Greek life is different no matter what university you attend. In the southern states, Greek life is a lot more intense and desired. At Ohio University, Greek life is only about 11% of campus population, but it feels like a large community if you get involved in it. I love being involved in the Greek community on OU’s campus, but I do not think I could be in one in the South.
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First off, there is no pressure to join any chapter at OU. The students here get along no matter if they are Greeks or non-Greeks. What unites this campus is the idea that we are all Bobcats. In the South, there is a lot of pressure to join a chapter. Women rushing sororities have to be on campus weeks in advance because rush takes place before school even begins. This adds to the pressure of incoming freshman that have to move away from home. It also pressures them into finding friends right away because nothing on campus is opened yet.
At OU, rush week is the second weekend after school beings. This gives freshman time to adjust to their settings and also course work. There is no pressure to know if you want to rush yet and it gives you a chance to see what your friends or roommate think about it. There are also countless opportunities to join a chapter after fall rush. What this means is that if someone is unsure or hesitant, they can wait a semester or a year to join. In the South, women must know months in advance before they get to school that they are going to rush.
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Another difference is that there are no typical sorority girls on OU’s campus. Each chapter is unique and so are the women that are a part of them. There is not a specific look, financial edge, or typical attitude that gives anyone an upper hand.
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An added pressure in the southern states is to join the same sorority that your mother was in. If you are rushing, you are a legacy of a chapter if a family member was a part of that chapter in the past as well. At OU, it seems that women choose where they want to end up, and it is not always where their moms or sisters ended up. In the South, there is a lot of pressure to be in the chapter that you are a legacy to.
Being a member of the Greek community at OU is laid back and open to everyone. There is no typical sorority girl, and there is not an exclusion between Greek members and non-Greeks. I would not have it any other way than how it is on this campus.
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