Hazing is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. It's a stupid concept and a weird word. Hazing. Makes me think of fog and heat.
That being said, I am proud to say that hazing does not occur in my Greek community and definitely not in my sorority. One of my new sisters approached me and told us she heard of rumors that our sorority and another sorority on campus hazed. What she had heard was absolutely ridiculous, including putting smiley face stickers on naked girls "fat bits" and duct taping naked girls together and making them go to a party like that.
I'm sorry, who thinks of this stuff? Like...what? Hazing was never something I worried about during my pledge process. OK, yes, I was a founder, but I'm sure something could have happened. I mean, obviously we had people leading us right? But even when we had new girls, it was never something that was ever fathomed or tolerated because IT IS SO STUPID. What the hell is the point of ridiculing someone? I know some have argued "trust." But hey, guess what? Making people look like assholes has absolutely nothing to do with my values. Pretty sure it is the exact opposite.
I know hazing has happened. I know it still happens. I have heard the stories. My dad was in a fraternity back in the '70s. Yeah, they did weird things back then. I know people who were hazed just a couple years ago. But I am proud to say that I am apart of a Greek culture that does not tolerate it. It is pretty dumb.
Wait a second.
Why do sport teams get away with it?
Nobody finds it odd that sports teams do forms of hazing all of the time and the news media reports it and laughs at it?
I understand that Greek hazing has been dangerous to lives and really messed people up. But hazing in any form is wrong. I don't care if you're being forced to wander naked in the woods, chug beer, or imitate the "Naked Cowboy" in Times Square as the San Francisco Giants rookies were forced to do recently. I know what some of you are thinking. "But wait! People could get sick or hurt or die from fraternity/sorority hazing. The sports teams are just having fun." I don't care. Think of the message it gives. These are grown men (although the fraternity men and sorority women are grown adults as well and JUST as responsible) making complete fools of their coworkers.
In any other industry, would this be accepted?
And what about all of the little kids that look up to ball players? How would you explain that? I'm not being sarcastic here, I'm curious. Please explain to an eight year old why adults can bully their "friends" into doing stupid things. How would you do that?
As Greeks, we are constantly being reminded of the stereotypes that were forced upon us by the choices of others and sometimes have to work twice as hard to prove that we are not these stereotypes and that we treat those who wish to join our brotherhood or sisterhood with the respect and guidance they deserve. I feel that in my Greek community, we do a pretty damn good job of proving the stereotypes wrong. Greek life here is growing at a ridiculous rate. We have good grades overall. And we constantly have someone doing a community service program. We are leaders in our communities, educational, extra curricular, and more.
This is National Hazing Prevention Week. I find it in poor taste that while fraternities and sororities across the nations are trying to prove that they don't take part in this, media outlets decided to highlight the hazing of grown men who make themselves look like assholes.
It may be harmless, making them dress ridiculously. But it is the message behind it. It is in poor taste.
I know that I could never haze my sisters. I just couldn't. I am too proud of my sorority and too respectful of my values and sisters. Just saying.
EDIT: To clarify, when I say sports teams I am talking about the pros. I've heard of plenty of college teams get in trouble including at my campus, where a hockey team got in trouble for making the rookies wear their helmets all day. Professors noticed.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The Importance of Ritual
One of my favorite aspects of sorority life is ritual. However, I think it is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Greek life. It is not necessarily an easy concept to understand. Ritual, after all, is the roots of your organization. When you are initiated, you make a promise. Every fraternity and sorority's promise is unique, but you know what happens in your ritual. I like to believe that most Greek members do truly hold their ritual close to their heart and do not let non-initiated members know everything behind the ritual. But that does not mean they necessarily understand it.
Ritual is one of the reasons behind the "secret society" stereotypes that, amusingly, still plague Greek life today. However, ritual is what binds us together. It definitely is not anything negative. It is something we share. Ritual makes a promise that we will live up to the standards our founders laid down. When you accept a bid to a Greek organization, you are making a promise that you will accept those standards and values. Your new member process up through and after initiation is to educate you about your Greek organization. Ritual.
Each group has its secrets embedded throughout; known only to those initiated. Why is this important? Why are these kept secret? Because when you were offered a bid, it meant that the brothers or sisters of the fraternity or sorority that you were being asked to join felt that YOU could live and uphold the ritual that they already knew and understood.
I think ritual is like a puzzle; it comes together in pieces. Only a few know how the pieces fit. Do not disregard ritual. I am not trying to sound pompous or snobby here-others believed that you could live these values. Often, ritual means being more than yourself. While we all have different ritual, I feel that in some ways, we have the same goal: Create good. That's what Greek life is rooted on, correct? Philanthropy? The differences lay in how we do it. But it doesn't matter. Don't brush off ritual. Embrace it. Help others embrace it too.
Truly, I feel honored knowing that there are things in my sorority that only initiated sisters know and that others will never understand. My ritual has helped me become a better person. Every day, I try to live out our values in ways that would make my sisters and founders proud. Being in a sorority is about doing more.
