Greek Pride

Sitting in my graduate class at a small, not very Greek college, I overhear a few students talking about Greek life, and who hazes and what they went through and how their chapter at another school (my alma mater, no less) were “totally snobby.” The room got quiet, and the guy laughed it off and spoke much quieter about his opinions. Good idea, bro.

I was a sorority girl. I am proud that I was a sorority girl. The friendships I made in Alpha Phi are deeper than any I had formed before, and on any given day you’ll see my O Ring, symbolizing my Omicron chapter at the University of Missouri. So yes, I get I credibly offended when I hear others bad mouth Greek life. So let’s clear some things up:

Do sororities and fraternities haze? I don’t know. Mine did not – as new members, we were treated like princesses. But all it takes is one screw up to ruin it for the rest of us.

Didn’t you just pay for friends? Maybe. I paid for a community to belong to; for the confidence to walk around a campus of 30,000 and know I wasn’t alone. I paid to live in a mansion with 80 of my closest friends. I paid for sisterhood events, socials and homecoming decorations (that I also spent hours on). And I promise, not a dime was wasted or regretted.

Well, all you do is party. Yep, partied so hard I graduated with honors a semester early from the best journalism school in the country. Oh, wait…

Look, I’m not going to tell you to join Greek life. It’s not for everyone. But for the lucky few, it’s more than a few Greek symbols on a sweatshirt, or hours spent pomping a house dec(oration). It’s a history of tradition, community and pride.

Would you walk into the Big House talking about how Michigan is overrated? No? Then don’t speak badly about Greeks – you never know when one is down the aisle.