With the start of a fresh year means it’s time to start joining some clubs or organizations. Some students may consider joining one of the variety of Sororities or Fraternities. Now, we’ve all seen the movies, we all have this perceived image of what it means to be in a sorority, but is it fair to judge an organization purely on the stereotypes we see portrayed in the media? Of course not! There is so much more to Greek life than what we see on the big screen. I recently spoke to a few of our very own Sorority sisters here at NMSU and this is what they had to say about the misconceptions surrounding Greek life. I first spoke to a Zeta Tau Alpha member.
- What are some misconceptions you’ve personally heard about sororities?
“Usually anything that has anything to do with sororities I hear it has to do with partying or hazing. Or that the girls are very materialistic and rude where the girls judge other girls. I can say I have definitely never experienced any of that at Zeta Tau Alpha. I definitely found a place where I am at my most comfortable self.”
- How does it make you feel when you hear these misconceptions?
“Honestly it’s kind of funny, I used to be a believer of all of the stereotypes until I joined. They’re funny but they can also be really disappointing because it’s totally not like that at all. There’s so much diversity and personalities in our chapter that it all blends together into a big family.”
- What is your organizations philanthropy?
“Our philanthropy is breast cancer education and awareness. We various events around campus. We do a 3k marathon. All the money raised from these events goes to breast cancer education and awareness. Everything we do is for that.”
- Finally, would you say any of the stereotypes would hold true?
“Absolutely not.”
After my interview with the lovely ZTA member, I decided to get more input. I then interviewed an Alpha Xi Delta member.
- What are some misconceptions you’ve personally heard?
“Some misconceptions I’ve heard about sororities is that we’re all paying for our friends. Another thing is that we’re all rude and think we’re better than everyone. Or that we all party all the time.”
- What do you have to say in response to these?
“They’re not true at all. We don’t just pay money to some random company. When you’re in the sisterhood you actually understand where that money goes. I joined to be a part of an organization and a family while I’m at college. Not just to be cool. Also, there’s so many different types of girls. There are some that would rather stay in on a Friday night and watch movies or go to dinner so we’re not all just a group that likes to go out and party all the time.”
- What is your philanthropy?
“Our philanthropy is Autism Speaks, so we do two philanthropy events a year, we do one in the fall and one in the spring. In the spring we do the 5k walk or run and we also table all of April because that is World Autism month and we sell little bracelets people can buy for a $1. And we do all sorts of events and community service projects.”
- Lastly, how does it make you feel when you hear these misconceptions?
“When I hear these misconceptions I feel like it kind of degrades us as a whole. I feel like it makes it feel or sound less special than it really is.”
It’s crystal clear that sororities offer so much to those interested and do a lot of work to help their respected organization and community. To continue to blindly think how certain misconceptions about them are based off exaggerated examples in the media is doing a disservice to both those in sororities and those considering joining. Always remember to do your research and evaluate all sources before judging something!