By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
“Paying for your friends” has been a phrase we hear all too well during sorority rush season. Greek life serves as an opportunity for community amongst like-minded individuals, but too often it is diminished into a shallow process, a criticism that is disproportionally targeted towards young women.
More often than not, young women bear the brunt of Greek life stereotypes and negativity. From TikTok OOTDs to YikYak opinions, it seems like women are consistently being put down. On TikTok specifically, there are accounts dedicated to judging girls’ “Rush Week” outfits at their respective schools, which just seems to add to the stress of an already intense process.
Taking the liberty of scrolling through TikTok, some of the first videos that come up if you search “sorority rush” are girls rushing at the University of Alabama. According to the Alabama Panhellenic Association, theirs is one of the largest Greek life communities in the nation. This magnitude unfortunately attracts a lot of negative attention, which is manifested in hateful comments toward young girls.
However, TikTok’s “fraternity rush,” usually referred to as “PledgeTok,” is not often subject to the same negative attention. “Pledges,” or new members, are applauded for being forced to do TikTok dances, while girls are shunned for showing off their outfits. For two organizations under the same Greek life umbrella, there’s a double standard at play.
According to the 2024 Potential New Member Guidebook, sorority dues for the Baylor chapters range anywhere from $600-$1,200 per semester. This is expensive, but given the amount of philanthropic events put on throughout the year, it is not all that surprising.
Baylor’s Fraternity and Sorority Life website reports that Greek life affiliates make up 27% of Baylor’s undergraduate population, raising $673,392 in philanthropy dollars last year. These numbers reflect an overall commitment to service, not just partying with your friends.
This integral part of Greek life seems to be consistently overlooked. Social media is so caught up in who is wearing what that many forget Greek life is centered in philanthropy. While you are a part of your organization to find community, philanthropic service is at the core of belonging to a sorority or fraternity.
Finding community is hard in college. You’re in a new city, state or for some, a new country. If you’re not lucky enough to become best friends with your roommates or the person you sit next to in class, it can be hard to find your people.
Salem, Ore., junior Kiera White said growing up, she was told all the time that being a part of a sorority is just paying for your friends. Since joining a sorority at Baylor, she saw how “untrue” that stereotype was.
“I’ve found friends that not only want to have fun together but want to cry together, praise the Lord together and are there for you whether you just need to borrow a hammer for a couple hours or need a place to live during a summer internship,” White said. “They truly embody going above and beyond for the sake of friendship.”
Greek life isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. You might not need to belong to an organization to find community, but putting others down and perpetuating negative stereotypes makes an already difficult adjustment even harder.
