Story by Sarah LeBlanc
Photo by Larissa Wurm
On Wednesday, Greek recruitment week officially began on Drake University’s campus, and students and professors hold conflicting views on what participating in the process (or not) means to them.
About one third of campus participates in Greek Life, and there are about nine million Greek members nationally, according to Greek Life Statistics.
From a sociological standpoint, professor Amy Knudsen observes that sororities and fraternities have the capacity to impact students’ “interactions with people both within the house and outside.”
She said they also possess the ability to influence “identity and self development.”
Professor Knusden also posed the question as to how sororities or fraternities assist students in the transition “from family, from what they previously experienced,” to a united group within a house.
There is a combined total of 14 sororities and fraternities on campus, providing prospective pledges with opportunities to find a house that fits their personalities and interests.
First-year Samantha Olea is not rushing a sorority this year, but said she believes in the service sororities advocate for.
She appreciates the “opportunities to do good for others” and considers the philanthropies of the sororities “a way to better the world.”
Olea views sororities as groups in which women can “feel loved,” like they “belong somewhere and have a bunch of people to support you.”
The idea of sisterhood fits into her belief that women “rush to be socially accepted, to have somewhere to fit in.”
First-year Alyson Kruger is going through the recruitment process because she said, “It would be a great idea to get involved and get to know more people.”
Because of her involvement in other high school activities, she said, “A sorority is a great way to form a sisterhood.”
First-year Rainey Lecher chose not to go through the recruitment process because she “thought it would be like the sororities you see in the movies.”
For others like first-year Nicole Kincius, sorority life would be “too much of a commitment” and would conflict “with everything else I joined.”
First-year Andre Do, who plans to rush for a professional pharmacy fraternity, said that fraternities provide an opportunity to “network with other people.”
After joining “a lot of organizations in high school,” said he believes that “being in a specific group” for his career is a “beneficial opportunity.”
Legally Blonde may have had an influence on some women’s decisions whether or not to rush, but it certainly does not reflect the academic rankings of women and men in sororities and fraternities.
Overall, students in sororities and fraternities hold a higher grade point average than students not in Greek organizations.
Greek members also have over 150 opportunities for leadership within the chapters, according to the Drake Greek Life website.
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