Archive for 2016

Home Archive for 2016

When I walked through the huge blue doors of the Tri Delta house for the first time, the first thing that popped into my head was, "Please God, don't let me trip in these heels" and the second was "Wow, this isn't as scary as I thought it was going to be." Recruitment is such a scary idea for anyone about to go experience it. Even if some people act like they aren't a little nervous, they are. But Recruitment gave me more than I ever thought it could have: a big, a best friend, a sisterhood, and a family.

Coming from high school, everything I really knew about sorority life I had seen either on TV or on Instagram. I didn't know what Pref night meant, what you were suppose to wear on certain days, or most importantly if I really wanted to be in a sorority at all. But I took a chance, registered for Recruitment and before I knew it I was walking into the Tri Delta house. Yeah I was nervous, and even a little overwhelmed but 15 minutes after being in the chapter room, and talking to girls about my favorite Disney movies I realized I wasn't thinking about being nervous anymore. I felt relaxed, and the girls I talked to genuinely cared about what I had to say.

Recruitment is so much more than having the perfect dress, or worrying about what you look like. Recruitment is about giving yourself the opportunity to put yourself first and making the decision of which sorority you feel provides you with the sisterhood you are looking for. Going through Recruitment its not your job to worry about what your friends are thinking, or what your parents think is best, its absolutely about what you want and only you. This is your one time in life to be completely selfish and only focus on what is best for you and your future.

I remember meeting certain girls in the Tri Delta house and imagining that one day we could be sisters, and what that would mean to me. One of the girls who I talked to is now my Big and I couldn't imagine going one day without her by my side. She is constantly making me laugh or helping me through the bad days, and looking back on the day I met her I am so thankful she sat down across that table from me and introduced herself.

So when you walk through our doors, and all the other ones remember this isn't about anyone else but yourself. When your talking to the girls, imagine if you can see yourself talking to them 4 years from now. Imagine the types of women you want to introduce to your parents as your best friends, or they girls you want to come cheer you up after a bad day. Recruitment lasts 3 days but the sisterhood lasts a lifetime, so take your time, don't stress and remember the sisterhood is going find you and you are going to know! Until then be excited because your about to start an amazing journey!

Joining Tri Delta three years ago was an opportunity of a lifetime. I not only gained 100+ sisters but I became a part of such an amazing organization. The bonds that I am surrounded by everyday constantly remind me that I made the right decision to go Greek. Tri Delta gave me a sense of belonging that I didn’t have before. I know that I ended up exactly where I was supposed to be because of all that the chapter has brought to my life.

Transitioning from High School to College can be the best but hardest time of your life. You are becoming an adult and your life is constantly changing, but most importantly you are finally finding out who you are as a person. When the thought of joining was first introduced to me, I really was unsure on how I felt. It wasn’t until I met an older girl on campus whose words forever changed my mind on Greek Life. She spoke so highly and positively about her sorority and all of the experiences and opportunities that came from her four years at SFA & Greek Life. This hit home for me, because that is what I’d been looking for. This girl just so happened to one day be my big in the chapter, and also my biggest role model. From that moment forward I knew exactly what I was looking for when choosing which home I belonged too.

I found my home with Tri Delta during formal Fall Recruitment in 2014. Becoming a panhellenic woman taught me that I am a part of something so much bigger than myself. The “perpetual bond of friendship,” as Tri Delta’s purpose states, has shown me that there is an unconditional love that comes with joining a sorority. The countless memories are never ending and my sisters stand by me through my good and bad times. They consistently push me to be a strong independent woman, and I am forever grateful. They encourage me to be grow as a young woman, and most importantly to be passionate about our philanthropy and helping others. The devotion and determination that each and every single one of my sorority sisters has towards our philanthropy in inspiring. Still to this day, they continue to teach me life lessons and encourage me to be the best version of myself.

Finding a home away from home is an experience I encourage everyone to try. The memories I have shared with my sisters will always hold a special place in my heart. I will forever be grateful for Delta Delta Delta and for the chance to finally find where I belong.

There are countless amounts of shared experiences that create the foundation for lifelong friendships in a sorority. One of the best rewards of membership is the connection that you create throughout your affiliation. Many girls join sororities knowing that it is a great way to meet a large group of women but few understand the real impact that these women will have on their lives both during and after college. Going Greek has introduced me to people I never thought I would meet and Tri Delta has given me the friendships I couldn’t live without.

