SUNY Brockport’s Panhellenic Council just recently hosted its Spring 2024 Recruitment Weekend. All girls looking to join a sorority were welcomed in to learn about life within a sisterhood.
Festivities started Friday, February 16 with a relaxed meet and greet. Attendees were able to meet the two sororities who take part in the Panhellenic Council, Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Sigma Sigma, while playing a heated game of trivia. Saturday was more of an in-depth meeting of the two sororities while crafting bouquets or playing bingo. Lastly, Sunday was for information on the philanthropic side of each sorority.
Now what exactly is a sorority? Sororities, as well as fraternities, fall under the umbrella of Greek life. They are organizations formed with people to make a community. Membership can lead to many great opportunities and lifelong friends. Each one has a philanthropic goal or purpose they work towards to better society.
There are a lot of common misconceptions or perceived negative connotations regarding Greek life. Sororities are commonly seen as party houses, have stuck up members and are full of hazing.
Brockport senior and Vice President of Recruitment for Delta Phi Epsilon Caragh Clune recognizes these misconceptions and stereotypes, but wants to show how Brockport is different.
“I think people have an idea in their head based on movies and TV shows about what a sorority is, and it does vary greatly from college to college. I hope that people keep their mind open and realize that Brockport is way different. We are a group of people who are like minded and we want to better our society and our environment here,” Clune said.
Media can be very influential, especially when it comes to Greek life, and usually not in a good way. What Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Sigma Sigma want to show is that they are not anything like what the media makes sororities out to be. These two sororities have helped many people in many ways. SUNY Brockport junior Lauren Adamo, Membership Recruitment Chair, has changed a lot because of her experiences within Phi Sigma Sigma.
“When I came here from high school, I was very shy and introverted. I never wanted to do anything alone. I had trouble going out, I had panic attacks, and I was so scared and nervous to do things. But here I am now, and I am so much more confident in what I’m doing and so much more open and comfortable in my environment,” Adamo said.
Being a part of such an involved and caring community really helped Adamo be who she is today. Without her sisters, Adamo is not sure where she would be right now.
Stories such as these are what encourages people to check out what Greek life has to offer. First-year student Patricia Martinez was on the fence about joining a sorority for a while but decided to give the recruitment weekend a shot. Like anything else, she was nervous the first day but as time went on, she started to see what it was like and began to enjoy herself.
“At first when I came here, I was feeling uncomfortable. But then, the following day I realized just how much fun it really was,” Martinez said.
It is easy to brush off Greek life as something you would never want to do, but it’s something worth checking out at least once. Adamo expressed how it was never a plan for her to sign up for a sorority, but the Greek life intrigued her enough to give it a shot.
“It was originally a joke to join. Me and my friend saw them at Club Craze, and we were like let’s just go through recruitment, why wouldn’t we? We’re not paying for it; we may as well go meet people even if we don’t join. Then, when we got there, I was like, ‘Wow I really like these people,’ they all made us feel so welcomed and it was hard to pass up an opportunity like that.” Adamo said.
Greek life is a bond made up of students, either in a sorority or fraternity, that will last them a lifetime. It helps the members gain confidence and meet new people they probably would have never gotten a chance to meet before. While it is not everyone’s cup of tea, they know and respect that. Just don’t knock it before you try it.
