Fraternities and Sororities?

[Isabel_Knight]

:hugon:bowl:hugoff

As a :uk who hopes someday to become a :usa, I'm just curious as to what you all think of Greek life.

Any opinions? And any Greek :fishys?

Isabel :pinkfishy

[Anonymous_Member006]

as a :uk who will do her damdest to become a New Zealander one of these days i dont know much about greece or sororities :sarcasm

however i was IP with a girl from greece called Amalia together, :kiss if you're out there baby email me! She was a dancer, adn we were on Sky Tv and in a newspaper together

:love charley

[brwnEMT]

They are on most college campuses across the :usa. As far as it being a good idea or a bad one, I dont' think they are all that bad. Organizations have gotten away with the "hazing" that used to be so popular for inductions....and a lot of them are based on academics, majors, etc. They help raise money for nonprofit organizations/special causes, etc....
:love and :sun
Nikki

[QofC]

I was not a Greek :usa in college; however as a student advisor, I saw many of the negative things that happened with sororities. Granted, this is not true of all sororities, but it is of some. One of our sororities forced the girls to take turns standing naked in front of the others. They then told them which parts of their bodies they needed to improve on. The incidence of EDs in sorority housing is VERY high and competition runs crazy!

[lindsey]

I was in Zeta Tau Alpha sorority in college, and I have to say that it was a really positive experience. I chose to go to school about five hours from home, and rushing gave me an oppurtunity to feel a part of something so far from home.

Granted, you won't be as friendly with some of the girls as others...but, it gives you a starting place...a home base to feel a part of when you're in a new place. It also provides you with an instant social life and plenty of opportunites to study or receive help in a course from a sister who is doing well in that course. And,, you'll have a big sister as well as little sisters.

One of the issues that my sorority felt strongly about was Eating Disorder Awareness on campus and in the house. As well as raising money and volunteering for the Association of Retarded Citizens. We also participated in fund raisers with other fraternity and sororities.

A house is just like a small community. And...in communities there will be those who have ED's...as well as other things...you can be triggered anywhere if you let yourself.

At initiation...there was NO hazing. Actually, hazing is NOT allowed at universitys...and the only time that I've seen sorority hazing was on some cheesy made for TV movies.

Go through rush...you'll know what houses are for you on the first night. And if it's not for you, then you can always drop out.

Good :clover in your decision!
Lindsey

[tofaha]

:hugon :bowl :hugoff

:ummm :ummm :ummm

ok.. so i'm feeling a little silly asking this question .. but i was reading through and saw that :stars miranda :stars mentioned greek :fishy's ... now although i am actually half greek i am pretty sure this is so not what you were referring to.. :baseball ... could you enlighten me as to what greece has to do with sororities... (i know what they are.. not entirely clueless :winky )

:bounce :gimmehug :bounce

[mattiegirl]

:hugon tofaha :hugoff They are organizations of men or women who call themselves sisters or brothers. To name the organization they use Greek letters.

:hugon Isabel :hugoff
I was in a local sorority Alpha Sigma Chi when I was in college, then my chapter went national and I became a member of Phi Mu. I am so glad I went Greek. I met so many nice people and it was a group of girls that I knew I could always count on to be there year after year. We didn't do any bad hazing stuff. We just had to do activities to learn about our history and to get to know the other sororities and fraternities. It was a great experience and if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I've been graduated from college for seven years now and I still keep in touch with my sorority sisters. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in Greek life to check out the rush and see what is available on your campus. Some have more expensive dues than others, some have different rules than others. It's important to find a group that has the same interests as you do. Some you will know right away that they are just wrong for you and then you'll find the group that just feels like your sisters. These are the ones you want to pledge.

:love Mattie

[infinitepiphany]

i am in college, and during my four undergrad years i worked as a hall director and had LOTS of contact with a great variety of students - many of whom, obviously, were greek.

from an outsiders perspective, the first thing that got me was the expense. they were always, it seemed, paying for this t-shirt, or that event, or dues, or something. i paid dues my my various organizations, too, they were just much less. finances, in fact, were something that several young women confided in me about - "i didnt think it would cost so much!"

the second thing i noticed: id work the front desk on certain days when being greek was very important on campus...there was an event of various sorts that required all the greek organizations to show up and show out. and all the girls walked out dressed identically...down to the belt and earrings. to some of those events, i also attending with my organizations, and, yes, we all wore our t-shirts, but they ranged from this semester's to five years ago, you know? they seemed very...conforming.

it does seem that greeks do party harder than the rest of the population. studies about to support it. however, whether or not you drink, regardless of where you go, is entirely YOUR choice, adn under YOUR control...not the organization to which you belong.

