HOT TOPIC: Sorority Stereotypes
Dear Reader,
Let’s be honest for a second; what do you know about sororities? Really, take a moment and try to accomplish a single-sentence description of how you define them. Is it the people? The events? The movies and TV shows? The news stories about them being shut down or their recruitment practices?
It’s okay to know very little, know only the stereotypes, or have a negative perspective about sorority organizations. Just like any historical group, we have our fair share of scandals and mistakes. But unlike those other groups, Panhellenic Sororities change, evolve and grow with this wonderfully modern world we live in. In fact, many of our chapters and members are at the forefront of advocacy and bettering society!
But I digress, I’m sure you have many questions or ideas - and you want the truth behind them. In this featurette, we’re going to answer the most common misconceptions; and feel free to leave a comment if you still have a burning question we didn’t cover!
q1. I thought sororities were only an American thing, why and how do they exist in Canada?
Although most sources tell you that sororities are based only in the United States, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, they span further than North America - and are across the globe! Sororities originate from groups of women in the early days of education, where they were limited to specific fields (arts, education, nursing) and who felt that there wasn’t a lot of spaces for women to engage and empower themselves. So, the first sororities were made! At first they were local, and only had one “chapter” (a single campus-based sorority) but the concept of women empowerment quickly spread across the globe as more women went to school and wanted to expand their opportunities. Thus, members of the first chapters began to go to other campuses and establish more chapters! This is how sororities spread across Canada, and specifically, our Alberta chapters have been around since 1931!
q2. Is it all fake? Are you forced to be bubbly and happy all the time?
No, definitely not - my cheekbones wouldn’t be able to handle all the smiling. I’ve met so many uniquely different individuals as a member, people who want to play video games in the late-hours of the night, girls who wake early and start their day at the gym, my besties who like to study in cafes for eight-hours straight, and others who binge Twilight on Netflix since we need to discuss the legitimacy of sparkling vampire skin. We are a diverse community and at no point in time, do we believe fake positivity is an asset. But we are always supportive, regardless if our members are at their best or worst. If you want to cry for four hours? You have a group of girls ready to drop everything to come to your side. You feel really angry? Let’s book an entire rage room for the next five hours and smash some stuff. You are drained, brain-dead or just not into it today? That’s fine, we can just exist in silence and be present for one another. Nothing is fake here, and you don’t need to be friends with everyone, but those you are friends with become your greatest friendships, and those you aren’t respect and love you as a sister because we see all our members as wonderful people.
q3. Do you guys haze? Or what exactly is hazing?
Hazing is a terrible process where a person in power uses that power to make someone else do something against their will; whether they be new members, an executive, there is a clear imbalance in the relationship. Under absolutely no circumstances do any of our members, chapters, or community engage with hazing or stand by if hazing happens. Panhellenic Sororities as a whole have an anti-hazing policy, and our local campus (University of Alberta) have their own policies that we uphold with the greatest standards. And if such a thing were to happen, it would be grounds for one of our chapters to close.
When I was a new member, it was actually the opposite ironically - we got the “rights” to the couch during meeting (they are the comfiest thing you have ever felt), we were always treated kindly and never coerced into doing anything we never wanted, and it never felt performative. It’s the concept of pay the kindness forward - when the next new member class comes, treat them with the upmost kindness, because every person deserves it. And it didn’t stop after I initiated, I have never felt more loved and respected as I have in my sorority. Plus, if I’m being honest, I really love spoiling my friends since Gift Giving is my love language.
q4. Is there rivalries between the chapters? Do the chapters ever do bad things to one another?
The furthest we’ve ever gone is friendly competition for charities - as in who can raise the most money or give the most hours just for bragging rights. There might be personal relationships, where one member isn’t fond of the other, but that’s just life. In the workplace, in real life, you’re going to have groups of people where some get along and some don’t. And we’d never force our members to be friends, but we do always mandate respect. Plus, those types of situations never extend into the chapters themselves, and that’s why we’re a Panhellenic Community. Our individual organizations will always be connected. I think some of my closest friends come from members from other chapters, and even though we aren’t “sisters” of the same organization, I consider them some of the most important relationships in my life.
q5. I don’t want to join a sorority and have it be my entire personality. What if I want to travel? What if I don’t want an executive position?
Ha. I hear you. In my first year I did nothing but the bare-minimum - went to meetings, got my minimum volunteer hours, and attended some mandatory events (philanthropy events, recruitment workshops) - I think I spent less than 30 hours of my time on sorority stuff. And that’s in eight months. No one blamed me, and in fact, I didn’t feel isolated. I felt missed. Even though I was barely there, when I was, I got smiles and hugs and genuine conversations about what I was doing with my time. Even though I usually said no, I was always invited to the big events or the niche hangouts.
So then when I finally got into my second year, and took on my first position, I loved it. I got so many opportunities and the chance to give back to an organization that gave so much to me. Now I’ve been on two international trips, I have three littles, and I’ve held three positions; and I’m not planning on stopping. And even while I do this, I’m with two other clubs at the University of Alberta, plus I pursue my own interests outside of school! But that’s not what all members do.
One of my sisters went only to meetings throughout her entire membership, because she was always travelling the world or taking on political internships. But I (and I know my chapter) couldn’t be more in love with her. I look up to her to this day for her killer style, confidence, and caring heart. She was a true sorority girl not because she was involved in everything, but she shared our core values and embodied them in her own, special way.
So TLDR; no. You don’t need to make sorority your entire personality, you take and you choose how you involve yourself during and even after post-secondary!
Now, I think that’s more than enough text to rifle through. If I happened to miss on of your questions, check out our FAQ section on this website, or leave a comment and we’ll answer! And if you’ll excuse me, I got some STATS homework that requires my attention; see you next time!
XOXO,
Tina