By Tara Conry

They are seen throughout the University adorning symbols across their backs, disappearing into a “secret” room in the basement of the Student Center and speaking in words that are “Greek” to the rest of the student population. Sororities and fraternities are a prominent force on campus, but for those students who are not part of these exclusive groups, their views of “Greek Life” are drawn mostly from mainstream media and stereotypes.

“It’s not the stereotype that people think it is,” Kelly Knox, a senior broadcast journalism major and a member of Phi Epsilon, said. “You can’t know what it’s like until you experience it for yourself.”

Knox credits her rush experience as the sole reason she decided against transferring to a different college.

“It’s like having 40 best friends,” she said. “You know that someone will always have your back.”

Knox added that while she was rushing she found all the groups were friendly, but each had a different personality.

“There is a group out there for every person, but it requires that you look at all the groups and find one that fits your personality,” she said. “And even if you chose not to pledge you will have met so many new people through the rush process alone.”

The rush process is important because you have the opportunity to see each organization, Jill Muramo, a senior broadcast major said.

Since pledging her sorority, Muramo has been involved in fundraising for the community and local charities. Her organization has joined with other groups within the Greek community to sponsor events such as “Light Up the Night” and “Relay for Life,” an event to raise money for cancer research.

“Any club is time consuming,” Muramo said. “But I absolutely love my sorority and have no regrets. It has been a completely positive experience.”

In addition to the friendships formed by linking students through similar interests, these groups also provide support and mentors for its members.

“The best part about being in a fraternity is that you have a big brother and there’s always someone who has gone through what you’re experiencing now,” Mike Albert, a senior marketing and international business major, said. “Then when you are the senior, you are there to help someone else in return.” Albert also admitted he would have transferred if he had not joined the Greek community.

Robyn Gellman, a senior public relations major, pledged Phi Sigma Sigma three and half years ago because after moving out of state to attend college, she wanted an outlet to find friends and become more involved in the campus community.

“Rushing can be overwhelming,” Gellman said. “But it has been a great experience and the girls in my sorority have become my best friends.”

However, not all students who pledged Greek Organizations share these positive views. Unlike most clubs on campus, these organizations do not receive budgets from the University and rely on fundraising and membership dues to finance their activities. This has created a financial burden for some students who must pay an average of $100 a semester if they are part of a local chapter and as much as $300 if they belong to a national chapter.

Leighann Farrelly, a member of Alpha Phi who graduated in December 2003, said the demand to raise money fostered intense rivalries between different sororities.

While she was a sister of Alpha Phi her sorority won many events during Greek Week and Homecoming. They raised the most money on behalf of the University and local charities and earned the distinction of “Chapter of the Year,” which is awarded to one sorority and fraternity annually.

Farrelly remembers when she and her sisters approached the stage during the “Greek Dinner” to receive the award, members of other sororities threw drinks and food at them, booed Alpha Phi and chanted the names of their own sororities.

“You work so hard all year and you are so proud of what you have accomplished,” Farrelly said. “But the award is bittersweet because no one is happy for anyone else.”

Farrelly also admitted the rivalries among different sororities and the pressure to commit to her own group, caused rifts in the relationships with her friends that belonged to other sororities.

While she was pledging, Farrelly said the leaders of her sorority made sure pledges attended class, spent a certain amount of time studying in the library and enjoyed free time to talk with family and friends.

“Although no one was physically or emotionally abused during the process of pledging,” Farrelly said. “I remember being embarrassed 90 percent of the time.”

The process is different for each group, but the members of Farrelly’s sorority forced the pledges to engage in acts of humiliation, such as singing in front everyone assembled in the Rathskellar, with the intent of amusing the older members of the group at the expense of the pledges.

“It was all about asserting power and proving status,” Farrelly said.

An anonymous source supported Farrelly’s statement.

“The process of pledging is not as intense as it is portrayed in the movies, but it can be very embarrassing,” a senior journalism major who depledged her sorority, said. “The only comforting thought is that everyone in the group has to go through it at some point.”

While she was pledging she bonded with the some members of the group, but felt other members took pledging too seriously. “Looking back at what I did while I was pledging I ask myself ‘what was I thinking?’ I don’t regret what I’ve done, but there were much better things that I could’ve done with my time,” she said.

She admitted if her experiences following pledging had been more positive, she might feel different towards the process. As a competitive athlete, she chose to pledge a sorority because she felt it would encourage the feeling of teamwork she enjoyed. Through rush she selected a group that prided itself on its understanding of students with other commitments; however, within a few months after pledging she recalls the members “started to show their true colors.”

Fights erupted within the group over “petty problems” and the older members were hypocritical when reprimanding new members.

She recalled the nights she was forced to stay awake till 3 a.m. making posters out of glitter because one of her “sisters” received an exceptional grade on a test. Even while she was participating she felt “it was a dumb game, but didn’t know how long she could play along. They didn’t respect that I was a serious athlete and could not eat, live and breath the sorority and because my lifestyle didn’t fit into a certain mold, I was labeled an outcast,” she said.

Her decision to leave the group became evident after she was forced to move off-campus due to knee surgery. Her fellow sorority members failed to sympathize with her when her medical condition interfered with her ability to attend certain events sponsored by the sorority.

Commuters only comprise two percent of the Greek population, Dennis Camacho, the assistant director of Student Activites said.

Although she no longer speaks to her former “sisters,” she said, “Being in a sorority is a great idea for some people, but not for others.”

Camacho said there are many positive reasons for joining a sorority or fraternity.

Aside from the social aspects, the groups also encourage charity, leadership and scholarship, with most groups demanding a G.P.A. higher than the University’s required 2.0 to be a member.

Camacho also said membership requires a great deal of time and many students struggle to balance their commitment to their fraternity or sorority with other priorities.

Most of these groups use a point system to evaluate the participation of its members. Each event is designated a certain point value and members are required to accumulate a certain amount each semester.

Camacho said the University, in collaboration with leaders of national chapters and members of the Inter Fraternity Sorority Council, implemented guidelines to ensure students find their experiences in the Greek community are positive. The University monitors the activities of sororities and fraternities and requires that each group register all its members.

Packets are distributed to new members and leaders of the groups explaining the University’s policies regarding the activities of these organizations and the guidelines they are required to follow, such as registering the dates and times of when the group plans to hold activities.

Members are also required to attend seminars such as “Emerging Greek Leaders” and others addressing the issues of anti-hazing, the dangers of drugs and alcohol and domestic violence. During Rush, the University plays an active role in ensuring students’ safety by demanding some stages of the process be conducted on campus and alcohol be absent.

Presently, there are 28 active chapters of both sororities and fraternities on the campus. If students wish to start their own chapter they would be required to submit documentation to the Student Activities office for approval; however, Camacho said, “we have already selected the groups for expansion this year and are not looking to expand any more at this time.”

A problem that has recently been brought to Camacho’s attention is the presence of “underground” fraternities. Camacho said he “has not had any major problems with these groups, but it is an issue that is being looked into.”

These groups are not affiliated with the University and therefore, its members are not protected by the policies that monitor the activities of the Greek community.

The stereotypes of sororities and fraternities are not all trues. Greek organizations show they contribute and plan many charitable events. (Harry Tenielyan/The Chronicle)