Greek life is a huge part of the college experience for many people all over the country. People outside of the Greek system have almost no knowledge as to how these organizations operate so they tend to take the easy way out and believe whatever they hear. We all know the stereotypes associated with “going Greek” and for those of you who still believe them to be true, I’m here to open your eyes. I would like to first start out with reminding everyone of a few things:
* Not all fraternities and sororities operate the same way.
* Not all members of these organizations are the same.
* The actions of one person or one organization do not represent that entire population of people.
Now, let’s get to breaking down some of these stereotypes:
1. “Wow you pay for your friends? That’s so sad…”
Ah, our favorite thing to hear. Okay first of all, you can’t pay someone to like you. It just doesn't work. Relationships don’t operate that way. A friendship requires effort from both sides and is (usually) not instant. Being in the same organization helps, obviously, because that automatically gives you something in common with that person but in order to form a real friendship with them you have to actually put in the effort necessary to do so. When you pay into any organization, it is to achieve more than you could on your own. Greek organizations use money from dues to pay for social events and many other things that keep the organization running.
2. “All you do is party, right?”
Actually no, we don’t. Being Greek means people automatically tend to associate you with alcohol/partying/etc. After all, college is one big party, right? Wrong. A lot of people involved in these organizations don’t even have time to go out every night and for those that do go out, parties are nothing like they seem in the movies. The media provides us with an inaccurate depiction of almost every aspect of college life (Greek life included) and that’s all a lot of people end up seeing. Don’t get us wrong, we do have some great parties. But it is just one sliver of the pie of Greek life. The social aspect of Greek life is important at times because it helps you connect with other members of your fraternity and other Greek organizations, but it is not the only important thing. Choosing to live a party-oriented lifestyle is a personal choice and has nothing to do with a person’s Greek affiliation.
3. “So you only care about your sorority/fraternity friends now? Are you too good for everybody else?”
Nope, sorry. The people we met before we decided to join a Greek organization are still just as important to us now as they were before we joined and they know that. We still hang out with a lot of the same people that we did before, just now we also invite them to fraternity events. A person’s Greek affiliation has no bearing on who they decide to befriend outside of Greek life.
4. “Your parents just pay for everything for you, don’t they?”
Wrong again.... many of us have had a job since we were of legal working age. We work while going to school so that we can afford to pay for things that we want to do. Many of us pay our own dues each month. Some of us are lucky enough to be on scholarships. Contrary to popular belief, not all members of Greek organizations come from wealthy families who have rich parents to pay for everything they do. And for those who have parents that do pay their dues, good for them and that's awesome, but that is not the case for most of us.
5. “I feel like a lot of you just pretend to like each other for pictures and stuff… are you actually friends with any of them?”
Why would anyone ever waste my time "pretending" to care about someone? Joining a Greek organization has brought into our life some of the most interesting people. Of course we are not going to lie and say that everyone is BFFs with every member of the chapter. But there are a lot of members that are really close and there are always new members to get to know. You can’t force a friendship on someone and just because some are not super close to every member of the chapter doesn’t mean they don’t add value to each other’s life. I do still care about every single one of them and I’m lucky to have them. I know that if I needed something, I could still go to them for help. The whole point of being in this “brotherhood” is to know that you always have these people by your side that care about you and support you in everything that you do.
6. “Do you do anything else besides ‘be Greek’ or…”
Many Greek organizations, including Sigma Pi, require their members to be part of other organizations, For a lot of people, being in a Greek organization is just one thing on a long list of extracurricular activities. All of us have a well rounded life involving other organizations, jobs, volunteer work, sports, and other things outside of school completely. And for those of you who are only involved in your Greek organization, that’s totally fine, too. It’s not a bad thing to be passionate about one specific thing and forget anyone who tells you otherwise.
7. “You literally only date within the Greek system, right?”
Infinite eye rolls… Shout-out to whoever started this ridiculous myth that anyone involved in Greek life is “required” to date within the Greek system. We date whomever we please, regardless of their Greek affiliation. Just like with forming friendships, relationships are all about personal preference, not Greek status.
8. “What’s up with those weird rituals you all do? Like you have those blood ceremonies and do sacrifices in the name of brotherhood and stuff, don’t you?”
Honestly, as ridiculous as this one sounds, we actually hear it quite a lot. Yes, we have special ceremonies. No, there is nothing weird or blood/sacrifice-related in any of them, we promise. The reason we have special rituals is because it’s all part of the tradition of the organization. Each organization has its own ceremonies and rules that it has to follow and that is part of what makes each organization unique. We don’t go around bragging about the contents of our ceremonies because they are private. Only those involved in the organization are meant to experience them because they are supposed to be sacred. Their secret and unique character give us a shared experience that brings us closer together. Every type of group has special things that only they do whether it be a sports team or a group of coworkers or any other type of group. For Greek organizations, it’s all a lot more private so people automatically assume the worst of it.
9. “Your grades are going to suffer if you are in a fraternity.”
First of all, who watches out for your grades if you are not in an organization that requires you to keep them up? Probably just you or maybe your parents too. In Greek organizations, there is a scholarship chair. Their job is to watch the whole fraternity’s grades and make sure individuals get help with tutoring and study groups when needed. Some fraternities have higher overall GPAs than others. Look for ones that have a higher GPA than the overall student average of the university. Most of the best ones do.
10. “What about after you graduate? Will any of this really matter in four years?”
Actually, yes it will. It will always matter. Of course the whole Greek experience is different for every person involved, but the benefits are usually the same. From a professional standpoint, making connections with alumnae who are associated with your specific Greek organization can help you land an internship or even a job when the time comes. Part of job networking is being able to know the right people who can put you in contact with the people you need to know that can help further your career. From an emotional standpoint, the bonds you form with these people don’t just end when college does. The memories you make and the friendships you form with the people in your organization last a lifetime. There are some incredible statistics about the successes of those who joined a Greek organization in college. See http://thefraternityadvisor.com/greek-life-statistics for the facts.
Modified from “Ten Myths About Greek Life” by Catherine Stidom, Bellarmine University Apr 11, 2016