Women of Greek Life break stereotypes on sororities


greekball_tw_01
Taryn Wattles | Assistant Photo Editor Members of the Phi Mu sorority pose in front of their charity ball Tuesday outside of the UC. Students pay a dollar to sign the ball, and the money raised from signing goes to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Last year alone, their ball raised over six hundred dollars for charity.

For sorority sisters on Central Michigan University’s campus, a number of unfortunate and poorly-attributed stereotypes follow them like a dark cloud as they make their way to classes.

“’Sorority girl’ in itself is an awful stereotype perpetuated by films that are way off based on what Greek Life is really about, and it suggests that we are mindless girls who bounce from fraternity house to fraternity house and hand over daddy’s credit card in the blink of an eye,” said Chesterfield senior Danielle Cywka.

People judge them for their clothes: Maybe a pair of skinny jeans with Ugg boots and a crew neck sweatshirt complete with letters that Central Michigan University students might not know how to pronounce. Or maybe it has to do with their perceived demeanor, with people assuming that they’re looking down upon their ‘average’ peers.

Women involved in Greek Life at CMU say that projections are more than unfair and have major issues with the common stereotypes used to describe them. They see their experiences of being in a sorority as more than social. It’s an opportunity to help their community.

While being called a “sorority girl” can be a hurtful stereotype in itself, it comes with many different assumptions about a woman’s personality, appearance and social life. 

Livonia senior Brynn Cavanaugh says people have made assumptions about her and her friends after finding out they were involved in Greek Life.

What some students seem to forget about a sorority are the basic principals of the organizations: Sisterhood and philanthropy. 

Although social gatherings are a normal facet of Greek Life, there are many other aspects of each Greek organizations at CMU that push the cultural envelop further than the stereotypes.

 Students involved with Greek Life often dedicate hours of their lives to volunteering, and each chapter fundraises for specific philanthropies. During last year’s Greek Week, students raised over $30,000 for Special Olympics Michigan in less than seven days.

“In addition to raising money through large-scale events, we are constantly working to spread awareness and educate the public about the philanthropies we support,” Cavanaugh said. “Aside from each chapter’s philanthropies, individual Greeks complete many hours of service to better the community each semester.”

Another stereotype of women in Greek Life is that they fit cookie-cutter molds in regards to their appearance. Ionia senior Madelyn Downes thinks the opposite.

“I believe that our Greek Life already breaks the superficial territory by our looks because there are people of every shape, size and color in our community,” she said.

More than appearance, being involved in a sorority means expectations of academic success. 

“Chapters have grade point average requirements, and members are held accountable for their success in school,” Cavanaugh said. “When a member is struggling, there are numerous resources for them to consult in order to get themselves back on track, and we actively support each other in succeeding academically.”

Many of the assumptions associated with women in sororities leave the women of CMU Greek Life wondering why they are the constant target of negative judgement that disregards the main focuses of being Greek.

“I think people stereotype Greek Life because it’s easy,” Cywka said. “It’s easy to take a large group of people and label them all as one thing, rather than taking the time to actually be informed and learn what it’s really all about.”

According to women in Greek Life, what it’s really all about is being part of something bigger than themselves, having a constant support system, a legacy to follow and one to leave behind for sisters to come.

“Being Greek isn’t about having a million friends. It’s about doing things for the community and doing these things as one,” Illinois junior Melissa Nowak said. “It’s about forming a close bond with friends who become sisters and practicing the values that brought us all under the specific chapter we chose.”

Share: 

About Sydney Smith

Sydney Smith is a super-senior at Central Michigan University. She comes from metro Detroit ...

View Posts by Sydney Smith →