Girls gone Greek
For many students, the purpose of fraternities and sororities on college campuses is as unclear as the symbols that adorn their houses.
“Sororities are an opportunity for women to belong to an organization that helps build lifelong friendships,” Ashley Thompson, a senior majoring in marketing, said.
Utah State has four sororities. Three of them: Alpha Chi Omega, Kappa Delta and Chi Omega, have houses and are nationally organized. The sorority Theta Nu Xi is a multicultural sorority which is organized on a local level and does not have a house.
Each sorority has what they call a philanthropy. These are the organizations they provide service for. Members offer their time to serve at these different organizations as well as set up fundraisers.
The Make A Wish Foundation, Girl Scouts of America, CAPSA and Prevent Child Abuse America are a few of the organizations Utah State University’s sororities do service for.
Members have standards they must abide by. They must keep their GPA above a 2.5 and join on-campus clubs.
“When you are in a sorority, there is always something to do and always someone to go with,” Paula Heward, a sophomore majoring in business, said.
There are leadership positions held by members in the areas of philanthropy, standards, finance, social and alumni relations.
“Nobody walks around a sorority not doing anything,” Thompson, who serves as president of Alpha Chi Omega, said. “This is a democracy – even as president I have limited power.”
Much of how people perceive sororities comes from Hollywood’s portrayal.
“People should be way more open minded,” Heward said. “Just because they see it on TV, they think we’re just like that.”
Members said there are rules they have to follow. No alcohol is allowed on the premises and no form of hazing is allowed.
“Here at USU we have a great Greek advising team,” said Jen Friedel, a sophomore. “They are very strict about no hazing.”
“We are so strict about hazing,” Thompson said. “We can’t make new members do anything we aren’t doing.”
Initiation tends to be something that is brought to mind when the word hazing comes up. But Thompson said they don’t do anything “scary” and no one is forced to do anything. She said it is more like a beautiful learning experience.
“It may sound like the sorority is a big secret,” Heward said, ” but it’s more like it’s sacred. Once you are a member, you have the privilege to know.”
Members of sororities said they are very aware of the stereotype that surrounds them.
“Your behavior is watched when you’re wearing your letters because you are expected to be the stereotype,” said Friedel. “If I was wearing normal clothes, no one would notice.”
Each sorority house is maintained by house parents. This is usually a married student couple. The couple is in charge of all the house maintenance as well as cooking the meals provided for the girls.
“The worst part of the job is grocery shopping,” said Cory Hansen, a house parent for Chi Omega. “We spend four hours every Saturday at the grocery store.” She and her husband Justen cook lunch and dinner for the girls six days out of the week.
Some of the girls said they joined a sorority because it is like their “family away from home.”
Thompson, who is from Houston, Texas, said when she came to Utah State she had no friends. Being from the South, where sororities and fraternities are more prevalent, she decided that was the best way for her to meet people.
“It has been the best decision I have ever made,” Thompson said.
Chelsi Nicholls, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, said she joined because she wanted the sisterhood and the involvement on campus that a sorority had to offer.
“There is not a spare moment in my life,” Nicholls said.
Twenty-one girls living in one house, sharing two bathrooms, one kitchen and two fridges would seem a little daunting to some. But Nicholls said they don’t have a lot of conflict.
“We’re so much closer here,” Nicholls said. “It’s a different bond than you would have with roommates.”
Among the sororities and fraternities, there is what Thompson called a “healthy rivalry and high respect.”
“Without the variety, the Greek system would fall,” she said.
Thompson said she believes sororities and fraternities help with retention at schools.
She admitted that she probably would have gone back to Texas and that many others stick around because of the same reason.
Thompson said she hopes the Greek community will continue to evolve and that some day down the road, negative stereotypes will no longer plague fraternities and sororities.
-ashleykarras@cc.usu.edu