Not like the movies: Understanding Greek Life at TXST

 By Syndey Seidel

Blog Content Contributor

The portrayal of Greek life in film is something that has been enjoyed by pretty much everyone. From Sydney White getting ridiculously hazed by her house president to Legally Blonde painting all sorority girls as being blonde, ditzy and rich. Today’s culture has created a stereotype for Greek life among college campuses.

In the movies, some of the many patterns that can be noticed are the wars between different comraderies, as well as inside the houses themselves. In addition to this, another popular conspiracy is that Greek life is only good for throwing parties.

I set out to try and determine if this was really the truth behind sororities and fraternities alike. To discover if the media had it right the entire time, I began by asking someone who has first-hand experience in the subject.

“One way sorority life differs from the movies is that girls don’t just join to get in with the frats. That rarely happens,” said the Delta Gamma Vice President of Finance, Chloe Zimmer. “The majority of the focus is placed on the goal and service among your chapter. It is not just hanging out all the time.”

Delta Gamma’s foundation, I learned, is called Service for Sights. The aim for the organization is to provide advocacy for people in the blind or visually impaired community, as well as those who promote sight conservation. The Delta Gammas work together to raise money for the cause, as well as providing information to encourage others to join their mission.

Another common misconception is that sororities and fraternities are very precise in who they allow inside their chapters. From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem like all members look and act just the same. There may even be those who desire to join Greek life but feel as if they do not belong in something of that nature. However, this theory cannot be anywhere close to the truth according to active affiliates.

“There are 150 people in my house and none of us are alike,” said Zimmer. “I get the stereotype, and I understand that it is there, but we have so many girls in just my specific chapter who never thought that they were going to go through Greek life and ended up loving it. You never know until you try it.”

After talking with Zimmer and several others in similar roles, I began noticing a popular opinion on the overall meaning of what it takes to not only be a part of, but to thrive in Greek life. The answer to this is: community. The overall atmosphere of these houses can best be described as one big village. From helping one another with homework, to even meeting with past alumni from your certain fellowship to assist in the workforce. The goal of sororities and fraternities is to help each other achieve success.

Overall, it seems as if the movies might have misconstrued some of the information regarding Greek life. If you are interested in becoming involved in a community that welcomes all, you can find information on the TXST Student Involvement and Engagement page.