Before coming to URochester, if you asked me if I planned to join a sorority or be involved in Greek life in any way, my answer would have been a sharp and fast no. Like most people, my impression of sororities came from girls I saw online. While the experience seemed fun and exciting, I didn’t see myself fitting into that community before I arrived at college. Now, as I near the halfway point of both my college and sorority career, I can say that couldn’t be further from the truth. Being a part of the Greek life community on campus has truly made my time at URochester so much more exciting and meaningful, and shaped my life here in ways I never expected.
At their most basic level, fraternities and sororities are simply groups of individuals bound by similar interests, goals, and ideals. Here at URochester, joining a fraternity or sorority community means working with a group of other undergraduate students towards common goals while choosing to be held to a higher standard than other college students. The University of Rochester Fraternity and Sorority Affairs program, or FSA, is made up of the Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council, and the Multicultural Greek Council. All groups are open to any undergraduate student who has completed one semester in good standing. The Panhellenic Association has a structured recruitment process at the beginning of the spring semester, meaning students have a full semester to settle into life on campus before Panhellenic Association recruitment. There are some opportunities to join an organization outside of primary spring recruitment, but they tend to be limited. Chapters in the Interfraternity Council hold both informal and formal recruitment events at the beginning of each semester. Students speak with members of an organization, take part in activities, and learn about each fraternity. Recruitment for the Multicultural Greek Council is more informal, and organizations hold informational sessions for members throughout the semester to learn more about the chapter.
My personal experience has been predominantly with the Panhellenic Council, specifically as a part of the Delta Gamma chapter on campus. Within the larger FSA program, the Panhellenic community at the university includes six sororities of the National Panhellenic Conference: Alpha Phi (ΑΦ), Chi Omega (ΧΩ), Delta Gamma (ΔΓ), Gamma Phi Beta (ΓΦΒ), Kappa Delta (ΚΔ), and Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ). The Panhellenic Association is the largest women’s group on campus, and an elected board of delegates oversees all six chapters, establishing guidelines for membership recruitment, service opportunities, and social activities for members.
I went through the formal recruitment process during the spring semester of my freshman year. While I made a few close friendships and joined some phenomenal student organizations during my first semester, I craved a larger, more meaningful community that I felt was still missing from my college experience. After attending an information session about sorority life, I truly felt like the opportunity to experience that community had practically lain at my feet. After attending more events, I began to learn more about what Greek life means, particularly at URochester. I was cautiously optimistic that one of the six chapters might be the place for me.
To this day, recruitment weekend was one of my favorite experiences in college thus far. While four days of conversing with new people is exhausting, it was incredible to meet so many other girls looking for the same friendships, academic community, and service opportunities as me. I learned about the philanthropy events that each chapter holds and how they stay involved with local communities. I was also shocked and inspired to learn about the many extracurriculars, jobs, internships, and majors of the women I spoke to. Before my conversations during recruitment, I worried about the time commitment of being in a sorority. I very quickly learned that the girls in every chapter were some of the most motivated and ambitious people on campus; Greek life was just one part of their lives on campus.
One of the aspects of joining a sorority that intrigued me the most was the community service aspect. As someone involved with her local community, especially in high school, I was eager for opportunities to engage in service during my undergraduate career. Through my chapter’s philanthropy work, during this semester alone, I volunteered with a local nursing home, helped raise money for our philanthropy supporting the visually impaired, and created toys for service animals. I’ve gained not only unique opportunities for community service but valuable career connections and advice, leadership opportunities, major and minor course ideas, internship and job recommendations, and on-campus student involvement opportunities. I could truly list countless examples of times when this community has helped me grow and succeed. I am constantly inspired not only by my own chapter but by the entire community.
I went through my recruitment experience with little to no expectations and was simply excited for the experience. By the end of the weekend, I received an official bid for Delta Gamma. Joining the chapter was the catalyst for dozens of friendships, academic opportunities, and so much personal growth. Finding your place in college is not easy, and it can feel incredibly overwhelming at times. Joining a sorority gave me a home away from home that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Most importantly, I have made lifelong friendships and found a community that made me feel accepted and supported.