When looking at potential colleges, one of my top three requirements for even bothering to step foot on campus was little to no Greek life activity. In my mind, sororities were simplified down to hundreds of identical blondes living in a house, and fraternities were fearful forces of toxic masculinity. It wasn’t until I actually became a student at Kenyon that I began to pay attention to what Greek life really means on our campus—and how much it was what I was looking for.
Contrary to many a’ Kenyon students, I can’t sing or play a sport—yes, it’s rough. Without these talents, I quickly realized at the beginning of this year I was out of luck with finding my Kenyon cult. Despite developing an amazing close-knit group of friends, I felt like I was missing a “group” to belong to all throughout my first semester. By the time rush came around, I decided it was time to suck it up and go out of my comfort zone to see if my group was waiting for me in the unexpected.
Leading up to rush, I was legitimately terrified. What did rush events even mean? I was convinced I would forget my own name or how to speak English or something else so embarrassing I would never be able to show my face in Peirce again. Even though I was terrified beyond my belief, my first rush event ended up convincing me to follow rush week through and see what could happen. Instead of timid and judgemental interaction, I felt welcomed and excited by meeting more people than I had probably ever seen at Kenyon. To my surprise, my conversations with different groups made picking one a bigger issue than “hating” Greek life.
By the end of the week, I had magically transformed into an openly anti-Greek student to someone desperately interested in belonging to a certain organization full of strong and empowered women. Through my time spent with all organizations, my generalized stereotypes quickly dissipated as I realized I had been wrong all along.
At Kenyon, the sororities not only defy stereotypes, but challenge them. I immediately saw how much each group emphasized every individual while also supporting them in every way. And most of all, I was shocked by how feminist and female empowering each group was (especially after all of those stories you hear about sororities body-shaming etc.). Needless to say, my viewpoint on Greek life at Kenyon has been completely turned around.
I say all of this now as a Zeta Alpha Pi pledge, a group that I immediately bonded and fell in love with during my rush experience. In my few weeks with this organization, I have made more close friendships with girls that share my passions than I ever thought was possible—and finally, I can say I found my “cult.”
While I am definitely aware of the negative culture surrounding Greek life, I am here to speak in favor of how it’s done here at Kenyon. Kenyon sororities will never make you feel insecure, objectified, or unsafe. In my experience, being a part of Zeta has only made me more confident in myself and what I can do with my time here on this campus. If you are having the same doubts that I am, even as a potential future college student, I not only recommend it but encourage it! You certainly won’t regret it, and may even find your girl gang for life.
Image Credit: Feature, Writer’s Own