Every girl currently enrolled in a sorority has heard the term “PLAM.” For those of you who don’t know, it means “Panhellenic Love and Mine,” which is basically saying that you love your friends from different sororities. Some sororities have their own versions of PLAM, adapted for their sisters (ex. we, in Kappa Alpha Theta, have TLAM, which means Theta Love and Mine). But PLAM is so much more than just something that you throw out during Greek Week or to your friends in other sororities during recruitment or on bid day. To me, PLAM truly means that you love, support, and care about the girls in other sororities as if they were your own sisters.

Obviously there are some things you can’t share with girls outside your sorority, but PLAM isn’t one of those things. You can show PLAM by supporting your friends’ sororities’ philanthropy events, participating in Greek Week, and cheering them on as they succeed in all areas of academic life. At Wofford, we have lots of Panhellenic events, and even with only four sororities, we have as much PLAM as any other school. My sisters and I have gone to almost every single philanthropy event not only for other sororities, but also fraternities. One of the biggest ways to show your love and support for other Greeks on campus is by coming to their events, or at least buying a ticket.

Many of my closest friends are in other sororities. Not to say I’m not close with my sisters (especially my pledge class), but outside of Theta events, I hang out with girls in all other sororities. One of my best friends (a Delta Delta Delta) won Panhellenic New Member of the Year during Greek Week last year, and our friend group couldn’t have been more proud of her. Our #proudmom snapchats and instagrams were full of PLAM and support for her. Every time one of my friends is published in the school newspaper, or posts an article on The Odyssey, I try to share as many as possible in order to support them.

PLAM can even be spread across schools, and class generations. My aunt and my grandmother were both Alpha Delta Pi; another one of my aunts was a Phi Mu; my best friends from high school who go to other schools are in Kappa Delta, Chi Omega, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and even non-Panhellenic sororities, like Gamma Sigma Sigma! You never know where you’re going to find PLAM, because often it’s already all around you, just waiting to take a cute picture with all of your letters on.

Having PLAM is like having school spirit at a football or basketball game; even if you don’t know anyone on the team. You cheer them on, support them, and want them to succeed, no matter what. Because at the end of the day, you’re all one big Greek community, and you support each other, and want each other to succeed. If not by being friends with girls in other sororities, then by going to their philanthropy and community events and wanting to see each other become the best Panhellenic women you can be.

PLAM.