I live our ritual, and I see sisters do the same. Sometimes, I see blatant disregard in the Greek community for panhellenic or fraternal values. It is disappointing. Ultimately, we are all apart of one Greek community. We owe it to our founders and our brothers and sisters to live to our values. You accepted the responsibility. As it goes, you wear your letters on heart; not on a t-shirt. Usually, the first time someone sees you wearing the letters on a t-shirt, you will always be associated with them.
By participating in ritual, I feel that it continually installs your values. The majority of Greek life is fun; this is more serious. But I still enjoy it. It brings us closer together. Think about your Greek organization. Think of how many members there are, nationally or internationally. Then consider how many Greek members there are. Only a fraction of them know your ritual. Put that in perspective. I see it as significant.
Live your values everyday. I see myself becoming a better person. I am proud to live out my ritual.
Ritual is one of the reasons behind the "secret society" stereotypes that, amusingly, still plague Greek life today. However, ritual is what binds us together. It definitely is not anything negative. It is something we share. Ritual makes a promise that we will live up to the standards our founders laid down. When you accept a bid to a Greek organization, you are making a promise that you will accept those standards and values. Your new member process up through and after initiation is to educate you about your Greek organization. Ritual.
Each group has its secrets embedded throughout; known only to those initiated. Why is this important? Why are these kept secret? Because when you were offered a bid, it meant that the brothers or sisters of the fraternity or sorority that you were being asked to join felt that YOU could live and uphold the ritual that they already knew and understood.
I think ritual is like a puzzle; it comes together in pieces. Only a few know how the pieces fit. Do not disregard ritual. I am not trying to sound pompous or snobby here-others believed that you could live these values. Often, ritual means being more than yourself. While we all have different ritual, I feel that in some ways, we have the same goal: Create good. That's what Greek life is rooted on, correct? Philanthropy? The differences lay in how we do it. But it doesn't matter. Don't brush off ritual. Embrace it. Help others embrace it too.
Truly, I feel honored knowing that there are things in my sorority that only initiated sisters know and that others will never understand. My ritual has helped me become a better person. Every day, I try to live out our values in ways that would make my sisters and founders proud. Being in a sorority is about doing more.
I live our ritual, and I see sisters do the same. Sometimes, I see blatant disregard in the Greek community for panhellenic or fraternal values. It is disappointing. Ultimately, we are all apart of one Greek community. We owe it to our founders and our brothers and sisters to live to our values. You accepted the responsibility. As it goes, you wear your letters on heart; not on a t-shirt. Usually, the first time someone sees you wearing the letters on a t-shirt, you will always be associated with them.
By participating in ritual, I feel that it continually installs your values. The majority of Greek life is fun; this is more serious. But I still enjoy it. It brings us closer together. Think about your Greek organization. Think of how many members there are, nationally or internationally. Then consider how many Greek members there are. Only a fraction of them know your ritual. Put that in perspective. I see it as significant.
Live your values everyday. I see myself becoming a better person. I am proud to live out my ritual.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Above and Beyond
Many still associate Greek life with an "Animal House" type of lifestyle. This could not be further from the truth. To me, one of the most important aspects of Greek life is that you have someone to pick you up when you fall. Always. Recently, my cousin asked me about Greek life and how bids were given out and why girls were making fools out of themselves by cheerleading themselves. I explained to her that Greek life is so much more than the recruitment aspect of it. But, of course recruitment is hugely important to use. Our new members are the future of our chapter, and it is so exciting to at least have a peek at what the future can bring and just awesome to bring new sisters into our sisterhood and watch them learn what we already know and love.
I explained to my cousin about all of the benefits of Greek life. Friendships I wouldn't have had otherwise, leadership opportunities, and networking. I told her that there was a lot of fun involved with it, like sisterhood events, Greek Week, or just hanging out with my sisters like my other friends, but that it is so much more. I explained about all of our philanthropy work and how hard we try to do good for others. How Greek life helps us learn about ourselves. How it made me a better person than I could possibly imagine.
There's so much more too. Ritual is sometimes forgotten, I think, but it's truly one of my favorite parts. It is unique to each Greek organization. Truly, I have sat and thought about it (more or less because I really love my sorority and am a total nerd about it) and my ritual reflects what I believed in before I joined my sorority and just has enhanced it. I believe it was learning that about my sorority-our ritual, our history, and our values that made me realize my sorority was home to me. It was where I fit. I've learned more about myself, and I feel as if I am a better sister, friend, leader, and woman because of my sorority. And all of this I didn't even get to explain to my cousin!
From the little I did tell her, she said that she didn't realize everything Greeks did and could see why I loved it. Even though it can be really hard to explain to others about Greek life, I felt like I had accomplished something because now there was one less person who believed that Greek life was the way John Belushi had hilariously portrayed it.
Greek life is more than I can ever explain. It has truly made me a better person. I have seen others become the best they could be because of it as well. I have also seen the good that Greeks have done for others. Little by little, we can make a difference.