During the three years I have been a member of Tri Delta, I have noticed an outstanding amount of leadership in the women of my chapter. It doesn’t matter if they have a leadership role or if they choose to just be supportive members, we all strive to help each other focus on common chapter goals. We help open doors for opportunities to be leaders on campus and in the chapter. As sorority women, we serve as role models for each other and strive to hold each other accountable. I’ve seen this first hand from learning and growing in this chapter. At the end of the day, it’s insanely encouraging.

By being a legacy, I’ve had the privilege of seeing my mother and sister still connected with their friends and seeing how beneficial that can be. Moving to a new town? There is a sister to help you get acquainted. Looking for a job after college? There is a sister in the field waiting to give you advice. My point is, that there is a sister around every corner, and I am eternally grateful for the connections that this sisterhood brings. My present and my future are both always going to be surrounded by sisters that I never thought I’d meet.

There is always going to be a variety of personalities in any sorority, but that is what makes it so fun. These women have been a part of my life for the past three years and I know that they will be there forever. I’m proud to know that by belonging to a sorority, I have sisters all over the Nation. I never thought I’d meet such unique personalities and I am forever grateful for the bonds that Tri Delta has given me.

Go Greek because I promise you that you will never be the same after encountering the spectacular women that are involved in the Greek community!

Even though Sororities encourage friendship, leadership, and scholarship there is always going to be the crass nicknames for every house, rumors that float around about the members, and (of course) the stereotypes that basically portray sorority women as vapid girls with no morals.

I must admit that I once bought into these rumors and was against going Greek. I was totally a skeptic and didn’t want to be a part of a group that got such a bad rap. Well, I’m here today to tell you that I couldn’t have been more wrong about what I thought it meant to be in a sorority. Deciding to go through recruitment was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it put all of those stereotypes and rumors to shame. Here is a list of the top five stereotypes that I once believed, but now know to be 100% false.

1. “You are just paying for your friends”

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard this one. It’s hilarious to me that people think that girls are so lacking in social skills that we need to pay all of this money just to find friends. Did we not have friends in high school before sororities were an option? I have found some of my very best friends through Tri Delta, but I’m certain that we would have been friends even if we weren’t sisters. The dues that we pay to be in a sorority go toward the betterment of our chapter home, our philanthropy events, our community, our National Corporation, and so much more. The friendship that you find in a sorority is genuine, and not at all monetarily forced.

2. “All Sorority girls are dumb”

This one is just downright insulting. Nationally, we are required to meet a minimum GPA in order to stay in good standing with the chapter. Because this is taken so seriously, we enforce study hours almost everyday where we meet up and study together in the library in order to hold each other accountable. With 130+ girls in the chapter, it is likely that someone has already taken that impossibly hard BioChem class that you’re struggling through and has notes and knowledge that they are more than willing to share with you. Greek Women make up 11% of the women at SFA, and our average GPA compared to all undergraduate university women, is almost a whole point higher. Those stats lead us to believe that one could almost say that our academics thrive more than if we weren’t in Greek life. As far as all of the social events that come with being in a sorority, school ALWAYS comes first and you will never be fined or punished in anyway for missing an event for a school related reason. After all, we are here for our academics in the first place, and sororities understand that.

3. “Sororities Haze their new members”

I think that this one has been played up so much that girls going through recruitment are legitimately scared. The National Panhellenic Council has a Unanimous Agreement that states in writing that hazing or hazing-related actions are, “punished by fines and/or imprisonment as a misdemeanor or felony.” Look it up to see the rest, it basically all just proves that we literally cannot and will not haze. We’ve all heard the horror stories that “totally happened to my cousin’s sister’s best friend” but come on… Sororities at their very core are about building one another up and creating bonds that will last a lifetime, NOT forcing you to do crazy things for entertainment. If any of the hazing stories were true, why the heck would anybody stay?

