The time has come; school is officially back in session. Some of us spent beautiful summers studying abroad, laying on a beach or by the pool, working internships or summer jobs, while others never left Marshall. Now we are all back in the city of Huntington and the struggle to get back into the swing of things is oh so real. The weather is still warm, so we want to be laying in the sun working on our tans, not sitting in a chilly classroom. For the freshmen, they are adjusting to a completely new lifestyle. For some of them, this is a brand new home, filled with people they do not know, and it could be incredibly intimidating. We all have one thing in common though: dreading school. We should not dread school. Yes, you heard me correctly, we SHOULD NOT dread coming back to Huntington and continuing our lives at Marshall. Sure, classes can be a drag and things become stressful, but coming back to school also means seeing all our friends that we most likely said goodbye to and going to football games and cheering on our favorite team, who should have a fantastic season this year, and doing all the wonderful things that Huntington can provide.
One of the many fantastic things that Marshall University provides is Greek life, and it’s recruitment time! Recruitment is one of the best times of the year because new students on campus and students that want to get involved in a big way have the best opportunities laid out for them. Greek life is the perfect way to meet new people, help out the community, and really be a staple in campus life. A lot of people look down on Greek life because of the negative stereotypes and connotations but it is so much more than parties, alcohol, and frat boys. Greek life is a tradition. It is our values and rituals. It is sisterhood and brotherhood. Greek life is family. No matter what sorority or fraternity someone may join, Greek life as a whole is a family because we all understand each other and relate to one another, even if our values and rituals are different.
Marshall University also has 0 tolerance for hazing. Some new students get nervous going through recruitment and rush because they think they will be hazed but this is completely untrue. If this is the one reason someone has for not going through recruitment, let me assure you that hazing doesn’t happen on our campus. Recruitment is such a fun time for active sorority and fraternity members and all of the new men and women going through it! You can meet some of your lifelong friends in this process as well as find your home within our little community! I fully encourage everyone to go through recruitment, even if you’re skeptical, just to see if it’s for you. It won’t hurt to try and you can potentially join something so much bigger than yourself. Greek life would love to see you and have you!
Another great way to get involved is to join the THUNDER committee! THUNDER is a 24-hour, no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon at Marshall University. The purpose is to raise money and awareness for children with chronic medical conditions. This is a student-run philanthropic event that will benefit Hoop’s Family Children’s Hospital and will take place during the spring semester. This is the first year that THUNDER will take place, which means that you can be involved in making this as big as University of Kentucky’s DanceBlue. If you are interested in getting involved, please fill out this application.
Here is a video from DanceBlue this past year:
We hope you decide to get involved on campus this year, whether it be with Greek life, THUNDER, or even joining the Her Campus team (we meet Thursdays at 9:15pm in MSC 2E10)! Great things are coming to Marshall’s campus, don’t miss out!