Greek Life is More Than a Party!

Greek life at tons of universities has gotten the rep of being just one big party with drunk guys, slutty girls, tons of kegs, and spiked drinks. A ton of stereotypical dorks think that new members in sororities and fraternities are beaten with paddles, not allowed to eat for a few weeks, made fun of in front of the whole campus, and forced to be a “taxi service” for the active members. THEY’RE WRONG!!! These stereotypes are a huge reason why incoming freshmen decide not to “Go Greek.” I’m sure initiation rituals like these are a part of Greek life at other colleges. I can assure you, though, that those rituals aren’t a part of WKU’s Greek program. I’m an Alpha Delta Pi here at WKU, and I can’t think of one bad thing to say about my sorority or the whole Greek program, for that matter! In fact, I can think of several wonderful things Greek students do for WKU.

Greek organizations here at WKU stay busy in tons of events to raise money for their charities. Each sorority and fraternity helps other Greek organizations in their fundraisers, too. For example, Alpha Delta Pi’s big philanthropy fundraiser every year is the “Teeter-Totter-a-Thon.” For this event, the members of Alpha Delta Pi go to different public places around Bowling Green and teeter-totter all day. While we’re teeter-tottering, we ask people to donate money to the Ronald McDonald House. We also help in Kappa Delta’s “Shenanigans” and Pi Kappa Alpha’s “Pike Tug” fundraisers, just to mention a couple.
Thousands of dollars are raised each year for lots of different charities thanks to the hard work of WKU’s Greek students. Ok, you tell me how many college students can really say they do that kinda stuff if they aren’t a part of the Greek community? I guarantee you it’s not many! Kids are lazy these days, and they don’t care about anyone but themselves. Being in a sorority or fraternity helps kids such as these get off Facebook and get involved in something that matters!

And don’t think for a second that sorority/fraternity members aren’t focused on school. Every sorority and fraternity has a certain GPA that members have to keep to stay off probation. Probation = getting stuck with all the crappy jobs like cleaning toilets after dances. Yuck! So, to stop this from happening, grades are checked all the time, and study groups are created for girls that are having trouble making the grades. If a dance or charity fundraiser gets in the way of your study time, you put school first and hit the books. Members are rewarded within their organization for having good grades and studying with other members. Academics are the main job for students, and the Greeks here at WKU keep it that way. My sorority is proud of the fact that we had the highest GPA among the Greeks last semester.

One of the best things about being Greek at WKU is getting to know the alums. Sororities and fraternities have chapters all over the place. We all know jobs are hard to find in this horrible economy. Alums help Greek students find jobs and put in good words of rec for them. Even if a student moves clear across the country, it’s likely that their will be alums from their organization just about anywhere they go. In fact, an Alpha Delta Pi alum helped me get the job I have now!

Greek life is awesome for new students on Campus. It helps new students meet new people and get involved in different activities. The active members help the new guys/girls find their classes, too. I mean, c’mon, who really knows how to find classrooms in Tate Page on the first day? It would help to put the classrooms in order by number, but what do I know?
I’d say the most important reason why the Greek life is fabulous is that it helps you build lasting friendships. Many girls and guys in different sororities and fraternities will tell you that they never had a true group of friends until they became Greek at WKU. During my very first day as an Alpha Delta Pi, all the active girls treated me like they had known me their whole lives. Every time they see an ADPi walking on campus, they always go out of their way to stop and say hi. It really gives you a “home away from home” feeling.

Sorority and fraternity members have to get involved in at least 2 other extra-curricular activities on campus like Student Government and College Democrats. Being involved on campus looks really good on job resumes, so it’s a smart thing to do. I decided to get involved in College Republicans and the Dynamic Leadership Institute. Being active on campus really does make your college experience great.

The thing that hooked me on my sorority when I went through rush was the fact that it’s a Christian based sorority. We say the 15th Psalm first thing at every meeting. I think its awesome for college students not to lose sight of their faith. Alpha Delta Pi has weekly bible studies, and once a month we join a different fraternity for their bible study. It’s a great thing to be able to share your faith with your good friends.

So, are you guilty of believing these stereotypes about Greek life? If so, STOP!!! Its not cool. Greek organizations do a lot of positive things for the campus. Greek members raise money for charities, stay focused on school, have access to alumni networking, become more well-rounded, and gain lasting friendships. I can’t think of anything more awesome to be involved in! If you’ve understood anything you’ve read so far, I might have convinced you to join the Greek community!! I hope so:)