I used to not like Greek life. I viewed fraternities and sororities in the stereotypical way movies portray them: upity rich girls who paid for all their friends. Girls that wanted to party all the time and weren’t that smart. I despised that image of women.
I thought I would change my mind about Greek life when my friends had rushed, but the feeling still stayed the same. It just seemed like there was always drama among the girls and people weren’t as happy to be there as they should when they were paying hundreds of dollars a semester to be a part of this group.
My opinion finally changed this year. I was randomly assigned roommates on campus who were sisters of Pi Beta Phi. They are both very involved with the fraternity, and our dorm is always filled with sisters and other items associated with Pi Beta Phi.
My roommates have shared with me the work that their sorority does, such as their national philanthropy Read > Lead > Achieve. I’ve also seen how caring they are for each one of their sisters and how they always stick together, even through the rough times. It is nothing like the backstabbing I assumed it would be. These girls genuinely care about their fellow sisters and that compassion is wonderful. They even care about the women who come out for recruitment and realize that Pi Beta Phi isn’t their home, hoping that they do find their home and thrive in that environment. I’ve really come to admire all the work these women do and the sisterhood they have.
Related: Alyssa Goff: Pi Beta Phi President
To be quite frank, I’m sad my opinion about Greek life didn’t change until now as I’m in my senior year and spring recruitment is passing. I wish I hadn’t let my predetermined ideas get in the way of seeing Greek life for what it truly is. Despite that, I want to say thank you to my roommates and their sisters for making me change my mind about Greek life.