Looking back on my time at the University of Missouri, I can’t help but reflect on my former life as an SEC sorority girl. The excitement and aura surrounding Greek life at Mizzou was surreal, and when sorority recruitment came around, I knew I wanted to become a part of it. I went through Rush Week the moment I stepped on campus my freshman year. By the end of that week, I had received a bid from my top house: Delta Gamma.
I experience an immense amount of joy on Bid Day and throughout the following days. I remember throwing up my sorority sign whenever an opportunity presented itself, as well as chanting Delta Gamma songs to my heart’s content. I even remember proudly introducing myself to people by saying, “Hi, my name is Rebecca Rogalski and I am a Delta Gamma.” I allowed myself to completely conform into the mold of Greek life. But, as weeks went by, that mold slowly began to crumble.
Socially, I was known as a Delta Gamma. But was that really what defined me? It only took a few weeks of me being a Delta Gamma to realize that Greek life is a defining social realm, and not necessarily a positive one. After talking with other Notre Dame transfer students who were a part of Greek life at their former universities, I discovered my experience was not an anomaly. Our shared experiences seemed to establish a pervasive problem in Greek life.
A junior transfer from Furman University weighs in on her Greek life experience:
“When people say the dorms at Notre Dame are equivalent to Greek life at other schools, I cringe. As a former sorority member, I can definitively say that Notre Dame dorms are nothing like Greek life. While I’m not out to bash or bad-mouth my sorority (since I had a lot of positive experiences), I’m just explaining why Greek life isn’t right for Notre Dame.
At Notre Dame we emphasize our community and sense of family. As a student body, we go through a lot together. Unfortunately, I think rival fraternities and sororities only subtract from that. Yes, I had friends in other Greek organizations than my own, but it almost always felt like there was a competition to be on the top.
Which sorority was the prettiest? Who had the most money? Which girls were the sluttiest? Girls were constantly judged on their looks, who they hooked up with, and what fraternity formals they got invited to. I remember organizations badmouthing each other because Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) really meant “Krispy Kreme Girls” or Delta Gamma (DG) stood for “Drunk Girls.” It created a negative aura around sororities—which are meant to be pillars of philanthropy and positivity.
This judgmental behavior only aims to degrade one another, destroying each other’s characters rather than building it up. Greek life helped create tension on campus and divided students into unnecessary social categories. Thankfully, I think Notre Dame is still true to the foundations it was built on.
A sophomore transfer from the University of Colorado explains what makes Notre Dame a successful place without Greek life:
“As far as not having Greek life at Notre Dame, I think it’s a refreshing dynamic. Sometimes being in Greek life defined you in a certain way around campus. Furthermore, what sorority/fraternity you were involved with would also define you at times. Not having Greek life at Notre Dame allows me the chance to belong to a diverse group of communities, with friend circles that overlap – not being defined by just one community. Unlike many transfers, I did have a good experience with Greek life, but I really can now appreciate and enjoy the dynamic of non-Greek life as well.”
I now look back at that time in my life when I would introduce myself to others as a “Delta Gamma.” Now I understand this introduction was completely inaccurate representation of myself. I was not a Delta Gamma, but rather a part of Delta Gamma. Being in a sorority should not define me; my character and experiences define me.
By straying away from Greek life at the University of Notre Dame, I believe that we as community have the utmost freedom to express ourselves as individuals and not succumb to the “labels” that Greek life validates.
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