Why do PSU girls join sororities?

Clunky heels, ripped jeans, color co-ordinated spandex. If you’re a Penn Stater, you can probably identify a gaggle of sorority sisters in the darkness of Calder Ally, even if your ears are still ringing after the heavy bass that was just pulsating from the speaker you were standing next to at Skulls.

We have all seen the troops of these tall, intimidating girls marching to frat parties, running to rush events, or spray painting their Greek letters on the lawn, but how many of us outsiders truly understand what goes on in the minds and hearts of these young women?

Well, I gathered the courage to approach some sorority sisters to see what made them want to join the Grecian ranks, and there were some mixed motivations.

To start, I interviewed Amanda Fellin, president of Alpha Chi Omega, about her personal experiences joining her sorority and about what she sees in the girls who rush every year.

 

“I joined as a freshman. In general, I wanted to join a sorority because PSU is such a large school and sorority life made it a more personal experience.”

Since she was looking for ways to serve her community, she also said she was looking for a sorority with certain values and goals in line with her own interests.

“Alpha Chi Omega specifically stood out to me because our philanthropy is Domestic Violence Awareness, which is something I was excited to support.”

She cites other influences, like certain opportunities that would not have been presented to her otherwise. “For me personally, I joined a sorority because you can run for executive positions. The main reason I rushed was because I did intend on running for president and I’m thrilled that rushing gave me that experience.”

But what about the newly-minted sisters, those who have just recently started the rush process?

“The sisterhood and friendships gained from Greek life are definitely a huge motivator for girls to rush,” Fellin says, “and I know most people truly find their place somewhere, considering there are about 230 members in each sorority.”

So, with all of this in mind, we set out to talk to the sisters themselves and see what makes them tick.

Freshmen like Brittany Divver, who are simultaneously rushing sororities and starting their university experience, really feel that Greek life is an “in” to the Penn State community.

“I’m from really far away and I came here and I didn’t know anyone, and I really wanted a strong friend base.”

When asked about the factors that influenced her decision to join a sorority, and Gamma Phi specifically, she was happy to share.

“My entire family on my mom’s side did sororities and are still really close with them and had them as their bridesmaids at their weddings and I wanted that really strong connection with this core group of people in college. For Gamma Phi, I found out they were really genuine people during rush, and they really didn’t seem stereotypical at all, just really genuine and stuff like that.”

Family tradition factor seems to play a big role in a lot of the decisions made to join sororities. For example, Lily Holeva, a senior in Kappa Kappa Gamma, said that Greek life was a factor in her college choice.

“I didn’t really think I was going to join one, but when I was looking at colleges my mom made me look at ones with Greek life because she had done it and she could see me wanting to do it.”

When asked if she felt that juggling sorority responsibilities and academics was overwhelming for her first year, she replied good-naturedly. “Freshmen year was just a wreck, because I’m me, but I had so much more fun because I joined a sorority.”

Other girls, like Alison Scotto, a junior in ASA, had planned on joining a sorority for a long time.

“Whenever I imagined myself in college, I imagined myself in a sorority just because it’s a good way to get involved, instead of a bunch of different clubs.”

I was also curious as to how the expectations about sorority life “lived up” to the real thing, and in what ways sororities are unfairly portrayed in the media. Most of the girls we talked to said that their experiences exceeded their expectations.

Holeva, when prompted with this question, had a wholly positive reaction.

“At first, I didn’t really know what to expect from watching movies and stuff, I didn’t know if girls were going be like that, if girls were really that catty, but, no, these girls were much more genuine than I thought they were going to be.”

Another common stereotype would be that sorority sisters risk their individuality for the sake of the clan, but Holeva seemed to disagree.

“I think sororities are more individual-oriented, because you gain friendship and people to help you with school work. The group stuff is mostly for serving the community.”

Gabrielle Peretti, a junior in ASA, agreed with this sentiment, going as far as to say: “It’s a home away from home, having sisters. I have a sister at home, and it’s nice to have them here at school too. It’s actually a place where you feel comfortable and good, it feels like it’s your own family.”

Scotto also said: “Along with the other sororities, there’s a big opportunity to build a networking system and stuff like that. We can talk to anyone about anything, which I didn’t think would happen.”

Some of these “negative” expectations, however, deterred other girls from joining sororities right away.

For example, Ewa Lecewicz grappled with some of the stereotypes associated with sorority life, as well as her own self-image while making her decision.

“Last year (freshman year), the stereotypes I heard about sororities didn’t make me want to join one. All I heard was ‘You’re hot, you’ll get in,’ and, eh, I just didn’t feel like being judged by how I look. But then I heard about my sorority and starting a new chapter, I wanted to join because there was less pressure to impress.”

Lecewicz, the founder of a sorority chapter at Penn State, replied she had never considered herself a potential sorority girl in high school, but that she changed her mind when she did some research and found out “what sorority life really entailed.”

Similar to Fellin, Lecewicz initially joined to find her “place” on campus and she is now very excited “to set the precedent for future members,” as a sister and a founder. Finally, she mentions: “My sorority places a huge emphasis on sisterhood and I thought it would be a great place to establish strong friendships.” Of all the factors mentioned above, the idea of being part of a tight community was consistently mentioned.

Although most girls, quite understandably, were reluctant to talk to me about their inner feelings coming to a large university, the motivations they did reveal reflect the basic human need for a niche or a “place-fulness,” a feeling everyone seeks out when coming to a new place.