This week is sorority recruitment week on NMU’s campus. Many view this as a negative thing. They think of parties, binge drinking and pledges being forced to do things like run around naked, steal things or other equally embarrassing acts.
This is so far from the truth that I am actually laughing out loud as I write this. There are so many negative stereotypes connected to sororities and fraternities, but no one seems interested in learning the truth about them.
Before you write me off as being biased because I’m a part of this community, let me first say I was exactly like that myself before coming here. Throughout high school, all I heard about sororities were that they were bad news. Parties, sex, alcohol –– these were all things that sororities stood for and I wasn’t interested in being a part of that. I was a good girl with morals and values that I would stick to.
When my friend dragged me to the information meeting at the beginning of rush week in my junior year, I was dubious. I didn’t know what they could possibly offer me. Yet, I was surprised to find out that while parties were part of the scene, that wasn’t the only thing going on. These women were just like me, good girls with morals they stuck to and in a sorority that mirrored their own values. Imagine my high school friends’ surprise when I announced that I was joining a sorority.
Yes, we are defined as social organizations, but this does not mean that all we care about are social pretenses, hosting parties and being crazy. Being social means we care about making new friendships, strengthening old ones and being part of something bigger.
I love being part of Northern’s Greek community through Kappa Beta Gamma, although, sometimes there are a lot of challenges when it comes to peoples’ perceptions of us. There are a lot of advantages to being involved in Greek life.
The best thing about being involved in a sorority is the relationships that you form, whether it’s with your own sisters or with another sorority or fraternity. These relationships can last a lifetime if you let them. Not only that, but those friendships can richen your time spent at NMU. They provide a social outlet and a support network when you need them.
On a more business side of things, the Greek community can provide a wide network of contacts that can lead to business opportunities, not to mention extracurricular activities always looks good on a resume.
Even if you’re not interested in the friendships or the networking, sororities and fraternities are involved in much more than that. Each group volunteers and fundraises for their own philanthropy. Kappa Beta Gamma, for example, is involved with the Special Olympics and The Marquette Women’s Center.
There is just much more to the Greek community than I feel a lot of people give them credit for. We have a hand in hosting campus events like “Late Night at the PEIF” that gives everyone an entire night of fun before the school year starts.
Don’t get me wrong; we do host parties and mixers and we like to have fun, but students can find that anywhere on campus. The difference is that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and we give students the chance to be a part of a community that is more like a family than an organization, so give it a try.
Even if you’re just curious about it and have no intentions of joining, find a member and ask them about their experience. You might just be surprised.
