I honestly didn’t plan to put so many Greek life post during the month of June. I had a schedule I was going off of, but then I decided to just dump the schedule and pick whatever I thought was a good topic that week. This week I want to discuss the importance of Greek unity. This is oh so important for the students going through formal recruitment this fall.
When you go through recruitment and pick your favorite house you aren’t automatically just done with the other organizations in Greek life.
As soon as you accept a bid from your favorite sorority or fraternity you join many different communities. You join your organization at the local and national level and you also join Greek life at your school as well as Greek life all across the nation and even world. The letters that bind you to your sisters locally and nationally also join you to wearers of Greek letters everywhere. Being associated with Greek letters not only helps you at home, but it also helps you anywhere you decide to go. It’s extremely important that you realize the importance of Greek unity, but also what Greek unity isn’t.
A phrase that floats around Greek life and ends up being placed on many a Panhellenic recruitment t-shirt is,
“No matter the letter we are all Greek together.”
This could not be more true. You may be in different sororities, you may do different activities, have different charities, and have different people joining your sorority—but at the end of the day we are all Greek life and we are all aiming toward the same things. Whether it be creating sisterly/brotherly bonds or raising awareness and money for our charities; we are doing the exact same things but we just have different ways of going about it.
The Greek life community is strong at schools.
Greeks often support each other by attending events hosted by other Greeks, having socials with each other, and even something as simple as speaking at each other’s chapter meetings. Greek life at your school will more than likely try to make these bonds stronger by hosting events like Greek Weekend or an all Greek step show.
Overall I would say not to burn bridges in Greek life.
It’s so easy to trash talk a house you didn’t get into during formal recruitment or to just be rude to women in other chapters once you join. Try not to do this as it fosters bad relations among sororities, and the same goes for fraternities. Also, it’s just not a nice thing to do. There are a number of reasons why you were placed in the house in which you were placed so there is no point to poking fun at other sororities and no good can come of it. You should be able to appreciate your own sisterhood/brotherhood without making fun of other chapters on your campus. People in Greek life will fall where they are supposed to go, so spreading rumors and being catty for no reason are not worth it and it doesn’t make you look good. People join for the sisterhood/brotherhood so how can they believe you have it if you don’t show it.
Greek unity isn’t bashing non-Greeks.
Greek life isn’t the only way to be involved in campus and in life. Calling people who chose not to associate themselves with Greek letters GDIs or rude names is honestly bratty and rude. Not everyone wants Greek life to be a part of their collegiate experience and that should be respected. There are so many things to be actively involved with on campus. Making fun of people not involved in Greek life should not be a way to tighten the bonds of Greek life.
Ultimately Greek unity is important because it gives you options.
It gives you the options to make many more connections and reach outside of your group of sorority/fraternity friends. Having connections with other sororities and fraternities allows your organization to grow and blossom and bottom line it allows you to grow and blossom. You may not be super mega best friends with people outside of your Greek letter organization but you can at least make an effort to have acquaintances in other organizations. You would be surprised at what could come of it.