4. “All sorority girls are partiers”

Okay, so college is super exciting because you get that long awaited freedom, you finally get to figure out who you are, what you like, and all kinds of exciting things! For some, that may mean that they like to go out and party (there’s nothing wrong with that) but for a lot of people that means so many other things. Of course there is going to be a pretty big party scene at any college, but if you look past that there are other really great ways to spend your time and be social. People believe that if you’re in a sorority that you’re going to fall into that party setting inevitably, this is so false because we offer so many alternatives to that lifestyle! There are clubs and organizations outside of Greek life that you are encouraged to join. Many of our members are also in other organizations on campus. You can get involved with the local church (P.s. Nac has a pretty awesome college church community) or attend bible study at the house. My personal favorite, you can just hang out, go bowling, or watch a movie with your friends! The best thing about being in college is that you can do whatever makes you happy and you don’t have to worry about what other people think about you. Plus you always know that your sisters will love and accept you!

5. “All sorority girls care about is looks and materialism”

Some days I look super cute and put together, some days I look homeless, and there is little in between. Sure we all look super nice on those three days of Recruitment, but what the girls going through recruitment don’t see is that when the doors close and we all immediately put on our sweats, take off our makeup and put on those oh-so-fabulous green face masks. Not that we don’t like to look nice, but that’s not what it is all about. We know that who you will be after Recruitment is way more important than what name brand you’re wearing. My favorite thing about our chapter is that we are not encouraged to change who we are, but to leave our experience as better versions of ourselves. To be honest, I personally care way more about what your favorite movie is & where you would travel if you had a million dollars, than what you look or dress like.

I could honestly ramble on forever about how much I love Tri Delta and how it has made me a better and more confident woman forever. But I’ll leave you with this: There are pros and cons to anything in life, and there are always going to be people there to hate the things that you love and love the things that you hate. But the really great thing is that it does not matter one bit what other people think about you. As long as you are happy with the choices you’ve made and the life that you live, then that’s all that matters. So forget all the stereotypes and give Greek life a chance, because I promise that you won’t regret it.

This is our sister Jasmin's story about rushing as a Sophomore. While many believe Recruitment is strictly something for incoming Freshman, that is simply not true. Recruitment is for any young lady in college who is looking to become apart of a sorority, and finding true, everlasting friendships, and making memories that last a lifetime. Age, classification or college experience does not matter when you go through Recruitment, all that matters is being true to yourself and finding a chapter that truly makes you feel complete. This story is not to discourage Freshman from going through Recruitment, but instead to show that Recruitment isn't about your age, it is about finding sisterhood. It is never too late to find your home.

As cliché as it may sound, going Greek was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. Especially going through the process as a sophomore. Even though I knew I wanted to go Greek when I started looking into colleges in high school, I didn’t go through the process until the Fall semester of my sophomore year.

When the time came to move in my freshman year and for recruitment to start, I was beyond excited. However, personal matters came up and Greek life was no longer an option for me at the time. I was torn up from that but I used it to my advantage. Freshman year can be difficult and for some, and it’s better to take things one at a time instead of putting everything on one plate. For me, my freshman year was a time to finally find my true interests and myself. I was able to discover myself in a whole new way and in a whole new setting. I was able to focus on my academics and build a network of friends from all different kinds of backgrounds. However, I still felt like something was missing. In high school I was always apart of something, whether it was yearbook, softball, dance, or student council. When I came to SFA and was no longer a part of an organization it made me miss being a part of a team. I was extremely hesitant at first. I felt that recruitment was a process deemed only for incoming freshman and I would feel like I didn’t belong. However, recruitment is not meant to make you feel that way at all, especially when you find the right chapter. This process is meant for everybody and is a way to find your home, your friends, sisters, and soul mates regardless of what your academic classification.

I believe that going through Recruitment as a sophomore could actually be beneficial for someone who is looking for the right home. My freshman year I got to know girls from every chapter so I had an idea of what each chapter stood for and it definitely made my recruitment process easier when I saw some familiar faces. I also grew and changed a lot in just one year. Waiting that one year to find yourself and think about what you truly value could definitely be what helps you find your home. I know it did for me.

Joining Tri Delta has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life, even if I did join as a sophomore. Regardless of what year you go through Recruitment, when bid day comes and you are all sitting around in your white shirts, waiting to open up the envelope that holds your future, you are all equals. Everyone in the Greek community just wishes that you will find what you have been missing. I found my other half in Tri Delta. Through Tri Delta, I am able to be a part of a sisterhood unlike any other. I have gained true friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime. It’s never too late to go through recruitment and gain those bonds on your own. Do some research on each house and see what they stand for, what their philanthropy is, and what they each can offer you in becoming a better person. Even if you are unsure, just sign up and give it a shot! You never know what’s behind those big mansion doors.

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