Education & Employment: Greek Life

For many, the terms sorority and fraternity, cause goosebumps! Believe it or not, I'm in a sorority myself. Therefore, I have all the answers to your many questions. But before anything, I want to alleviate some of the myths and stereotypes that people have of greek-lettered organizations, and actually encourage you to check some out while in college.



First and foremost, sororities and fraternities don't haze, well, at least they're not suppose to. What does this mean? Do your research before joining any organization on campus. Check to see if your university has an anti-hazing policy!

Second, greek life is not at all about drinking, partying, eating disorders and committing random sexual acts without thinking. In fact, if you ask around you'll see that greek life does consist of some of those things, but these are personal acts. Drinking and partying, etc. are not things that you are forced to do as a greek. These are things that people choose to do, based on their own personal beliefs and traditions. This goes without saying, 'no one can make you do something you don't want to do'.

Third, some sorority girls are considered promiscuous, and their male counterparts as players! My opinion is as follows; again, people are going to do whatever they wish to do regardless of whether or not they have greek letters plastered across their chest. Now I will say, being a greek may cause high percentages of dating within the greek community. However, these are people that you grow to trust and respect, and now idolize as sexual objects. Dating within the greek community may cause a little drama, considering all of your sisters and all of his brothers may know your business. Yea, it kinda creates a whole web of questions and comments. Trust me, I once dated a 'frat guy'...

Fourth, you do not pay for your friends. Listen up, our sorority dues are $10/month. $120/year. My sorority sisters are worth so much more than $120; therefore, you cannot put a price on friendship. For greek orgs that pay $400-$1000 (yes, dues can go that high depending on who you join) a semester/year, may seem like they are paying for their friends. However, they have fees that need to be paid as a whole. How about that nice 42 bedroom sorority house on Main St., that's always decked out during rush week?! Yes, they need to pay for that. And with the house comes bills; cable, electricity, phone, plumbing, maintenance, food, house mother, update library, etc.... the list goes on. Not to mention the money they raise for philanthropic causes and the resourceful events they host on campus. All of these things need to be paid for! Including national conventions, retreats, and much more. So in all, you are not paying for your friends. You are essentially paying for a terrific greek life experience!

Fifth, is greek life just like 'Greek' on ABC Family or 'Sorority Life' on MTV? After reading the above, you should be able to decipher the true meaning of greek life from there!

Sixth, are all organizations the same? Absolutely not! You have local sororities/fraternities (smaller orgs), nationals, professional, academic, social, multicultural, etc. Decisions about which type of org you would like to join should be assessed highly before attempting to rush! You want to know what you're getting into.

And last but not least, legacies. Yes, just like most universities and colleges, sororities and fraternities have legacies. This means that if your mom, dad, brother, sister (member of immediate family), etc. was a member of a certain organization, you'll more than likely receive an invitation to join this organization. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JOIN JUST BECAUSE YOUR MOM DID. BE YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL!

Any questions or comments, feel free to drop them here or email me at missbuildingblocks@yahoo.com.