It is almost virtually impossible to not associate sororities and fraternities with the stigma of binge drinking, non stop partying, acts of raunchy behavior, and hazing thanks to parody films such as "American Pie: Beta House", "Total Frat Movie", "Frat Star", and other movies falling under that category.

Although I, myself, find these movies humorous, I only find them entertaining because of the inaccuracies depicted throughout the films. As someone who is a proud member of a nationally well-respected sorority, I am here to put a halt to the rumors and crush the stereotypes about Greek life.

Starting with the biggest rumor of them all, hazing and “hell week” during the recruitment period. This does not exist anymore, for the most part. If it still does at some colleges or universities, then it is very rare or the “initiation tasks” are lowkey (such as getting someone’s phone number) and do not cause harm to you.

However, if you ever considering joining a Greek organization, you do not have to run through the streets naked, you won’t have to point out your flaws and draw them on your body in front of judging peers, or anything to that extreme.

There are certain rules and regulations that all organizations are required to follow and if any of the anti-hazing rules are broken, the Greek organization is at major risk of being discontinued on campus.

Take the incident at Penn State for example. That was an intense tragedy that could have been completely avoided. Because of situations like those that are capable of happening, every greek organization’s national headquarters provides rules and regulations that were are required to follow so it keeps us grounded and keeps everyone involved safe.

Commonly, fraternities and sororities are known for wild raging parties. Yes, there are mixers during the week and weekends that sororities and fraternities hold and then the mixers open up to the public later on in the night. We are in college, people like to party, there is nothing wrong with that. However, we do not just party. What a lot of people don’t know (I did not know this myself until I started rushing), is that every sorority and fraternity raise money for philanthropies and are heavily involved in community service.

Whether it is for cancer research, child abuse awareness, autism, etc., we come together as a community and hold fundraisers, benefits, “dine-and-donates,” etc. open to the public in honor of these important matters. So, yes, we party on the weekend and maybe sometimes during the week (if you do not have class the next day) but we have other priorities that allow us to make differences in our community.

On top of community service, school work always comes first. To be a member of a Greek organization, you need to maintain a minimal GPA of at least 2.5. In my opinion, I believe this GPA is very attainable. Yes, it is fun to go out, party, and do other bonding activities with your fraternity/sorority, but you are paying tens of thousands of dollars to attend this institution for an education. Take your school work seriously.

Most of the rumors that people hear about are the main roadblocks as to why people decide not to rush for a fraternity and a sorority. Joining a sorority was probably the best decision I have ever made in my college career thus far. I have met some of my closest friends in my sorority, I am much better at time management, I have found confidence in myself, and I feel that I have found my place in this world.

This is the first time that I truly feel accepted as an individual by a group of people. Best of all, these won’t be my sisters for only the next four years, they are my sisters for life. So, if you are thinking about joining a fraternity or sorority, crush the Greek life stereotypes and rush.