I explained to my cousin about all of the benefits of Greek life. Friendships I wouldn't have had otherwise, leadership opportunities, and networking. I told her that there was a lot of fun involved with it, like sisterhood events, Greek Week, or just hanging out with my sisters like my other friends, but that it is so much more. I explained about all of our philanthropy work and how hard we try to do good for others. How Greek life helps us learn about ourselves. How it made me a better person than I could possibly imagine.
There's so much more too. Ritual is sometimes forgotten, I think, but it's truly one of my favorite parts. It is unique to each Greek organization. Truly, I have sat and thought about it (more or less because I really love my sorority and am a total nerd about it) and my ritual reflects what I believed in before I joined my sorority and just has enhanced it. I believe it was learning that about my sorority-our ritual, our history, and our values that made me realize my sorority was home to me. It was where I fit. I've learned more about myself, and I feel as if I am a better sister, friend, leader, and woman because of my sorority. And all of this I didn't even get to explain to my cousin!
From the little I did tell her, she said that she didn't realize everything Greeks did and could see why I loved it. Even though it can be really hard to explain to others about Greek life, I felt like I had accomplished something because now there was one less person who believed that Greek life was the way John Belushi had hilariously portrayed it.
Greek life is more than I can ever explain. It has truly made me a better person. I have seen others become the best they could be because of it as well. I have also seen the good that Greeks have done for others. Little by little, we can make a difference.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Greek Life is the Best Life
My sophomore year of college was when I made the best decision of my collegiate career. I decided to join a sorority and become part of a community that has truly proven to be a home away from home. During that time, I have watched my Greek community grow and evolve in ways I never would have expected. Yesterday, I watched the largest class of new members in the history of RMU find their homes on bid day. Exactly 100 women learned what sorority sisterhoods they were joining to be a part of.
This was only the second bid day I was a part of, and it was overwhelming to see the sheer joy and happiness that all the sorority sisters and new girls shared that day. Across the three sororities, all I saw were thrilled faces. I could not have ever imagined a happier bid day. Everyone in our Greek community seemed to be in agreement too. Throughout the day, all of my social media was drowning in joyful posts of women excited to start their new journey or sisters excited to be there for that journey.
The years that I have spent with my sorority have been amazing. I never would have thought that so much good could come from it. Not for just a couple years, but for life.I have watched my sorority grow. I have watched us raise money and awareness for our philanthropies; making differences in the lives of others. We have all grown in our own ways. Now, I cannot wait to watch this group of women grow. Sorority life has offered more than I could have ever imagined. I gained amazing sisters at my chapter, but have also met sisters from other chapters of my sorority and found friends within other sororities. While we may wear different letters, it is important that at the root of it all we have the same goal: To do good for others while living our (albeit, different) values.
I was lucky enough to be a founder at my chapter. It is hard to believe that after the class of 2015 graduates, the last of the founders from my chapter will have graduated. A colony that started with only 30-some women has grown into a chapter with 70 in just two years.
I know that many of my sisters have also found other opportunities within Greek life. For me, I was fortunate enough to be accepted as a member of Order of Omega and am currently the Order of Omega chapter president. Before I joined a sorority, I never could have imagined the experiences I would have with it. It is everything I had wanted and more. To be a member of the Greek community at my university at this time is especially unique because of how much we are growing and expanding. It can only get better from here!
This was only the second bid day I was a part of, and it was overwhelming to see the sheer joy and happiness that all the sorority sisters and new girls shared that day. Across the three sororities, all I saw were thrilled faces. I could not have ever imagined a happier bid day. Everyone in our Greek community seemed to be in agreement too. Throughout the day, all of my social media was drowning in joyful posts of women excited to start their new journey or sisters excited to be there for that journey.
The years that I have spent with my sorority have been amazing. I never would have thought that so much good could come from it. Not for just a couple years, but for life.I have watched my sorority grow. I have watched us raise money and awareness for our philanthropies; making differences in the lives of others. We have all grown in our own ways. Now, I cannot wait to watch this group of women grow. Sorority life has offered more than I could have ever imagined. I gained amazing sisters at my chapter, but have also met sisters from other chapters of my sorority and found friends within other sororities. While we may wear different letters, it is important that at the root of it all we have the same goal: To do good for others while living our (albeit, different) values.
I was lucky enough to be a founder at my chapter. It is hard to believe that after the class of 2015 graduates, the last of the founders from my chapter will have graduated. A colony that started with only 30-some women has grown into a chapter with 70 in just two years.
I know that many of my sisters have also found other opportunities within Greek life. For me, I was fortunate enough to be accepted as a member of Order of Omega and am currently the Order of Omega chapter president. Before I joined a sorority, I never could have imagined the experiences I would have with it. It is everything I had wanted and more. To be a member of the Greek community at my university at this time is especially unique because of how much we are growing and expanding. It can only get better from here!
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