The Letters We Wear on Our Chests

I proudly represent Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. Theta Chapter at Baruch College. If it weren't for my experience in Greek life, I don't think my college experience would have been very fulfilling attending a commuter school. People have this preconceived notion that Greek life solely consists of partying, drinking, hooking up, doing drugs, and "YOLO-ing" throughout one's college career; I used to be one of these people but I decided to just take a leap of faith and give it a shot by going out to rush. It was a lot different than what I expected from how media portrayed Greek life. For me, I felt welcome and valued as a potential new member of Kappas and I felt at home, and I don't regret choosing Kappas over other orgs three years later.

I think my biggest fear when it came to rushing was the potential threat that becoming Greek would change my values or who I was as a unique individual. I was afraid to be engulfed in this new exclusive community that I would leave my old friends behind. Thankfully, with my stubborn personality, I reminded myself I wasn't that type of person and I'm proud to be the same person and hold the same values I did when I first entered college, with the exception of me becoming more outspoken and speaking my mind, eventually landing myself on the Executive Board of both Kappas as well as another club on campus.

Now that it's crossing season and all these Facebook statuses are flooding my newsfeed, it makes me think about Greek life as a whole. This exclusivity right that we so proudly share as fellow Greeks who had to earn our letters through our respective processes allows us to bond in ways people in any other club at school can't fathom. Although we may have crossed in different orgs, this fact doesn't make any one of us more superior than the next Greek. I think many of us forget the fact that we were once not Greek and we were equals, and now that we are, we are still equals. I really despise the way some orgs encourage this hate rivalry between sister or brother orgs. Why encourage this kind of disunity by teaching your younger generations to hate another org, or teach them to dirty rush just to recruit people for your own org?

As Program Educator for Fall 2013, I hoped to instill the values in my kids that just because you're in another org than your friend, it's okay. There's no need for this trivial, unnecessary hostility between two orgs. I think it's vital to instill these kinds of values between individuals because this is just good practice to be accepting of people who choose to be a part of something they feel close to or value, instead of criticizing their decisions and ostracizing them from your life. Greek life is a subculture within our society that already experiences careful scrutiny and Greek unity is exactly what we need to stick together, not only during tragedies where Greeks are portrayed in media as the bad guys. 

I'm hoping that with future generations, we can continue to teach everyone to get along with each other and be accepting of people's choices to join whatever org they feel comfortable with. Don't let the letters we wear on our chests define who we are entirely; stay true to yourself and to your friends you had before you crossed into Greek life. Don't forget the values you held before you went Greek and don't let this new title change how you perceive people who aren't Greek.