Greek for good

One evening about a year ago, I was strolling past the Herman B Wells Library, when suddenly the most piercing noise stopped me dead in my tracks.

I’m fairly certain this unidentified noise, which was eerily similar to the wild pack of hyenas from “The Lion King,” could be heard throughout the entirety of IU’s campus. In only a matter of minutes, however, I had discovered the source of this terrifyingly loud sound:

Bid Night.

Monday night was the fateful evening when numerous hopeful women waited for news that would either put them into a state of elation or a state of depression within seconds. This year, about 1,700 women signed up for recruitment, and only 1,000 made the cut.

Personally, I never understood the allure of joining a sorority.

I abhorred the idea of being required to share living space with such a large number of girls, and I had always harbored the belief that sororities were places of refuge for materialistic individuals and that fraternities were simply good for one thing and one thing only: to party.

In reality, IU’s greek system runs so much deeper. 17 percent of IU students typically go greek.

With such a large participation base, there has to be something more than partying, right?

One area the greek system dominates is philanthropy. Each year, sororities and fraternities collectively participate in about 600 service projects or philanthropic causes. Perhaps the most well-known event fraternities and sororities undertake is Indiana University Dance Marathon.

At the 2012 IUDM, Phi Gamma Delta earned the top fundraising spot, single-handedly raising almost $85,000 to benefit Riley’s Hospital for Children. Let’s face it, helping others feels good, and the greek system makes philanthropic opportunities even more
accessible.

Being a member of a sorority or fraternity not only provides us with “pay-it-forward” experiences, but it also encourages our general personal growth. My brother, for example, joined Phi Kappa Sigma last fall.

I had always believed my brother to be a relatively responsible and motivated individual, but throughout the past year, I have been afforded the chance to watch him grow.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, going greek means you can thrust yourself into a killer social standing.

Not only can you make lasting and meaningful friendships, according to numerous women I know who now belong to an array of sororities, networking in general becomes easier. 

You’d be amazed at the number of successful and even famous alumnus who were members of certain sororities or fraternities, and you might be even more surprised about the frequency at which current greek members get to meet said
alumnus.

So, those freshman who decided to opt out of going greek this year might want to reconsider. As a junior, I’m pretty sure my epiphany has arrived too late, but regardless, I’d like to extend a congratulations to IU’s greek system.

And one last piece of advice to anyone walking down 10th Street on Bid Night: Wear ear plugs.

­— kfasone@indiana.edu