By Lea Schmidt

Last week Panhellenic Council packed the Curry Student Center with ambitious sorority recruits, recruitment counselors, and lots of “sisters” for its fall recruitment.

What could be more fun than that?

Driving fiery nails through my eyes would be one thing. I set out to find out what sororities are all about, and by the end of the second night, I didn’t think I’d make it out alive.

After a “party” at each of the four chapters, for two nights, I get sick of answering the same questions. Not to mention how difficult it was to keep a friendly smile plastered on my face for two hours straight. By the end of those two nights, each chapter picked who they want to invite back. Some girls got invited back to all four. Some, like me, only got invited back to one.

I hold no hard feelings, though.

I’m glad I got out of it when I did. But I can’t help wondering what it was about me that they didn’t like. Maybe I didn’t get invited back to Delta Phi Epsilon because I don’t own anything from Tiffany’s. Maybe I answered a question wrong at the Sigma Delta Tau party, or didn’t wear the right clothes. Who knows I just don’t understand how you can tell from only a couple minutes that a person belongs in your sorority.

At registration, each recruit got a white t-shirt. The back read “Don’t be just another face in the crowd.” Now I’m all for individuality, but it seemed rather contradictory to me. One thing I noticed was that probably 50 percent of the girls there were wearing Tiffany bracelets or necklaces. And almost everyone had to wear their sorority t-shirt. To me, that’s just a bunch of girls trying to fit a certain mold. They wear what they wear and say what they say so a bunch of sorority sisters will like them and invite them to join. To me, that’s being a conformist, not an individual.

I realize I may make a lot of girls mad with what I said, but this is my opinion.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the sororities. I didn’t dig up any dark secrets, anything about hazing or dirt of that sort. They seem like a good group of girls with really strong bonds. Some girls feel sororities give them stability, something to be a part of, something that will always be there. But if they don’t like you, if you don’t give off a good first impression, you are denied that stability.

I just don’t think that’s worth the title of “sister.”