The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 7, 1990 - Page 5
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>ightomssoEEEEEEM
System than meets the eye'
'There is
By Amy Hagan
'Sorority? You joined a soror-
ity? You have got to be kidding!
What in the world did you go and
do that for? I can't believe it.
Overnight one of my best friends
has turned into a sorority bitch!
Which house anyway? You're kid-
ding, right? You have got to be
joking. They're the worst! Just a
bunch of blondes, conceited and ar-
rogant, who are all from you-know-
where and interested in partying
with and dating only Delta Phis.
And now you're one of them! I
don't believe it. What a nightmare!"
After witnessing this scene nu-
merous times from either the inside
or out, it is only normal to ask:
Are sororities really made up of
women only interested in partying
*and dating fraternity men?
There are parties. And formals.
:No one is denying this. But sorori-
ties are much more than that. They
;are not simply comprised of girls,
snotty and spoiled, joining an ex-
clusive group, waving their parents'
money around, hopping from fra-
ternity party to fraternity party.
Many other components, unseen to
the outside eye, are what sororities
are really about.
Sororities are parties, but they
are also scholarship. Most sorori-
ties have "study nights," evenings
when a group of women meet at a
Hagan is an LSA junior.
more to the Greek
designated quiet area to study to-
gether. Some even have "study ar-
eas" in their houses. The Panhel-
lenic Association, the organization
that oversees all of the sororities,
awards the house with the highest
grade point average.
Furthermore, some sororities
honor individual members, those
achieving high grades each term or
for having a consistently good
record. For example, in their na-
tional magazine, one sorority fea-
tured an outstanding member that
graduated from the University with
a 4.0. 1
Sororities are service. All sorori-
ties also have an area of service in
their chapter's programming. Ser-
vice can be work done or money
raised for a particular philanthropy,
a charity that the sorority has cho-
sen to sponsor. "The entire purpose
behind Greek Week was to call at-
tention to community service and
to raise $50,000 for charities at
both the national and local level,"
explained one member of the Steer-
ing Committee for Greek Week, the
group of dedicated men and women
who organize and run Greek Week
from beginning to end.
(Sororities) are not simply comprised of girls,
snotty and spoiled, joining an exclusive group,
waving their parents' money around, hopping
from fraternity party to fraternity party.
may be the opportunity to gain
wonderful leadership skills. Each
house is individually responsible
for all of its chapter's programming
from year to year. Usually commit-
tees and councils, comprised of
members only, carry this out.
Sorority members almost entirely
run their own chapters, which is
quite a responsibility.
"I don't think I've ever held a
job so demanding," commented the
president of one house on campus.
Said another, "As President, I have
learned to make quick decisions for
large numbers of people while
keeping everyone's interests and
concerns in mind. If nothing else, I
have learned decision-making skills
and how to deal with overwhelming
responsibility." Holding any office
demands more than simply time.
Patience, trust, organization, re-
sponsibility, and flexibility along
with an undying spirit are all crite-
ria for being an officer.
Obviously, there is more to
sororities than partying. Women in-
terested in many aspects of sorority
life, from social to philanthropic,
join these organizations. Appar-
ently, the Greek system is not what
it seems to be. It is not all about
parties, nor are the women all
blonde and rich. Stereotyping,
although it is a fact of life, doesn't
have to be. Sorority stereotyping is
just like stereotyping Blacks or
Jews.
Most stereotypes base them-
selves on broad generalizations
rooted in gross distortions of the
truth. Not every member of any
group is exactly like all of the rest.
For the most part, stereotypes form
when people, lacking knowledge of
or exposure to various groups, irra-
tionally judge an entire group based
on an experience with one person
from that group or simply on
._ Qty
Sororities are standards. Manda-
tory standards events help to im-
prove and expand each member's
horizons. Sororities encourage
members to attend presentations,
speaking engagements, cultural
events, plays and concerts and self-
improvement workshops. Some
chapters bring speakers in and hold
presentations at their houses. "We
have seen all kinds of useful presen-
tations, from resumd writing to eat-
ing disorders," said one house's
member.
something that they "heard." It is
only fair to judge for oneself.
With an open mind willing to
be a little enlightened about the
Greek system and some truthful ed-
ucation, possibly the myth about
the stereotypical "sorority bitch"
will end. Please take this discussion
to heart. Dispel the ruthless and un-
founded stereotypes. There really is
a lot more to the Greek system than
meets the eye.
A sorority or fraternity sponsors
one Greek Week event and donates
the net money raised at that event
to the philanthropy of the house's
choice. Events such as Sing and
Variety raise money for one na-
tional and three local charities cho-
sen by the Steering Committee.
Houses also hold other fundraising
events periodically throughout the
year in order to further support their
particular charity.
Lastly, sororities are leadership.
Even less apparent to the non-Greek
h\
ITHINK ~(You
MItrnDKgSTOOP
,,. N O ATNIE S ID A
x
<Cha ginned U' alum is
h*denied football tickets
:,1To the Editor:
I am rather disappointed and
- ,chagrinned for recently having my
home football game ticket request
denied, because season-ticket sales
demanded it.
For several years, my wife and I
have made it a point to purchase
tickets, for at least two, home games
each year. Our jobs made it diffi-
r;cult, sometimes impossible, to at-,
tend more, or even the two games.
_ for which we purchased tickets.
Those tickets, however, were used;
if not by us, then by some good
,prospective University students.
Now, I'm told, I can't buy sin-
gle tickets anymore because some-
one who has more time and money
than I wants a season ticket. I'll
just bet the fat cat who gets my
,ticket never spent a day at the Uni-
versity attending classes (I spent
y five years). I'll bet this same person.
, has never spent a penny supporting
an LSA fund, a School of Educa-
tion fund, the University Alumni
Association, worked on a Regents
' Scholarship Selection Committee,
etc.
I have a feeling there are more
people out there like me who feel
abandoned by the University's "Big
Business" attitude. I will not, in the
future, respond positively when I
tam phone-solicited by anyone from
BS&A, etc.
I hope your season ticket sales
approach will generate enough
money to compensate for my and
others' termination of contributions
to the various programs for which
we alumni are always hit up.
Detlef Olsen
LSA class of '65
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