“You’re in a sorority? Really? You don’t really seem like the sorority type…”
This is the all too common response I get from aunts and uncles at family gatherings whenever I am wearing my Alpha Phi sweatshirt. It happens every time I’m letters clad and each time it does, I have the same reaction: frustration. It’s not the words themselves that makes my blood boil, but the implied meaning behind them. Who is the ‘sorority type?’ Or a better question may be, who do people think is the ‘sorority type?’
The preconceived notions about Greek life across all college campuses is mostly negative: the average sorority girl is a bimbo that is only concerned with partying, drinking, getting the best possible “pledge” class and being considered the top sorority on campus. My peers not involved in Greek life insinuate this stereotype more often than they should, and I am flummoxed that such a cliché label is still in use. These sorority stereotypes are unfair, particularly as regards to the organizations on Johns Hopkins’ campus.
History’s first all female society was established in 1851 on Wesleyan College’s campus. The Adelphean Society, now commonly known by its Greek name Alpha Delta Pi, was designed after Latin literary societies, and was meant to be a place where women could discuss literature academia with their peers. Soon after in 1867, Pi Beta Phi was founded at Monmouth College as the first all female organization to be modeled after male fraternities. More like the modern Greek organizations we know today, Pi Beta Phi’s focus was to be a place where women could openly join together with like women, and discuss academia, culture and philanthropy. Since then, these all female organizations have sprouted on university and college campuses nationwide. Greek life at Hopkins was established in 1877, and has since flourish, involving over 1000 students. There are five recognized sororities on campus, each with their own respective philanthropy. The spring of 2014 recruitment has been the most popular to date; more girls are deciding to participate in sorority recruitment at Hopkins then ever before. A record breaking 300 girls signed up, and statistics show that the number of interested girls is increasing every year.
The sorority recruitment at Johns Hopkins is a friendly and hospitable one. Girls in sorority recruitment participate in a mutual preference process, in which they bid for sororities just as sororities bid for girls, allowing both the Greek organization and the potential new member to have a say in which sorority that they end up in. Once accepted into a sorority, a girl still has the opportunity to decline her induction into that organization, if she so chooses.
After new members receive their bids, all members of Greek life are required to participate in sober weekend, even if they are of legal age to drink, in order to ensure the comfort of the organizations’ newest members. Additionally, upper classmen in the sorority strictly abide by an anti hazing pledge, which keeps all the members safe and comfortable. Pan-Hellenic council, the national organization that regulates Greek life nationwide, has even went as far as to banish the usage of words like “rush” and “pledge,” which often carry a negative connotation. As a freshman, I never felt pressured to do anything that I didn’t want to do (in fact, I was showered with affection) and as a sophomore I believe that we make our new members feel comfortable and welcomed.
As a member of the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi on Hopkins campus, I have met so many inspiring young women. I have become good friends with people that I may have previously closed myself off to due to unsaid social barriers. Not only does being part of an organization help you meet people on campus, as sororities tend to host various social events, but it leads to networking opportunities with alums and opportunities to become involved. Women in sororities have learned about leadership through executive positions in their respective sorority. We have also helped to raise money and awareness for our respective philanthropic ventures, which each sorority is required to have. In addition to benefitting others, these events tend to bond the Hopkins student community as a whole.
Event’s like Alpha Phi’s Pancake Brunch or Phi Mu’s Pastathon bring students together to raise money in a group effort, and in a school where many students suffer from high stress levels due to academic rigor, it is nice to have events where the student body can come relax as a whole. In addition, Greek life at Johns Hopkins has helped to banish the “stupid sorority girl” stereotype, as recent data states that the average GPA for those in Greek life is higher than the average Hopkins GPA (data for sorority Kappa Alpha Theta has yet to be determined due to newness on campus).
The next time you say that I am “not really the sorority type,” think about the type of girl that actually is involved in Greek life at Hopkins. I know that in my particular sorority, Alpha Phi, that we have a diverse group of girls that come together to bond over common interests, learn new things, be exposed to different ways of thought, and have interesting new experiences. As one with good friend in each of the other four sororities on campus, I know the above statement to be true for those organizations as well. There is no “one type” of girl in a sorority here at Hopkins: we are a collection of intelligent, driven young women that are involved on campus in various ways and make our community better. Some of us are athletes, some are on Student Government, some are involved in clubs and some are working tirelessly to become a doctor.
So please, stop the false bimbo bitch stereotype. Here at Hopkins, we are breaking that mold everyday. I do not “seem like the sorority type” because there is not one type of girl that is in a sorority. But I am a sorority girl, and quite proud of that fact.
Megan DiTrolio is a sophomore from Radnor, PA, majoring in Writing Seminars.
