“Sororities empower women because they teach women to be effective leaders.” –Ellen Jordan ‘19
Here at Franklin and Marshall College, Greek life is becoming a great part of the community as more students are deciding to join either sororities or fraternities. This article discusses interviews from both new and current members of this campus’ sororities as they explain to HerCampus how Greek life contributes to providing women with opportunities to engage in women empowerment.
When I asked the question “why did you decide to join a sorority?” many women shared a similar interest: they wanted to find a place where they could create long-lasting bonds with people within their college community. Being in a sorority would enable them to not only learn about themselves, but also to guide them in becoming the best version of themselves that they can be. First year Ellen Jordan of Alpha Xi Delta explained how she decided to join a sorority because she admired the women who were “incredibly involved both on campus and off. [She wanted] a support network [as well as be able] “to become more involved [herself] on campus.” Seniors Kaitlin Oliver and Tori Harris of Kappa Delta became involved in Greek life because they wanted to “branch out and meet new people” (Kaitlin). For some girls like Tori, they just “didn’t feel like I had really found my place at F&M.” Greek life presents college women with the opportunity to not only meet new people who they can bond with, but also provide them with the ability to become involved on campus and expand their knowledge and skills.
When asked the question “how does Greek Life empower women?” Ellen stated that sororities “allow young women to hold leadership positions and cultivate life skills such as public speaking, event management, and communication. Not too many organizations can offer the same level of opportunities to cultivate leadership potential as sororities do. The ability to lead, communicate, and oversee large-scale events is crucial for women to have, no matter if they are planning to enter the professional world or not.” Sororities are a great way for women across campus to build upon their skills and gain self-confidence amongst themselves. According to Kaitlin, “Greek life gives women a place to be leaders and develop as a person. There are so many opportunities for women to get involved and make change within their chapter.” In the same way, Tori asserted that sororities “[gave] me [the opportunity] to expand my leadership skills and my professional development. Greek life empowers women by giving us the chance to grow and change both personally and professionally in an environment that is supportive and loving.”
When I asked these women “how can Greek life work towards empowering women on campus?” Ellen stated that Greek Life could “take a more active role in promoting discussions about gender issues and women’s rights… any endorsements of issues done on the part of sororities automatically become more visible to other students and therefore become integrated into campus discussions and involvement. These discussions would further drive empowerment for women both on campus and off.” Tori stated that “sororities can… empower women by continuing to be active and involved members of the F&M community. Our Greek women do amazing philanthropy work and volunteer for campus leadership roles in numbers higher than any other group.”
What can you do to encourage women empowerment on your campus?