Reporter

Many assumptions are made about Greek life, but not many know what it means to be a part of a sorority or fraternity.

“You have to be committed to be in a sorority it’s a lot of work, and I have no time for that,” said Mo Gonzalez, a theater major.

“I haven’t really thought about joining a fraternity, but I have no time because of my added worry of commuting to and from school,” said Raul Gonzalez, an engineering major.

Time seems to be a common deal breaker for students, but Greek members seem to have other ways of looking at this ordeal.

“You grow a lot because of all the responsibilities you have,” said Denise Chavez, a member of Nu Phi Chi and an English major.

“There is time required in sororities, and you need to be able to think on your own,” said Ashley Schmidt, ASI president and alumnae of Gamma Phi Beta.

“There is a lot of time consumption, but it depends on you to adapt to it,” said Thom Turningan, a member of Omega Delta Phi and a pre-nursing student.

However, they also spoke of some of the common misconceptions about Greek life.

“A lot of people get their ideas of fraternities from movies. You know the group life, partying, and other negative views, but Greek life is more than that,” said Turingan. He summed up many people’s views on greek life. 

Greek members find that movies have an inaccurate representation of Greek life, especially on the recruitment process. Many believe that there are qualities that sorority or fraternity members must have to be a Greek, but Greek members strongly disagree with this. 

“You have to be yourself. Recruitment weekend is a wonderful chance to show who you are to sororities and find your match. Just remember if they can’t see you for you then that sorority is not for you,” Schmidt said.

She further shared what she believes recruitment is like to her.

“It’s like a potluck,” Schmidt said. “Each person brings something new that is unique, and makes the experience better.”

This advice holds true as other members had similar views to share.

Furthermore, they all believed that there were more advantages to being part of Greek life. These advantages include growth of skills and connections to fellow Greeks.

“The people around you will push you a lot, so you’re going to grow a lot because of that,” said Chavez.

“You will grow a lot because Greek life is a learning process,” said Thom Turingan.

“It’s a leadership opportunity that will develop your skills for conflict resolution and broaden your views as you work with different perspectives,” said Schmidt.

Schmidt also went in depth into the connection you make, which she believes is the biggest perk of Greek life.

“You are called brothers and sisters,” she said. “And there’s a meaning behind those words, It’s to the point you feel you can rely on these people because you will be brothers and sister for life.”