I am a sorority girl.
I bet when most people read that sentence, they think I go out and party a lot, or that I spend all my time making girls’ lives miserable to pressure them into being a part of my organization. This is how movies depict sorority life, and they couldn’t be more wrong.
When one of my best friends approached me back in January about joining SFU’s newest sorority, Alpha Pi Phi, I was skeptical. It wasn’t a subject anyone had broached with me before, and the stereotypes that we are all familiar with began to play out in my mind; I thought to myself that this would be one of the last organizations that I would consider associating myself with. I am never one to judge based on assumptions, though, so I went to a rush (recruitment) event, despite my reservations.
When I first met the women who would eventually become my sisters, what struck me the most was how crazy, genuine, and down-to-earth they were. I bonded with one girl, who later became my mentor, over books and The Walking Dead, and found out that the sorority’s president enjoyed cracking groan-worthy puns just as much as I did. I was immediately comfortable around all of them, and felt that I didn’t need to be anyone other than myself.
That feeling has never gone away. I study with my sisters, volunteer with them, and more recently, I’ve taken on the leadership role of philanthropy chair for the organization. Yes, there are parties sometimes, but being as attached to Netflix as I am, I prefer staying at home and my sisters don’t judge me for it. Best of all, they are among my closest friends, and I know they’ll always have my back.
There are currently three active sororities at SFU: Kappa Beta Gamma, Delta Alpha Theta, and the one I’m part of, Alpha Pi Phi. There are also three fraternities: Phi Kappa Pi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Omega Theta Delta. Two additional fraternities, Alpha Kappa Psi and Phi Delta Epsilon, are co-ed business-based organizations designed for members to develop their professional networking skills, with the latter more specifically catering toward people who hope to get into medical school.
The variety of organizations that comprise SFU’s Greek life makes for one of the most unique and all-encompassing experiences that a student could have at this university. It provides one with a means to grow professionally while developing amazing friendships. There are plenty of chances for someone to find their fit, just like how I have found mine.
So I am a sorority girl — a studious, Netflix-addicted, pun-loving sorority girl. I will continue to wear my Greek letters with pride, and I’ll forever be “Greekful” for all that sorority life has given me.
