fellow leaders of the chapter.
I look up to all of the women who choose to be on council for a sorority. Let’s be honest, leading a chapter of over 200 girls can be very difficult, but this opportunity for members to lead their peers is also very rewarding. Even if certain members have conflict, they have to learn to work together for one common goal. Most importantly, when you fail, you always have a support network of people there to pick you back up.
From the second I met my big, Liz Reichart, she helped me get involved in more campus activities. Her involvement and commitment to what she loved inspired me to help as much as possible. This opened up so many opportunities that I’ve been able to take advantage of along the way.
I see endless positivity in the Greek life organization that I’m involved in. I have found countless opportunities to pursue my love of photography through my sorority, as well as my photography and videography business. I have been able to take countless girls’ LinkedIn photos, formal photos, graduation photos and more.
My sorority has also given me numerous opportunities to network. Being part of an alumni network—not just with your school, but nationwide—is very reassuring. In a networking setting, if two people were both in the same sorority or fraternity, that is something over which you can instantly bond with someone.
During my sophomore year, I connected with a woman who ran a storage company I had used that summer. After talking with her, I learned she was an alumna of both HPU and of my sorority, which marked the start of an incredible networking journey. I have done countless projects for her to help improve her company, and even family photo shoots. This relationship never would have formed without the mutual bond we have with our sorority.
However, this isn’t to say that Greek life is not without faults. The number of sexual assault incidents within the Greek system, both reported and unreported, is sickening. The way some sororities treat their fellow sisters in hazing rituals is disgusting and completely wrong. I would never want to be part of an organization that participates in this type of activity. My sorority is not one of them.
But in all this chaos there is good. These organizations raise thousands of dollars nationwide every year for their chosen philanthropies. According to The Fraternity Advisor, of the nation’s 50 largest companies, 43 of their CEO’s were in fraternities, and 40 of the 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices since 1910 were fraternity men. According to USA Today, college graduation rates are 20 percent higher among Greeks than non-Greek students. Yes, Greek life is full of fake laughing through recruitment videos and photo shoots, but it’s also full of lifelong networking, a sense of belonging and a way to learn leadership skills.
If you decide you want to be part of a Greek organization, think about why you want to join. Do you want to party and have a good time, or do you want to build a network, make friends and develop leadership skills? However, if you don’t choose to be part of Greek life, choose to be part of something that promotes confidence in you and inspires you to be the best version of yourself.
If someone were to ask me if I regret my decision to join Greek life, I would say no. I’ve gained confidence and leadership skills through my organization that I don’t think I could have found anywhere else.