ummm....the rumors about snobbiness? i found more snobs at the baptist student ministry than i ever met of people who were greek. the traditional "buying friends" ideology...i pay dues, too, so my friends must be bought as well. i also hear that being in a greek organization can really help you network once you get out into the feild of your choice. it would seem, to me, to be that way. it does appear that each frat really backs other from that same frat....even across the country to people they dont know.

so...thats an attempted non-biased outsiders view.

michelle

[isobel]

i was in a sorority and like everything, there are good parts and bad parts to it. as far as expense, i think it depends where you go to school. i went to a state school at a land grant university and it was actually the same price to live in the sorority house as it was the dorms. a lot of times there are choices whether you buy all the shirts, go to events, etc.

i had many positive and rewarding opportunities being part of the greek system. could i have had those without the sorority? sure, but, i went to school in a different state, not knowing anyone, and it was an easy way for me to meet people and get involved.

as far as EDs, we had very strong ED awareness and had chapter interventions with members who had ED behaviors. despite these ED books that claim sorority girls purge together--purging was NOT acceptable. and when you live with sixty plus women, you aren't alone in the bathroom a lot, so people know what you are doing.

the greek system has really cracked down on hazing, demeaning behavior towards pledges (i don't even think that word is allowed anymore) and irresponsible and underage drinking. some crappy stuff does go on. however, it is up to each individual person to take a stand for what they believe in. just because something happened to me it doesn't mean that i have to continue the cycle. i willingly participated (b/c it was kind of fun) in an initiation week type of event. one thing that happened was kind of degrading. my class decided to stop that "tradition" and do something nice instead. you only have to be a follower if you choose to do so.

just my two cents worth.

:love isobel

[Jettachicky]

i really think the behavior of sororities depends on the school and the sororities....

i go to the university of colorado at boulder. there are nice sororities and others not so nice.... one particular sorority (i won't say there name) bids only on "pretty, popular, skinnny white blonde girls." granted, i wasn't a pledge and didn't see this first hand but i've seen this particular group of girls together and it did appear to be that way.

on several different occations....on the bus, sitting in class, in the cafeteria.....i've overheard sorority girls gossip about how so so is purging or wasn't eating.

on the other hand, some of my closest friends are in a christian sorority. they are all very supportive of eachother and very close.

i know my view may be a bit biased, but that's what i've seen and heard around campus.

[lima]

I was in a sorority too! Zeta Tau Alpha just like :hugon Lindsey :hugoff.

It was a very postive and negative expereince for me, I made a lot of friends, did tons of volunteering, had a social life, dated "greek boys", etc.. but ed's are very common with the Greek System.

At my first treatment center I told the girls from my sorority what was going on b/c I wanted others out there to speak up and get the help that they needed.

Lindsay, where did you go to school??? I did ARC too!! Did you go to LSU?? Email me :grin

[Anonymous_Member003]

I am not in a sorority. I am an honorary member of a fraternity at my college. I spent a lot of time there in the past, they asked me to pledge, I said no because of personal issues I was having at the time. Damn ED. I also said no because I'm not good with fitting into big groups like that.

Are frats and sororities good or bad? God, it's a mixed bag. It depends on you. Some sororities and frats are for the girly girls that scritinize their outfits and are pretty cruel to pledges. Others are very social and low-key and look for open and extraverted girls. You can find pretty much any frat or sorority to suit your personality,

One note of caution. Frats and sororities provide a lot of support for you your first year. You get a group of ready-made friends and exposure to all sorts of social situations. You can fit in somewhere and have a nice place to go home to at night. You can do service with your friends. BUT I've seen a lot of people lose interest when they are sophomores and juniors. Some sororities charge their upper class girls if they don't attend events like initiation, etc. I;m not going to get into a debate about the merits of frats and sororities, I've just seen a LOT of friends lose interest when they realized they got what they needed from their frats and sororties and needed to move on to other experiences.

I didn't joiin the social frat becasue, well, I am NOT social. People scare me. I am not good at meeting them and I hate organized fun and forced ideals like "brotherhood" and "sisterhood." You know? It all feels like one big crock of shit. It makes sense to some people, but NOT TO ME. I guess the radio station where I work is a little like a frat. I know I just go over there to hang out a lot...

[pageling]

I was in a sorority in college, and I'm glad I did it. Like everything else in life, it had it's high points and it's low points. There were times I wanted to distance myself from it just because I didn't like being put in a "box", if that makes any sense. But there were also times that I really loved the idea of having "sisters" especially since I'm an only child. I've got some great memories. I think it's just a personal decision, like anything else. And it can depend upon what school you are at and the people who are in the organization at the time. Go with your instincts.

much :love,
paige