I always knew I wanted to be in a sorority. But over the course of my time in high school and fall of freshman year, I learned more about the many controversies within the Greek system. Sorority and fraternity life centered around a white majority and financial affluence, which has created a lack of diversity since the start. Combined with a primarily white private institution, This made it difficult to decide whether to support organizations like these.
After talking to upperclassmen already in the sorority system at Linfield, I learned a lot about what sorority life can be at a small liberal arts college.
For one, unlike the common image that is projected about Greek life and the “sorority girl” at large schools, much of that does not occur at Linfield - possibly due to the lack of houses or member crossover in other organizations, it didn't feel as intense and exclusive as I imagined.
Once joining Alpha Phi, I realized that being a part of a sorority could give one a sense of community without being lost in personal identity.
To best describe it, it feels like I joined a whole community on campus. Although in Alpha Phi, I felt like there was an instant connection with members in other sororities across campus.
However by having this position and being a person of color, I have been able to see the many difficulties students might face deciding whether to go through recruitment. One time in class, when I mentioned to my classmate that I was in a sorority on campus, she immediately said,“You don't look like you would be in a sorority."
Was it because I wasn't the stereotypical image? Or maybe that I’m not inherently extroverted? These stigmas create an image that sororities are for one type of person only, when they're not. Over the course of the past years, it has allowed me to see the several improvements within Linfield’s panhellenic life that can be made, whether making it more inclusive or financially accessible, there is a lot of work that can still be done.
This past year, I was able to be on the executive board as VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This position was a new addition to the board, but just like other leading organizations, having a representative with an equitable perspective is becoming increasingly important.
So, by having this position, I was able to oversee operations from a DEI perspective, and educate the chapter on the experiences of minorities, Alpha Phi policies and the inequalities that different sisters might face economically, racially and socially.
The thing I learned from being within Alpha Phi is that you don't have to be the stereotypical “sorority girl” to be in a sorority.
You don't have to look a certain way, have certain interests, or have a certain lifestyle. You are able to advocate and raise money for important philanthropies, and build lifelong friendships. The women I found within this community are driven, passionate and kind.
Ultimately, When looking at the history of sorority life, it is clear that it has been built on exclusion and inequality. We cannot account for all sororities across the nation, but we can start with us. By recognising these issues, I hope that in the upcoming years, Alpha Phi and LPC can continue to prioritize and implement decisions and policies that improve the integrity and inclusion within sorority life at Linfield.
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