Fraternity. Sorority.
You say those words and everyone bombards you with questions like "are you in a Frat?", "do fraternities haze each other?", or "don't fraternities just party?". It's aggravating being asked these questions because this is the reputation that Greek life has and people judge members for it!
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Movies. Movies kill Greek Life, no doubt. If you've ever seen Neighbors or Blue Mountain State you know exactly what I'm talking about. People see these movies and they think they know what greek life is about: drugs, constantly partying, girls, more partying. It's these assumptions that give Greek life a bad reputation.
People think that members of Greek organizations are dumb wannabe jocks and rich snobby chicks. Opinons like this probably originate from someone who tried Greek life and didn't like it. But their experience involving the Greek community doesn't make them the authroity on all things Greek. Sure there are some stereotypes that are true, yes, but that doesn't mean that every Greek you meet is the same. People involved in Greek organizations are typically more involved on campus, whether it is the SGA or another social club. You are also required to participate in community service activities and philanthropy events, in turn, giving back to the community.
Being Greek doesn't mean you're dumb either. Most organizations require a certain GPA to join and if your GPA drops, we have mandatory study hall hours. Sure it's annoying and time consuming but it's for our benefit. It gives you time to actually focus on your classes and study.
Joining Greek life was the best decision I made coming to Jacksonville State University. I was skeptical at first because of the things I had heard. But one day on my way to class, I met a member of Sigma Nu. It was rush week and he gave me a card with all of their events on it and encouraged me to stop by. As skeptical as I was, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out and I wasn't wrong.
As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted by a bunch of guys who were genuinely excited to meet me and have me there. And watching them all belt out some Backstreet Boys karaoke was pretty funny, not going to lie. It was nice seeing how much fun they were having together and when I left, I was so confused as to why anyone would hate an organization like that SO much. I later accepted a bid and can't imagine not being a part of this massive family!
Greek life is a great way to make long-lasting friendships with people that will hopefully be in your life forever. The Alumni also help you make connections with people for jobs after graduating from college! It's like having a family away from your real family. They keep you on your toes, make sure you study and pass your classes. People never really try to know what Greek life is really about and if they did, maybe we wouldn't get judgmental looks from people when we wear our letters!
Sure, we party and we definitely know how to have a good time with our friends, but it's so much more than that. It's about the relationships you have with these people you call your second family. These are the people who will be with you your whole college career and hopefully even after. Don't assume to know what Greek life is about because you had a bad experience or based on what you heard. It's not for everyone and not everyone will understand it, but don't hate something you don't get.
